Ollie

Hello!My name is Ollie and I'm ten years old. I live in Bolton in the North West of England. I like adventures. Last year I visited France, Blackpool and Wales.

09.10.2015

Hello everyone,

today I have finaly met children. At first I was anxious because I didn't know anyone and didn't know what to expect,but children were so lovely. They gave me a lot of kisses and hugs :) 

They showed me around and I was astonished to find out that they have fish tank in the corridor! Aquariums at school  are a great way for kids to learn about fish and biology — and they're fun too! 

I also saw a beautiful hallway bulletin board with Pope John Paul II . Did you know that he was from Poland and he was declared  a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 2014?

I am looking forward to my Polish adventure and I will keep you updated about all the exciting news:)

Bye bye 

Ollie

16.10.2015 

 I took part in English lesson and I felt like being at home. This lesson gave the children opportunity to find out more about the British Royal Family. They know now that  Elizabeth II is the queen of UK and that she celebrates her birthday twice- in April and June. They can also identify  Prince Charles  and his two sons- William and Harry. They are looking forward to queen's 90th birthday on the 21st of April 2016. 

They made beautiful crowns and were kings and queens during the lesson:) 

It was great fun! 

23.10.2015

On Friday afternoon  class 2B took  Ollie for a trip. They   visited  the Emigration Museum in Gdynia . The unique space offered by the port and the historic building of the Marine Station grabbed Ollie’s  attention . Pupils took part in a workshop called “Children around the world” and found out more about culture and geography of United Kingdom, Argentina and Israel.

I love Poland!!!!

Ollie

30.10.2015

Yesterday we had  a blast learning about the life cycle of a butterfly.  Our teacher,Mrs Edyta, read the book  of Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Than we  watched a short video on the life cycle.  My favourite part was creating a unique art project that demonstrated the entire life cycle of the butterfly using different kinds of pasta. This was a good craft for both enjoying doing some artwork but also learning about metamorphosis.

Bye-bye for now!

Yours, Ollie

Lentils were the eggs on our leaves.

Our green pasta shells became the chrysalis hanging from the tree branches.

Light green Rotini pasta were our caterpillars.

 Finally, the Farfalle pasta became the butterflies. 

 Bye-bye for now!

Yours,Ollie.

4.11.2015

On Wednesday children took me to a theater for an educational spectacle “Rumcajs the robber”. Rumcajs is  a fairytale character of many bedtime stories of Czech children. He starts out as a cobbler in the city of Jičin but he insults the mayor Humpál by making shoes that do not fit properly so he is exiled to the Řáholce forest where he becomes a bandit. He wears a tall red hat and his clothes are quite shabby, but his shoes are impressing. Rumcajs grows a beard, which serve as a  nest for bees, and has a gun loaded with acorns. He is a little man of great strength. His best friend in the forest is a deer. Later in the story, a girl from Jičín named Manka joins him. They have a son named Cipísek and many adventures ensue. Rumcajs is undoubtedly the most famous Jičín hero, and though he’s a bandit (robber) think of Robin Hood – the people’s hero.  

Children really enjoyed the spectacle and I had a chance to be on the stage for a moment. It was great! Maybe one day I will become an actor.

Bye bye dear friends,

Ollie

13.11.2015

On Friday children learnt more about nutrition and found out which foods are healthy and which foods should be eaten in small amounts.

The food pyramid helps kids to receive all the nutrients growing children need each day from the five food groups. These are:

-Fruit

-Vegetables

-Protein – this includes lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes

-Grains – this includes bread, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles

-Dairy – this includes milk, yoghurt, and cheese

We made our own food  pyramid.

The top triangle is for "Fats" (butter, sugar, etc.), the next row is cut into 2 equal parts (1 for dairy and one for protein--remember that eggs go with protein not dairy!).

The next row is also in 2 equal parts- 1 for fruit and one for vegetables  and the bottom row is for grains (bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, rice).We need food from each of the food groups to stay healthy.

Children tried to guess my favourite food and they were very close;)

Ok, it’s time for lunch. Have a nice day my friends!

Yours,

Ollie

27.11.2015

We celebrated the 'National Teddy Bear Day' by bringing children's favourite teddies into school.
Pupils shared stories about their mascots, we talked about British most popular bears - Paddington and Mr Bean's teddy bear;) They also drew me ! I will show you their beautiful work of art soon! 

I also found out about  most famous Polish bear- Miś Uszatek (literally Teddy Floppy-ear). He even has his own statue! The bronze sculpture is situated at Piotrkowska Street in Łódź, pointing at the entrance to the Tourist Information Centre and smiling at small and large passers-by. 

Miś Uszatek became very popular TV animated series in 1975 and the last episode of the cartoon was made in 1987. Every cartoon took about eight minutes and told a story about cuddly Teddy Floppy-ear and his friends: Piglet, Little Rabbits or Little Hare. Miś Uszatek is also known  in Canada, Finland, Japan, , Netherlands, or in Czech Republic. 

Ok,time to go to bed! Good night!
Ollie

30.11.2015

Last weekend Weronika took me to her house. With her family we explored Gdynia . They showed me The “Dar Pomorza” (Gift of Pomerania) ,which  is commonly considered to be one of the most beautiful tall ships in the world. 

We also had a stroll from Orlowo Pier along beautiful cliffs and sandy beaches up to the wharf in Gdynia. Beautiful view, seagulls overhead … For years, this place has inspired artists, writers, and common folk. It has the charm and the natural beauty which is hard to match. 

I also visited Joseph Conrad Monument.  The delightfully stylised monument is one of only a few in the world dedicated to the great man- famous sea-faring author Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) and the only to depict his likeness.

I am so grateful for this amazing weekend! Shame that you my friends can’t be here with me! Lots of love,

Ollie.

4.12.2015

On Friday I was invited to visit Staś and his family  for a weekend.  I took part in preparing delicious Christmas gingerbread and I had great fun decorating them.The house was filled with a heavenly smell , the aroma surrounded me like a sugary hug.

We finished baking quite late and went to bed straight after. I had dreams about the Gingerbread Man  :)

On Saturday morning Staś took me to his football training in “Arka” Gdynia Football Club. The Arka players and the youth teams are very successful on both domestic and international levels.  The football coach gave me  some important duties – to have an eye on boys and to referee the match. I was responsible for  watching over the game and enforcing fair play ! One of my biggest dream came true!

On Sunday (6^thof December) it was St.Nicholas Day and it was eagerly awaited by all children in Poland. Everybody  received presents  and I got a huge honey pot.  After the Sunday Mass we went to the city centre to watch Santa Clause Motorcycle Parade. Every year  the charity parade takes place to collect money for children in need.  There were 3000 Santas on motorbikes and 125 tys.zł  (about 25 ooo pounds) were collected.   

I also had a chance to drive a motorbike- it wasn’t real but it was still good fun!

I had a fabulous time with Staś and his family. I will never forget it!

Ollie

11.12.2015

I spent the weekend at Martynka’s house. She had a birthday party in The Experiment Science Center and guess what- I was on the guess list ! I am the luckiest teddy bear in the world!

The venue is amazing. Unlike typical tourist attractions it offers not natural beauty, historical sights or culinary impression but the opportunity to see, watch and touch how the world works. There are interactive displays concentrating on five thematic groups: Man, Environment, Sounds, Physics, Optics.  Martynka and her guests  took part in workshops about the world. The little explorers found out some interesting facts about the continents . They learnt about the mountains in Asia and South America, the name of a desert in Asia and where  Eskimos live. Children also watched an experiment “Diffusion and temperature”. It's a cool experiment about ink and vinegar-warm and cold water. They learnt that temperature influences on diffusion. It is faster in warm water. The experiment also shows us that ink becomes invisible in hot water. Vinegar make ink optically visible.  

This was the best birthday party I’ve ever been to. If you're ever in Gdynia, you should visit The Experiment Science Center ,you won’t regret it!

18.12.2015

Today we’ve had lesson about Christmas. We received 2 beautiful handmade postcards from Mrs Owens and her class- one for me and one for class 2B and Mrs Kukułowicz.  We were all excited about this amazing present ! 

We also played “ Christmas Roll and Draw ” game and it was a great fun!

Children  found out that traditional Christmas dinner in UK consists of  the roast turkey  and that the most important day is not 24^th Dec. but 25^th  (Christmas Day). As you may know Poland is a very religious country. In reference to the  twelve apostles  there should always be twelve dishes on the Christmas table. There shouldn’t be any meat except fish. Carp is the most popular fish in Poland to be served during Christmas. Apart from carp Poles eat  dishes such as:

-     - Kutia - a mixture of cooked, unprocessed wheat grains, cooked poppy seeds, honey, dried  fruits soaked in a small amount of port or red wine and various nuts .

-     - Herrings

-     - Pierogi (dumplings) the most recognizable Polish food abroad. The Christmas version of dumplings is stuffed with cabbage or sauerkraut and dried forest mushrooms .

-      -Makowiec - Poppy seed  cake

-      - Gingerbread

-     - Braised Sauerkraut

-     - Red borsch

-      - Dried fruit compote - it is made from cooked dried and smoked fruits, typically plums, apples, pears, raisins and apricots.

 I need to go now ! See you soon!

Ollie

18-20.12.2015

This weekend I was invited to the home of Hania. Being back from school we rushed to Hania’s Grandma's Surprise Birthday Party. Oh believe me – it was a huge surprise to her Granny.

This day we celebrated 80th birthday of the Granny at Sopot Grand Hotel with all Hania’s Family – I loved it !!!

After the dinner Hania showed me Christmas lights in Sopot.

We all love sweets, so birthday cake was essential.

It was a long day and we went to bed quite late.

We slept together with Hania and her little brother Maciek. I must say, they left me quite a lot of room .

Last weekend I loved Martynka’s party at The Experiment Science Center, so I asked Hania and her parents to take me there again – we have a great time over there. 

Hania took me on the slide.

I helped Maciek with magnetic balls.

Screaming experience was a lot of fun.

It was another fantastic weekend!  

23.12.2015-3.01.2016
On Tuesday I was invited to spend Christmas with Pawełek and his family. We went to Białogard, where his grandparents live. Christmas Holidays start on the 24th of December.Once the first star was in the sky and all Christmas dishes were cooked all the family gathered around the table and the celebration began.

Sharing Christmas wafer took place before the main supper. During that moment, family members wished all the best to each other. A traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland is meatless and includes  fried carp and barszcz (beetroot soup) with uszka (ravioli). Everything was so delicious ....I wanted to take some for my friends in Bolton but Pawelek's mum told me that it wouldn't be good after 2 weeks;( 

After the meal, the family gathered near  the Christmas tree to exchange gifts and sing carols. 

Shortly before midnight, we all went to church for Midnight Mass called pasterka (which means Shepherds' Mass).
Next day we went to the forest. We enjoyed the beauty and peace of being in a natural setting.

22.01.2016

Today children have had fun experiments with dry ice. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, or CO2. Carbon dioxide is normally a gas at room temperature and is found in small amounts in our atmosphere. We breathe out carbon dioxide and plants use carbon dioxide to grow.

Carbon dioxide freezes at about -79o C, so it is very cold. At normal air pressure, frozen carbon dioxide does not melt- it changes directly from a solid to a gas and we say that it sublimes.

In a container  with warm water, add a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Place a small amount of dry ice into the warm water. Bubbles will begin to climb out of the container. Very cool.

Another fun experiment was “screaming metal”.  We put dry ice on a metal object and we could hear the high pitched screeching sound. The CO2 gas pushes against the metal  triggering vibrations that results in that noise.

If you put dry ice into hot water  a spectacular fog effect  is produced.

Last week we said goodbye to Ollie and sent him to Italy.We've been eagerly awaiting  the arrival of Anton:) Hope he will be with us soon.