Magonc

Helping children with SNI to maintain their independence, teaching them to be independent in small steps, is the task of all three specialised institutions. In their educational work, the institutions are also confronted with problems created by social inequalities that have a huge impact on the daily lives of children with SNI and their families. Unemployment and family impoverishment lead to socialisation and learning problems. Parents, and through them children, become unmotivated in the absence of appropriate activities. Families expect their lives to be improved by aid, not realising that the small area of land around them offers many opportunities to grow vegetables and fruit, and to collect natural herbs, mushrooms and wild fruits that provide free food for family meals. However, families slipping into extreme poverty do not realise the opportunities they have to become effectively self-sustaining by keeping their environment clean and healthy. Much of the knowledge about farming and production is based on knowledge passed down through generations, but in families where this activity and knowledge has been unappreciated and lacking in experience for generations, schools have a major role to play in teaching these skills.

We considered it important to teach special needs children the skills they need to learn about the plants they need for self-sustainability and a healthy lifestyle, how to grow them around the house or collect them from the wild, and how to keep properly store them. Our aim was to provide children with the professional and practical knowledge they need to cultivate small areas of land and to use them in a variety of ways. Through camps and lectures, the project provided children with the knowledge they needed to learn to protect and conserve the environment around them. Some of the activities helped the children to learn about natural resources and how to manage them properly. The continuous work has taught the children perseverance, and this kind of perseverance will be put to good use in the future, when they will be able to find a job in the labour market. Consistent and regular work was aimed at developing the children's attention, memory and thinking. In addition to developing digital skills and abilities, the digital garden design helped to develop creative thinking. During the activities, we were also building our community.

During the project, the children designed a digital garden. They were personally involved in the design and construction of raised beds, planting, tending to and preserving vegetables and herbs. They made compost and collected rainwater for irrigation. Through lectures and field trips, they learned about edible mushrooms and herbs and about the proper ways of gathering and drying them. They learned to plant fruit trees in cordons and prune them. They helped in making pergolas and planting and caring for creepers. In the institutions, a plant-related drawing and recitation contest was held. All three institutions made plant-related ceramics. The children made jams, fruit juices, syrups and cakes using the fruits. Pâtés and soaps were made from herbs with medical properties. The children went on excursions, and gained useful knowledge through camp activities and workshops. An online story reading took place about plants, where children from one of the countries read a story online for the children in the other two countries.

Children learned to design a garden with digital tools. They learnt about the fruits, herbs and mushrooms of the forests and fields, made raised beds, composted, planted and pruned in cordons, and planted creepers for pergolas. They learned how to preserve the plants they grew and made creative souvenirs from them. The gifts were packaged, labelled and sold, putting the concept of trading with money into practice. As a result of the project, the children and parents have created their own garden in their home environment, where they have put the lessons learned during the project to good use.