with one Cardboard and silver detailing sword, Valentina Fialdini Monteiro, age 7, pretends to be a fencer at the Colegio Mater Dei in Jardim Paulista in So Paulo. When he arrived home after his activities at the Colegio Josénes in So José dos Campos, in the interior of So Paulo, the then 4-year-old Sergio Marcondes explained to his father where the Olympic Games in Tokyo-2020 were taking place. The Olympic torch that the teacher gave her, also made of cardboard and cellophane, has become one of her favorite toys at home.
These real scenes, seen by state Or as reported by parents of students, show how the Olympics is inspiring summer camps, camps or just camps offered by many schools in So Paulo and even other states. These are the Olympic holidays that can wake up – why not dream big? – Our future medalists at the Paris-2024 or Los Angeles-2028 Olympic Games.
The modus operandi of the game is adapted to the context of the school. The focus is on students in early childhood and early grades, covering nursery (0 months to 2 years), infant (3 and 5 years), and elementary school: 6 to 11 years, with some variations. Obviously, everything in that fine line between playing and learning is playful, fun.
They are games of fun, friendship, encounter and discovery – not necessarily competition. Students get their hands dirty making props and also practice the modalities. At Mater Dei, coordinator Erica Mantovani explains that baseball For example, it was practiced with pet bottles, sock balls, and a throwing umbrella. The archery was made with two sticks, all without points, and with a lot of imagination.
“In addition to being able to wake up an athlete, the Olympics show that sport can be a great ally in children’s lives, promoting health, well-being, fun and development. Children are increasingly involved in technology, That’s important, but we value physical activity”, says Rogeria Sprone, academic director of the Colegio Josense.
Organizing such activities during a new coronavirus pandemic requires special care. In addition to adopting protocols that are already part of the routine of schools, such as the use of alcohol gel, masks and physical distancing, activities were hand-picked. Most schools put an emphasis on individual sports to avoid crowds. This varied activities. “The students experienced sports they didn’t know about, such as fencing and badminton,” says Lucila Sartecchi, coordinator of the early years elementary school at the Colegio Renacenca on the west side.
At the Colegio Mater Dei, the July program followed the competition calendar. In the first week, students learn about the origins of the Games and create Olympic torches and medals. There he understood what a podium was. This week, they’ll learn about new sports like skateboarding and surfing. “It’s important to be friends. With the Olympic Games in between, she has enjoyed a lot. These are new things, sports she had never heard of,” says marketing manager Tatiana Fialdini Monteiro, 39, and Valentina’s mother, at the Olympics. The next editions of “Fencer”.
In Rio Grande do Norte, the land of gold medalist Italo Ferreira, students from Contemporaneo, a private school in Natal affiliated with Inspira Rede de Educadores, children aged 4 to 11, overtake surfing in their summer camp activities. Swimming, athletics, basketball, soccer and handball also aroused the interest of parents who were not involved in the school. The number of vacancies this year was reduced as compared to the previous years to avoid the rush.
Behind running, jumping and throwing, almost without realizing it, children learn values and practices that will last a lifetime, such as helping others, playing together, knowing how to win and lose. What’s more: that every effort brings positive results and that people need to pursue their dreams.
Worldwide
At the Colegio Lumiar, west of So Paulo, the Olympics were the passport to travel around the world. Older students between the ages of 8 and 12 wanted to know more about other countries. To this desire, the teachers added their taste towards sports and curiosity about sports. The journey that is still going on will result in a logbook with everything they have learned. It is easy to understand with examples.
Videos and maps of the Olympic torch route helped to understand the peculiarities of the Japanese territory. A survey of the medal tables from 1896 onwards resulted in a debate over the hegemony of the US and European nations. “The World Trip” has been a project of great engagement and enthusiasm to bring interdisciplinary content from an event we are experiencing”, assesses Camila Novas, tutor at Lumire Educacao Pinheiros.
This is another important point. When they learn about the events taking place at that time, the conversation and excitement are different. The Olympics are starting at home and ending in high school. Not necessarily in the same order. This tells 41-year-old salesman Marcelo Marcondes. He is Sergio’s father, who appears there in the beginning. The former basketball athlete says, “This week was very special and it was reflected in our conversations and our daily routine. I felt a great connection with him, the conversation between father and son, one of our moments.”
The seller says the summer camp offered at the school in the interior of So Paulo could be the seed for a new athlete at home. “These activities aroused in Sergio a desire to develop a somewhat different sport, we in the family have been talking about this a lot”, he revealed.
But the Olympic Games are not just held on the court or in the classroom. He also went with the students at breakfast time – the best time of the day. Administrator Eliana Suchodolsky Goldbaum says daughters Carolina, 8, and Beatriz, 5, loved the themed lunches. On United States Day, hamburger and fries; In the day of Israel they ate falafel; Rice and Beans on Brazil Day.
With games on the other side of the world, one of the biggest challenges for parents is to control children’s sleep. Among Brazilian achievements, the students of Mater Dei only followed Raisa Leal’s silver medal in women’s skateboarding. But Erica Mantovani says that, the day after Atalo Ferreira’s conquest, the first thing she heard from many students was: “Who won a medal in surfing, Auntie?”
