A14 Culinary workshop in Lithuanian partner school

Greek workshop - group food

Greek workshops - group food

LTT3 in Lithuania 27-31 May, 2019

LTT3 in Kaunas, Lithuania.
 Report by Silvija - Lithuanian school coordinator

A short-term exchanges of groups of pupils for the Erasmus plus Project named “Food for Thought - A Cultural Recipe of European Traditions and Customs” took part in VDU “Atžalynas” progymnasium, Kaunas, Lithuania, from Monday 27th May 2019 till Friday 31st of May 2019. We hosted two teachers and seven students from Convitto Nazionale “Rinaldo Corso” School, Correggio, Italy (teachers: Daniele Roatti, Serena Zaccarelli; students: Giacomo Gherardi, BO lin LIn, Martina Paturzo, Kayla Magro, Priyanka Puri, Marcello Manicardi, Nicolò Greco) and two teachers seven students from Osnovna škola "Matija Gubec" Cernik, Croatia (teachers: Ivan Galić, Kristina Klarić; students: Nives Milak, Petra Đurić, Marijana Ciprić, Lana Ordanić, Marin Babec, Roko Matošević, Antea Bakunić).

We provided all the needed information to the partners:  how to reach the airport, what transport to use. We found the hotel for the teachers and host families for students in Kaunas and sent all the information in advance to the partners.

The program was prepared in the intention to work on project tasks and present our educational system, also Lithuanian culture and customs . We established new but friendly relationships among our students and teachers,  developed social, communicative skills, improved English language, ICT skills and broadened the cultural knowledge and horizon on Lithuanian traditions and cuisine. Italian and Croatian students experienced adaption to welcoming Lithuanian homes and to new culture. Teachers and students faced cultural diversity, tolerance and multiculturalism issues, got familiar with Lithuanian educational system, pedagogical practices, exchanged professional experience, cooked and tried local food and drinks.

We involved the entire educational community to take part in the activities of the exchange visit: students, parents, teachers, authorities, school inspectorates and local EU representatives. Everyone gained useful experiences to take advantage of and pass on.

The students became aware of the similarities and differences among various cultures and young people. We developed an understanding of multiculturalism and health problems among young people. Th students found their personal strengths, worked collaboratively, experienced success in different workshops and tasks. In this way they increased motivation to learn and work, became aware of their belonging to the European community and to what extend their identity is shaped by living in Europe. The teachers not only took part in all activities themselves but also had the role of supervising, helping and motivating students.

All the activities which were listed in the application form were fully completed. Moreover, we provided and fulfilled more workshops and tasks that were diverse and even funny but they generated accumulation of knowledge and skill training on Lithuanian cuisine, cooking process and developing healthy eating habits.

 Day 1 Monday 05-27

Arrival.  Greeting. Welcome concert. Guided tours through school. Ice breaking, welcoming games getting to know each other. Teams of different nationalities students  working in “Healthy soul in a healthy body” workshop. Discussions.

Trip to the historical town Trakai. Culinary Workshop  in a traditional Karaim house, students cooked and tasted the real Karaim kibinai cooked under the supervision of a representative of the Karaim community and the chef of the restaurant. In domestic surroundings, they got acquainted with a history, traditions and culture of Karaim in Lithuania. In a Chocolate Workshop students made chocolate sweets by their own hands and visited Chocolate Museum.

                       

Day 2 Tuesday 05-28

PPP on traditional meals of participating countries in the school hall. Discussions. Questionnaire on eating habits. Creating a poster revealing the results. Discussions. Workshops: Creating Food Mandalas. Students were encouraged to work collaboratively and independently. They improved their cognitive and artistic skills by painting, designing and acting.

Visiting the Open Air Museum in Rumšiškės. It is one of the largest ethnographic open-air museums in Europe that stretches across the area of 195 ha. The museum was established on the  shores of Kaunas Lagoon in Rumšiškės in 1966. The exhibitions at the museum are intended to introduce the ethnographic regions of Lithuania, i.e. Dzūkija (Dainava), Aukštaitija (Highlands), Suvalkija (Sudovia), Žemaitija (Samogitia) and Lithuania Minor, as they looked at the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 20th century. Students had a Bread baking and  Potato Rolls on Cabbage Leaves workshops.

Day 3 Wednesday 05-29      

Trip to the Curonian Spit Sea Resort. Food degustation. Trying local cuisine meals. Team activities. Discussion. Evaluation. Cooking classes. Students of different countries teach how to cook their national meals. Different fun activities and games.

Day 4 Thursday 05-30          

A digital presentation "Different Diet" based on different eating habits (vegetarians, vegans, fruitarians, etc.). How much we know about them.

Trip to the capital city- Vilnius. Visiting the Cathedral, Valdovai Palace, the Gediminas Castle and getting familiar with eating habits of Noble people in the past.        

Day 5  Friday 05-31  

Presentations of students on these topics: Why are lots of products unhealthy? What additives are used to make them? Workshop: Quiz.        

Going to the old town. Meeting in VDU Magnus University with the Representative of EU, discussion on educational matters in different EU countries. Visiting the Historical Presidential Palace, an old town, a town of Merchants’, the House of Thunder, the Town hall and the Tower.

The students were asked to give feedbacks revealing positive and negative aspects of their daily experience. Such evaluation contributed a lot in providing further activities.

All participants received a certificate of attendance prepared by our school.

We believe that the bonds created among students and teachers will last in the future.