Last day at school today in Woerden

Today I met Annemarie’s class, level 4 students. We discussed about the changes I had noticed between Dutch and Finnish daycares like hygiene matters, outside playtime and clothes, food issues and so on. I even got some of the girls exited to come to Finland ( by showing snow pics of the  children having a ski competition! ) And yes, I did tell them that at this moment we don’t even have snow in the south..
Annemarie and I sat down to talk about a module together and we came to the conclusion that I would have needed more time to see other classes so let’s see what the future brings!
This was a wonderful experience to learn more about (other) cultures, even though it is your own that you haven’t experienced for over 20 years!!
I am very grateful and excited to have met so many lovely new people, big and small! THANK YOU ❤️

One pic of a stray cat in front of Woerden station! 

A day in Gouda in childcentre “ De Ontdekkingsreizigers”

A day in Gouda in childcentre “De ontdekkingsreizigers” ( before school/ playschool/ daycare and afterschool club)

I arrived in the morning in the playschool group during the morning circle. Kids and teachers  were singing who was present. Afterwards kids had time for free play. After the free play it was time to drink tea or water and the kids ate a fruit platter together with the adults. After that they all got a handtowl to wash their faces and hands while they sang an according song. Then they all went outside.
It was so windy and cold in my opinion and the kids went out in their fancy jackets without outdoor pants or hats or gloves!!!! I guess I have become so Finnish because I felt so bad that they were dressed so poorly! I tried to put their hoods on and cover them as much as I could 🤭
When those little cuties were outside I was told to go and visit the daycare!
The kids in daycare had just started their lunch with tomato soup and bread! The little ones got to choose what they wanted on their bread but they were not supposed to choose the same thing twice. After the bread they drank milk, butter milk or tea.
Then it was time to go to sleep in their little cages. Little beds where they were not able to get out. They went to sleep very peacefully and happily!

Afterwards it was time to go and see the afterschool club kids! They were playing and had chosen to do several kind of activities like getting a cast on hands and feet, making bracelets and so on. So that is what we did. It was so nice to see how polite and talkative the kids were! I gave them a Finland puzzle and xylitol pastilles and the school kids were very interested in everything! One of the girls said about me that I was so cool because I was teaching them so much about Finland ❤️

I was surprised to see how long the days are for many of the kids from 7.00-18.30!! Dutch parents are making long, long work days and I was surprised to see the amount of food the kids got on such a long day...in “our” Finnish eyes it would not be enough I guess....
Here some nice pictures!
Parents gave permissions for the pictures!

A day at school in Woerden at MBO Rijnland

I arrived in Woerden this morning and teacher Annemarie picked me up from the station. After getting a nice cup of coffee she gave me an introduction through the whole school. I met some collegueas of hers and teacher Regina came to pick me up to go to her class.
What a surprise to see two of the students that had been visiting Finland and myself in my former daycare Kids’ Valley in Hyvinkää last October! I held an introduction about the Finnish daycare system and at the same time we spoke with the students about the differences between the two countries! The interaction between the students and myself and the teacher was very good in my opinion. It is very important to realise that the age of the kids in our kindergartens is so different knowing that Dutch kids go to school at the age of 4!
I also realised that students graduating from this school ( pedagogisch medewerker) are getting a big responsibility while working in daycare. The whole kindergarten teacher being in charge of it all and being assisted by the practical nurses as is it in Finland now doesn’t excist! Interesting!
Also the fact they get music and drama lessons as also having their own kitchen classroom where they learn to plan cooking/baking activities with children was exciting 😊
After one guest class I went to another class where they were focussing on entrepreneurship skills. That was interesting as well because Regina made them evaluate my entrepeneurship skills!
Tomorrow I will go to Gouda to see a playschool/ daycare/ afterschool club.

Arrived in Holland during storm Dennis! Quite a bumby landing but all fine! Great to be back in my home country!
Looking forward to an interesting program starting tomorrow at MBO Rijnland in Woerden.
I’ve been reading a lot about the Dutch daycare system that is not that familiar to me at all. The fact alo that the Dutch are talking about early-and preschool for children when they talk about 2-4 year olds sounds so funny to me coming from Finland where preschoolers are 6 years old...
Anyway, tomorrow I will give two guest lessons for the Dutch students where I talk about the Finnish daycare system. So tomorrow more! 😊

Beautiful houses and small shops in Holland