SMILEY FACES - European learning bags
Children's Learning project launched
"SMILEY FACES - European learning bags"
Recently the project 'SMILEY FACES - European Learning Bags' in which DIA-SPORT Association is a partner has been launched. It is co-ordinated by the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA). The other project partners are from Poland , Lithuania and Cyprus .
The overall aim of the project is to increase the child development knowledge and basic skills of childminders and parents and, through them, improve the early years education of children aged 3 - 7 years in the Years 1 and 2 and aged 7 - 12 years in Year 3.
Within the framework of the project the adult learners (childminders and parents) will use their creative talents to develop a range of 'SMILEY FACES - European Learning Bags' for use in the education of children with the view to encouraging children's social, emotional, physical, intellectual or communication skills in a fun way. Each 'Learning Bag' represents an educational resource containing resources such as toys, games, stories, songs etc), some of which will reflect the local culture, and they will be created, recorded and hand crafted by the childminders themselves. These 'Learning Bags' will be exchanged with partners and piloted with groups of children across the partnership. With the financial support of the European Commission Socrates programme, the childminders have the opportunity to use their imagination to develop and make ' learning bags' to stimulate and encourage children's learning, to improve the early years education of children, as well as to enhance the skills of childminders and parents by promoting cultural awareness and diversity.
Partners
The organizations co-operating in 1 Project are as follows:
Background
According to the main goal, as well as the objectives, the tendency for a consecutive and long-term project realisation consists of the so-called "learning bag" accompanied by a Travelling Teddy which have to facilitate the communication between childminders and parents regarding child's development and its education. The relationship "family-childminders" becomes closer and closer and parents co-operate with childminders in the development of a three-to-seven-year old child. The main direction of this impact is determined by: 
• Creativity
• Benevolence
• Sympathy
• Collaboration
that should be combined and expressed in a useful, practical and effective "Educational bag" (at a minimum volume a maximum result to be achieved = concentrated, clear, affecting knowledge for children), and accompanied by a description and instructions for childminders.
In conclusion the basic goal is to stimulate different aspects of the child's development and learning through fun.
First Project Year 2003 / 2004
· First transnational meeting and workshop
17 th – 20 th NOVEMBER 2003 , Belfast , NORTHERN IRELAND
For more details please click here· 2 nd transnational meeting and workshop
25 th - 28 th April 2004, Lodz, POLAND
For more details please click here· Second year - 3 rd transnational meeting and workshop
4 th – 7 th OCTOBER 2004 . - Nicosia, Cyprus
For more details please click here
· Second year - 4th Transnational Meeting and workshop
MAY 2005 – Lithuania
For more details please click here
· Third year Project meeting
November 2005 Sofia
For more details please click here
· Third year Project meeting
Belfast , Northern Ireland May 2006
For more details please click here
· POLISH FIRST YEAR`S MATERIALS
For more details please click here
· NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST YEAR`S MATERIALS
For more details please click here
· CYPRUS FIRST YEAR`S MATERIALS
· LITHUANIAN FIRST YEAR`S MATERIALS
· BULGARIAN FIRST YEAR`S MATERIALS
For more details please click here
· BULGARIAN SECOND YEAR`S MATERIALS
For more details please click here
· BULGARIAN THIRD YEAR`S MATERIALS
For more details please click here
LOGOS
Northern Ireland .doc