Croatia - Active Citizenship - Comenius Project

1. Active Citizenship
Zagreb, Horizons – Pre-Primary school
In kindergarten Horizons we first spoke with children to see what
they know about active citizenship or being active in general.
We began with general questions such as: What does it mean to be
active? How can we be active/What can we do to become and be
active? What kind of activities there are? To some more precise
ones that have the potential of turning us into truly active citizens.
How can we be active in our environment? How can we be active
for our environment?
We worked on this project and theme with two groups on two locations.
Smart Pandas:
Children of kindergarten Horizons live
active citizenship. Being aware of our
environment and the impact that active
involvement can in our society, Smart
Pandas decided to spread awareness of
influence we have on our surrounding.
Since our kindergarten is situated in
forested part of Zagreb and children
experience daily human influence on
forests and greened areas we decided to
raise awareness on how our consumption
and reckless discard of recyclable
materials can affect our beautiful forests
and distance us from nature.
What does it mean to be active?
Ivana: Being active is playing on the
playground and walking through forests.

2. Hrvoje: Being active means that we need to clean the trash so our parks are clean for us
and animals.
Andro: Being active means to be full of energy!
Eli: Being active means we can stop people from making mistakes and hurting trees and
grass.
Eva: being active means running, walking,
exercising or riding a bike in parks and on grass.
How can we be active, and what can we do to
become active?
Francis: We can go to parks a lot and pick up
trash and take care of trees so we can walk in
nature daily.
Eva: We can tell people around us to stop
throwing trash in the forest because it will hurt
the trees and flowers.
Petar: We can water trees when it’s hot so they
wouldn’t be thirsty.
What kind of activities there are?
Hrvoje: We can make cards for people to
remind them that trash is ugly and smelly.
Yuck!
Andro: We can make medals for people
who help us clean the trash around us!
How can we be active in our environment?
Zlatka: We can remember to pick up trash
after them.
Hrvoje: We recycle trash!
How can we be active for our
environment?
Ivana: We can use rags instead of paper
towels so more trees can live!
Lukas: We can remember to keep our park
clean.

3. While Smart Pandas worked on recycling and
cleaning Smart Bears turned their focus on
aesthetics and
decorating their
immediate
environment.
Smart Bears:
What does it
mean to be active?
For Smart bears to be active means: playing,
singing, painting, practicing, biking, drawing
eggs, dancing, colouring big giant egg, cutting
on the line, having a haircut, play hockey and
soccer, ice-skating, walking, running, flaying.
It means you’re making, you can do ball, you
can dance. You can love someone and be
someone’s friend. Find things.
How can we be active, and what can we do
to become active?
We can jump real high; put shoes on, clean, share things; jump in the sea from real high,
play, eat; be stronger, help each other, be good, do something.
What kind of activities there are?
Sports, exercising, something where you need to listen everything, talking.
How can we be active in our environment?
We can run, play, play with balls, dance, draw, move branches, be careful, play in the park,
be good in the store, listen, sleep, cook, go somewhere, skateboard, skip rope.
How can we be active for our environment?
We can put decorations, paint, put some lamps, put everything on the spot, put on a star
on the tree, paint to be nicer; water to be flower nice.

4. More green and grass around our kindergarten
Apple trees and a pet cat. Also to paint the walls outside to make them happier.
Bigger trees for climbing in the forest and apple trees for apples and a cat for a pet.

5. Decorate the Kindergarten outside with lights and decorations.
All of the children’s ideas on how to approach the issue of being an active citizen and the
main message they wanted to show and give to our community were presented on a giant
eggs exhibition in a local shopping mall during Easter time.

6. Since issuance of the Active Magazine’s 4th
edition we talked with our principal about our
wishes and came to some understanding. The groups will get a pet fish and a fish tank.
Also we are still negotiating painting road system for us to ride our bicycles.