The morning started with a long bus ride to Pre-school #112. It was located in the middle of a large group
of apartment buildings. Once inside the school we visited all
types of classes, beginning with gymnastics.  The room was filled with Tarzan-like ropes. In fact, the teacher
even referred to the children as her "little monkeys". The room
was kept warm, so the children could wear shorts and tee shirts.
After playing on the gym equipment, the children ran barefoot
in the snow for a few minutes. They said this stimulated their
circulatory system.
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The next activity was a math lesson in symmetry. The three year-olds
made and decorated butterflies. Using small paintbrushes and glue,
they put shapes on one side of the butterfly and then mirrored
them on the other side. 
In the art classroom, four year-olds were busy creating a class
masterpiece using strings, sponges, stamps, and paint. Each child
also made cards and presented them to us. Then, we followed these
same children to their lunchroom. To go with their homemade bread,
they had soup flavored with fresh chives cut from their classroom
garden. After lunch, the students took naps in the nursery, a
room with toddler sized beds.
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Before leaving, we visited the school health clinic. The nursing
staff closely monitors the children's health and updates shot
records. We were surprised to see what looked like a tanning bed
in one of the rooms. The ultraviolet light rays supplement the
children's exposure to sunlight. Petrozavodsk is so far north
that the winters are long and dark.
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| We briefly visited Lyceum #1 in the afternoon, where we observed
an English class. After that, we had lunch and Candy went to a
Russian medical clinic. Click on the "Next Page" button below
for that adventure! |
 To see more pictures of Pre-school 112 and Lyceum #1 click on
the camera for our photo album!
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