In addition to various pre-spring activities in line with the awakening of nature, our little students are spending more and more time outside, participating in interesting activities out in the sun, and now when the open-air stage is operational, something magical has happened.

Year 1 students were very surprised when they realised a real magician came to visit them, and the reason was a birthday celebration.

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about magic? Magic leaves you speechless. Does magic exist? How is it possible to pull a rabbit out of a hat that was previously empty? How is it possible to break a magic wand, repair it, and then make it disappear? Where was the pigeon hiding when it flew from under the coat when there was no room for it there?

The first-graders had great fun, and later, they recalled and discussed what happened with their teacher Danijela, which of course, was not easy to explain. What we call magic is actually a fantastic performing art that requires a lot of practice. Some of the tricks are not so hard to master, so the children wanted to try them out.

Some students mentioned they had magic kits at home, and that they would try to do a magic show of their own soon. Many desired to become magicians when they grow up. The magic show was organised by the parents of a student who celebrated his birthday that day, so in addition to the magician, kids enjoyed treats from a piñata shaped like a football jersey.

SOME BALLOONS ARE MORE MAGICAL THAN OTHERS

In the sunny schoolyard, and on a stage raised specially for this occasion, a witty Belgrade magician performed various tricks, and those with mad balloons were particularly funny. The balloon pump launched some balloons into the air like rockets, whereas it inflated other balloons that somehow wriggled their way out and disappeared altogether.

The next activity was an artistic assembly of different shapes achieved by overlapping balloons. The children got hearts, swords, beautiful swans, and other interesting creations. It was a gift of sorts for the children who couldn’t believe how fast balloons can be inflated and turned into works of art. Children played with their gifts the whole day, and then took them home as a reminder of an unforgettable day, and the unexpected fun they had in the school yard.

FUN-BASED LEARNING IS EFFECTIVE

Results have shown that play is a powerful motivational tool which should be utilised to make an often complex teaching material more relatable to students. Developing creative thinking, encouraging freedom of thought, expanding student perception, and moving away from the mundane into the world of imagination not only help students to warm up to education, but also help them to creatively master various school obligations.

The concept of education in the most advanced education systems is built on the idea that children learn through play, they learn by learning to play, thus developing into active and creative individuals, because play is a creative act. For today’s students who live in the age of the Internet and video games, teaching material that is retold countless times cannot be engaging. Learning through play (e.g. by using quiz, crossword puzzles, riddles, mystery stories, drama and other activities with the elements of fun and excitement) motivates students to work and create a good classroom atmosphere. This practice is successfully implemented at Primary School Savremena, where students’ needs are acknowledged and taken into account.

This means replacing the concept that requires students to sit quietly at their desks and be deadly serious. It turned out that this concept creates inactive students who mostly reproduce knowledge without the need to discuss or even think about certain phenomena or events. Savremena strives to make our students happy and satisfied with fun-based learning, and the validity of this concept has been proved by generations of Savremena students – not only do their achievements speak for themselves, but they also never fail to mention how much they love their school and their learning environment.