Almost the End, but Still Full of Magic

Hello!

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that this is the second-to-last blog I’m writing and then… it’ll all be over! I know I’ve already said many times how quickly time has flown by, but every time I think about what day it is, I just can’t believe it, it’s something truly surreal!

On Monday, May 26th, we celebrated Mother’s Day in Poland, so here are some of the beautiful creations the children made for their moms! It always warms my heart to see the effort they put into making gifts for their parents, because you can really see the passion in their eyes, knowing who it’s for. I have to admit, I really like the Polish word “mama,” because it’s so similar to how I say it in Italian, “mamma,” so I feel an even stronger emotional connection to this!

Afternoons at the playground have now become a daily certainty, and I absolutely love this philosophy of having a rejuvenating outdoor moment, since a bit of fresh air is always good for both the mind and body. But who says we always have to be running around or playing a thousand games? Just being outdoors, sitting and relaxing, can already be more than enough! So here we are, making super colorful bracelets with an endless array of beads, in all sorts of shapes and colors to choose from, making our bracelets as personalized as possible!

Over the past two weeks, we’ve also gotten creative with a new activity: we brought to life these fantastic little soft animals using needle and thread! The children were very patient and skilled with the needle, sometimes a few extra knots formed and we would help them out, but most of the work was all theirs! They each chose the animal they liked best and patiently, quietly brought it to life, and just look at the amazing results they achieved!

On May 29th, there was a special event at school dedicated to the school’s patron. If you’d like to learn more about it, I recommend visiting the school’s website: https://sp24.edu.bialystok.pl/pl/szkola/, where the historical background is explained very clearly! During the event, there was a theatrical performance by some of the older students who told the story, dressed in traditional historical costumes, in a very engaging way. There were also several musical and dance performances during the event. Here are two videos as examples: one is a performance by some of the children I’m with in the świetlica, where they prepared a dance to the tune of River Flows in You (I got emotional watching them, is that normal?), and the other is a small choir that entertained us with a song tied to the theme of the day. It was truly beautiful, everything was perfectly organized and the kids are so talented at singing, acting, and everything else!

During the quarantine, I learned how to braid hair just for fun, mainly to be able to tie my own hair easily. Who would have thought that something so simple would come in handy here at school? It all started with one little girl who wanted her hair tied up, so I made her a braid, and then one of the teachers and I turned it into a real little hair salon! We did braids starting from the top of the head, braids with colorful threads, and small little braids with thread woven in. Ever since then, nearly every day I have at least one girl asking me to braid her hair again, and it’s so heartwarming to see how such a small gesture can be so appreciated!

These past few days, we also tried playing the Human Knot game: we formed a circle, put our hands in the center, and each person grabbed two different hands. Then, we had to work together to untangle ourselves back into a circle, without letting go. The kids had so much fun, just look at them!

Another day, we also had a small workshop, where we drew some typical items and animals from some different countries (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Egypt). The children were absolutely thrilled to follow my drawings on the whiteboard and replicate them on their own sheets, eagerly waiting to move on to the next part of the drawing! We repeated the names of the countries in both Polish and English, and every time I started a new drawing, they tried to guess what the figure would turn out to be.

Last but not least, on Friday, June 6th, we celebrated Family Day, where parents joined us in the afternoon for a fun-filled event together! There were so many activities to enjoy: music playing throughout the event, face painting, braiding, a variety of food (including cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn, nachos…), tons of balloon shapes, loads of games, and to top it all off, a fantastic magician!

It was truly wonderful to be part of this experience, to see so many people having fun together and enjoying an afternoon that was anything but ordinary.

Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse of the day!

It feels crazy to say it, but… see you in the final blog post! :)