As part of the carefully planned outdoor activities, Savremena’s students headed to Avala, the mountain closest to our capital. The students enjoyed sports activities and learnt about the site, while a special programme was dedicated to Intelligence Day.

The central activity was the search for Žrnov, the medieval Serbian fortress which was located atop mount Avala and had two towers. Today, what remains of Žrnov is its rich history, which the students learnt about through different clues.

All Year 1 classes (I-1, I-2 and I-3) took part in the search for the ancient Avala fortress and were highly successful. The students also enjoyed sports activities, hiking and truly different games to exercise their brains.

Supporting Intelligence Day through activities at Avala

On 1 October, Mensa Serbia celebrated Intelligence Day, in honour of the day when the organisation was founded. The goal of this international event is to raise awareness about the importance of developing children’s intellectual abilities, particularly when it comes to working with children in families, primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and universities. All teachers are invited to carry out different activities aimed at encouraging students to think about creative problem solving. Owing to its diverse activities, Primary School Savremena became a part of this great event aimed at improving children’s focus and intellectual capacity.

The latest research has shown that people can become smarter through everyday practice. This is a step further from the well-known fact that it’s important to work out regularly. Now we know that it’s crucial to regularly train the brain through challenging logical tasks, as well as by exercising outdoors.

At Avala, Savremena’s students were encouraged to play sports games, explore nature, react to situations and solve riddles. The game was so fun. The students were detectives with a special task: to find the name and location of a fortress. The students had a time limit and a bag with clues they had to use and work together in order to reach the next level. The next game was the Japanese puzzle, Sudoku, which included the geometric shapes the students had previously covered in class. The missing shape led them to another clue. Finally, the enigma was solved with a puzzle, which enabled the young detectives to obtain all the necessary information about Žrnov and get a detective badge.

See what the clues looked like for the little detectives:

Learning about the site and the mountain spirit of Avala

It’s always good to visit Avala, as the saying goes. It is the closest mountain to Belgrade, with an elevation of over 500 meters. It is well-forested and partly covered with pine trees. Savremena’s students got to experience Avala’s features first-hand, while collecting autumn leaves and enjoying the scent of pine trees.

Of course, Avala’s main feature and symbol is the tower. The 122-meter tower overlooks Šumadija, Vojvodina and Belgrade providing visitors with a breathtaking view. There is also the Monument to the Unknown Hero, a masterpiece designed by Ivan Meštrović in honour of all freedom fighters.

The activity was carried out in accordance with the green school principle, which is one of Savremena’s features. Through regular lessons and extracurricular activities such as workshops, lectures, school trips and volunteering, the students gain valuable knowledge about environmental protection. The carefully planned outdoor activities enable students to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining the flora and fauna, recycling and waste management, the protection of natural resources and the global consequences of people’s behaviour. In other words, they learn how to save our planet for themselves and future generations.

 Jelena Milošević, class I-2 teacher at Primary School Savremena, was chosen by MENSA Serbia as one of the winners of Intelligence Day 2020, for organizing student activities aimed at stimulating the development of intellectual abilities. Educators at all levels were invited to join the international event on October 1, the day which commemorates the foundation of MENSA International.

The carefully planned educational activities designed to encourage intelligence and creativity, carried out with Savremena’s students at Avala, entailed logical tasks, outdoor exploration, stimulating learning and sports games. The jury will deliver the prize on November 7, 2020 at the accredited conference “Problem Solving as a Stimulus to Intellectual Development”.

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