Christmas Holiday!

Today it is the last day of the term! The teachers beat the 9 graders at "topsboll" topz ball. It is a game that is about the same as indoor hockey, but you play with a stick that looks just like one of those small plastic topz you have to scratch the inside of your ear with. But of course, the stick is as big as a hockey stick. You can imagine that it is very difficult to hit the ball with such a stick.

Well, to make a long story short -we -the teachers won BIG!

Before the topz ball, all students danced some traditional dances (I danced the same dances when I was a student at school -a long, long time ago! Most of the students join in the dances and have a good time.

Two girls from grade 7 entered the stage and sang a song each. Well done!

Then it was time for lunch and today it was as our tradition at Tanumskolan: "Julgröt" -which is warm rice pudding served with sugar, cinnamon and milk.

Then all classes met up in the classroom with their teachers and we had a cosy time with lit candles, Christmas songs on the cd-player and then we handed out the grades.

After that, it was time to go home and most of the teachers have a tradition, at last day of the term, to follow the students to the schoolbus -and wave to them when the busses leave.

We hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are looking forward to get going with the blog again after New Year. Now most of the blogs are up and running and it is going to be very interesting to see what we can do together in 2009.

Yesterday I spoke to an old student of ours, Nicolina, who came with us to Policka in November 2007. She still keeps in touch with some of the Czech and Italian students at least once a week! I think we have a great way to keep up the good work we are doing! After working together, for some of us up to 5 years, we ARE a Comenius family -just like Peter says!

So, to all of the members of the Comenius family, both students and teachers: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

/Anna, teacher at Tanum

At Christmas

I woke up on the 24th December. The Santa had come on the night and it hangs a Christmas-stocking on the end of my bed. It is presents and sweets in the stocking, so I eat it. When I have got out of my bed I eat breakfast. It is very many things on the table, so I eat a lot of things, like “Christmas-ham”, eggs, tea, coffee, and lots of more things.
Then I’m going to my aunt and eat even more.
All my family is there, and we have fun, and laugh.
At 3 a.m. we watch Donald duck which is one of our traditions.
On the evening comes Santa Clause and gives us Christmas-presents.
When all gifts are delivered, we go home.

That is what who happens on my Christmas // Ida

Yes! At last!!! Towards Salerno

At last we have managed to upload our video "Towards Salerno" The video was shot at Hornbore by, an open air Viking museum, near Hamburgsund, Sweden. The story was written and performed by students at Tanumskolan as a part of the project "Learning in a European Classroom, sponsored by Progamkontoret and the EU.

The story is about some Vikings who are getting ready to sail towards Salerno, Italy to pillage and plunder. The daughter of the clan leader is a very special girl and she wants to come along, but as a female she is not allowed to join the men. She is very angry with her dad and .... Well, have a look and see what happens!

Some facts about Sweden

I was thinking that those who are coming to Sweden next year maybe want to now some facts about our country. Our big city, the capital of Sweden, is called Stockholm. The population in Stockholm is about 1 million of people. The National Anthem name is “Du gamla, Du fria”. In English that mean “Thou ancient, thou free”. The King of Sweden name is Carl Gustav. A traditional meal is meatballs, with brown sauce, lingonberry jam and boiled potatoes. In Sweden live 9 millions of people. The bigger cities are Malmö, Stockholm and Göteborg, in English called “Malmo, Stockholm and Gothenburg.” In Sweden we shop with SEK, “Swedish Krona”. The Swedish flag is blue with a yellow cross. Want to now more about Sweden? Search for it on wikipedia.
/Rebecca

Kubb

Kubb has been played since the Middle Ages here in Sweden, most people think that kubb comes from the biggest island in Sweden, it is called Gotland. Every year there is a world championship at Gotland. Here are the rules:

There are two teams. Each team has its own line with bowler pieces. There are five bowler pieces in each line. The team will throw down the other team’s bowler pieces with wooden sticks, you have to stand behind your own team’s bowler pieces when you throw it.
After you've thrown down the other team’s bowler pieces, it is time to throw down the king. The team that first throw down the king wins! But if you throw down the king by mistake you lose.//Anna Clara

Places to go when you come to Sweden

We are trying to find places that you might be interested in when you come to Sweden. Keep your eyes open and get back to us if you read about something you would like to see or do...



The Moos Farm
We can offer you a real moose adventure. Meeting moose, known as the King of the Forest, is a grand event. Moose are large and majestic, with something special and ancient about them that have always fascinated people.

We guarantee that you will see moose and provide a uniquely close contact with our domesticated animals. You will also learn more about how the moose live there. They can also give you tips on where you are most likely to see moose in our fantastic wilderness so you can go on your own, personal moose safari.
You can also touch and feed the moose.

Do you want to go there?

Nordens Ark
Nordens Ark is a non-profit foundation with the overarching goal to provide a future for endangered animals through; breeding and reintroduction programmes, research and information. Many of the species are part of conservation breeding and recovery programmes carried out in cooperation with nature protection organisations and authorities, universities and zoos. We only keep animals for which we can provide the best environmental conditions and for those which our work contribute to a long-term survival in the wild.
In Nordens Ark you can find Nordic animals and exotic animals who is in danger of extinction like lynxes, wolves, otters, adders, milk frogs, different kinds of horses and many other animals.
http://www.nordensark.se/en/

The Christmas tree

The tree is a spruce. You can have a plastic or natural spruce. You can cut the tree down buy yourself, but usually you buy it. Here in Tanumshede can you buy it outside the grocery stores. I don’t know were you are buying it in bigger towns and cities. Many people put the tree into the house the day before Christmas Eve.
When you have put the tree into the house it is time to decorate it. Some of the decorations are: Christmas tree balls, they can be in different colours, but often they are red. Small Santa Claus, most people also have electric candles in the spruce. Glitter is also usual. Then you can do own decorations like Christmas crackers, you can also hang candy in the tree, like polka pigs and stuff like that. On the top of the spruce there is a star. Under the spruce can you find the Christmas presents. Many people are dancing around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve./ Anna Clara

Christmas ham

Christmas ham is a traditional dish you eat at Christmas. Its It’s made of a pig. The ham is boiled, then brushed with mustard, egg and spices. Then you put it in the oven.

Marcus

Lucia

13th December we have a tradition to celebrate ”Lucia”. Lucia is a Saint from Syracuse on Sicily. The history says that Lucia died for the people and God. She gave all her things to the poor. It was like a “thanks” to God because he had cure her deadly sick mother. But her fiancée get mad because he thought that she was a Christen (they were not allowed to be that then) so they try to kill her. But she didn’t get hurt, they try with hot oil, and she was burnt at the stake too. At last they through a sward in her and she died. At year 304 she became a Saint. In the church we use to have a Lucia procession. Lucia goes in the front (a girl with a white dress and candles in her hair.) and after comes the bridesmaids (girls with white dresses and tinsel in their hair) then the star boys come (boys with a star in their hand and a star hat) They sing our tradition Lucia songs and give us gingerbreads (a Christmas cookie) //Olivia

Julmust

It’s a Swedish drink that looks like Coca-Cola, but the taste is different. It’s soft and spicy and has the colour black. At Easter it is called Påskmust. Around Christmas the selling of Coca-Cola decreases.
By Emelie and Rebecca

Gingerbread biscuit

Gingerbread biscuit is a traditional cookie on Christmas. You usually do them at first Advent together whit you family.

To make gingerbread biscuit you need:

150 gram margarine
2 ½ decilitre sugars
½ decilitre syrup
1 decilitre water
½ tablespoon ginger
½ tablespoon clove
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
½ tablespoon bicarbonate

1.Mix cooking fat, sugar and syrup to a dough
2.Add water, spice, bicarbonate and flour to the dough and put it in the fridge over the night.
3.Roll out a piece of the dough at the time. You can use for example heart shapes to form the cookie’s, let them fry in the oven for five minutes and then let them cool down on the pate.

If you break a gingerbread cookie in three parts then you can wish something. But if you tell someone what you wished for, you will get bad luck.

And you can’t cheat!

//Jennie

Christmas presents

In Sweden we celebrate Christmas on the Christmas Eve. Then comes the Santa and hand out the presents that lie under the Christmas tree.
Every year, media has a a “present of the year”. This year it is an experience, other years it have been a GPS, cd-book, poker set, flat screen-TV, cap/hat and a lot of other things.
/Moa K

Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a traditional meal, which you eat on Christmas morning. It’s made of water, milk, round grains, and some salt. Often you add some sugar and cinnamon. You also put in one almond, and there is a saying, that the one who gets it will get married before next year.
At Christams Eve you’re supposed to put out one plate for the Santa.
If you have a lot of leftovers you can make “rice a la malta” of it. You only add some cream and vanilla sugar.

Made by: Lina and Sissel

TV at Christmas

Every Christmas there is a Christmas-host who is sitting all day in a studio and presents all TV-programs. For 30 years Arne Weise has been TV host. But now there is a different host every year. At three o’clock it is Donald duck and other cartoon programs. It is a tradition to watch it. At three o’clock the host also light a candle. This year Lasse Crooner is going to be the Christmas-host.
//Kasper och David

Christmas Card

Christmas cards are regular greetings cards with for example Santa, trees or snow on it. You buy cards in a store or you can make a card on your one. You write something friendly and send it to friends, family and every one you know. You can also send Christmas cards through the computer if you have e-mail.

/ Rebecca&Emelie

Profile Day

Today we have ”Profile Day” . On our school we have different profiles that we can chose from in the beginning of this school year. The profiles are World & Us, Creative Activity, Showbiz, Cocking and house keeping ,Gymnastic & Health, School’s Future! We have one of these profiles once a week. But today we are spending the whole day with our profile and so far we have learned some small things about blogging but most of us (the students) knew almost everything already but Anna and Ingalil probably learned something.  They seemed really interested when Jessica from Mediapolen was here. Later we are going to make an audio file with the Swedish Lucia song.

Finland's blog is soon on the way...

Hiya!

I just had a message from Riikka in Finland that their blog should be up and running by next week! We are looking forward to it! This Thursday we have booked a whole day when we are going to learn more about how to handle the blog, upload pictures, films and audiofiles -and hopefully finding new ways to work with the blog.
/Anna

Father Christmas

Every child on earth loves him. You may know him: Father Christmas.

Every Christmas Father Christmas takes a ride on his sledge and gives presents to every child on earth. He lives in North Pole with his wife. In Sweden we call him jultomten. Father Christmas has a list that shows him who has been nice and who has been bad.
/Tommie

About coming to Sweden

Some questions
We were thinking about what to do when you come to Sweden, and a thought appeared in our heads; why don't we ask you? So, here are some questions we would be very happy if you could answer.
What do you expect to do when you come to Sweden?
What do you want to do in our school?
What do you want to do in the spare time?
Are there some things you want to see while you're here?

If you answer, please write from wich country you come from.

// Moa & Elise

Autumn holiday

This week the students are off school. Hopefully they are spending time out in the fresh air... and not on the computer haha!

Last Thursday we did something that was quite different. 20 students and 2 teachers all met up at 6.30 pm at Vitlycke museum. We started with hot chocholate and a cheese roll in the restaurant and then we went out to look at the rock carvings in in the dark. Our guide had a large torch -and the carvings showed up really well. Hopefully we can upload some photos as one of the girls managed to take some nice shots.

/Anna the teacher

Lexikon

Some information of the Swedish language:

Hello- Hej
I- jag
You- du
School- skola
Yes- ja
No- nej
Ask- fråga
Ex: Eng: I ask you a question! Swe: Jag frågade dig en fråga!

With good wishes Le Ly, Alice and Annie

Showbiz

In our school we have some teacher how teach us about different things. Some of the pupils have showbiz, they sing, dance and make performances. We have talk with them and look what they doing. And we ask some question to some of the pupils.

When we come there, they training to prepare the singing part, they even sound like monkeys because a teacher tell them that that was simple and good training. They look really funny!
After that part we talk with our friends, Olivia and Jossan.
- What are you doing here? We ask Olivia.
- We sing and training at the performance.
- When is it?
- Don’t know!
- Have you fun when you is here?
- Yes, I have fun. She answer.
After that we ask Jossan nearly same questions.
- What do you think is the funniest part?
- To sing, but we are many how want to sing so we had to take turns!

We got to see them training at the performance, and that was good we think. And we look forward to the performance!

With good wishes Le Ly, Alice and Annie.

Some questions

We were thinking about what to do when you come to Sweden, and a thought appeared in our heads; why don't we ask you? So, here are some questions we would be very happy if you could answer.
What do you expect to do when you come to Sweden?
What do you want to do in our school?
What do you want to do in the spare time?
Are there some things you want to see while you're here?

If you answer, please write from wich country you come from.

// Moa & Elise

Autumn Poems

Autumn

The different colours
The trees which drop their leaves
The sun which has stopped to shine
Everything gets dark
Nothing is great anymore
The autumn’s here!

Raindrops

The rain is falling against the ground
No one prevents it to happen
No one wants, no one cares
No one cares about the raindrops
They think that it’s something usual
But the tears,
which rolls down the girl’s cheek,
Comes from deep inside…

//Ida K

What did everybody else do when year 9 was in Stockholm?

During the whole week there were different activities - and few lessons:

One day we were on Ranebo.It was two classes there at the same time. First one class stayed and did cooperation exercises. We were going to come over ropes and balance on a log at the same time you changed places. The other class were going to a large look out tower called Amundshatt. When we had finished the exercise and had come back from the walk and we had lunch.
// Natali

We’ve looked at a movie called Hip Hip Hora. (known as The Ketchup Effect in most English-speaking countries)
Most of puppils have already seen that movie, but they still like it. ! J
The movie is about three girls called Emma,Sofie and Amanda which have begun 7th grade.They are very interested in some boys called Maouse, Jens and Sebbe. During a party, Sofie becomes far too drunk and is unconscious, and Mouse and Jens take humiliating photos of her. Almost the entire school see the photos and everything collapses for Sofie.Sofie loses her friends, and she wants to kill herself. During another party she jumps out of a window. She is taken to hospital, and after she have come back to school, everybody is very kind to her. At the end of the movie, Sebbe says sorry and ask her out for dinner
/Emma and Bianka

The second of October year eight had information about high school, as we start when we leave Ninth grade.
Åke (the man who speaks about high school) said that there are many kinds of programs that you can chose what ever you want.
We have around 20 different courses, for example the community program; there you can read history, religion and geography, the Vehicle Engineering Programme; where you learn about cars and stuff, the Child Recreation Programme; where you go if you want to be a nursery-school teacher. We learn a lot during the information. J
// Annie

The police
A police; Titti came and visited the school, she talked about how it is like to be a cop.
She had all of her outfit carried on her belt, pepper spray, gun, night stick, flashlight, radio, handcuffs, car keys, mobile and ammunition.
She talked about how you can become a police and what you do. What different kinds of police characters you can be. Dog police, horse police, criminal police, patrol police and many other kinds of police.
//Kevin and Moa

CPR
One of the activities was learning CPR.
We had a doll called little Ann. Everyone had a doll. The first we did was to give the doll cardiac compression. After that we learned how to give the mouth-to-mouth method.
The dolls ribcage rose up when you were blowing right.
Then we learned how to do when somebody is out of breath. First of all you will thump the person on the back. If it doesn’t work you have to push under the chest.

Films
We saw two films, called “Ondskan” which means “the evilness” and “Brandstegen” or “the fire ladder”
They are two Swedish films.
“Ondskan” is about a boy called Erik. He starts at a new school, with strange rules. The pupils are bringing up each other. And Erik gets into trouble. The film took place in the fifties, in Sweden.
“Brandstegen” is about drugs. It shows how bad it is to take drugs. The film was made by some pupils near Gothenburg, which is Sweden’s second biggest city.
/Anna-Clara

We also learnt about how to handle a fire extinctioner and what to do if someone catches fire. We practised with the local fire brigade!

Chanterelles

Chanterelle is a delicates in Sweden. It is a mushroom which you can do many things with. You can have it on sandwich, in soup or in a sauce. Chanterelles are growing in very wet pleaces. It grows in the forest during fall. Sometimes they can be very hard to find, but when you find them there is always a lot of them. To grow they need rain at least one time every week. You can preserve them by using the freezer or you dry them. There are two sorts of Chanterelle the yellow and brown. What you see on the picture is the brown one.
/Tommie

Year 9 are back from Stockholm

So now have all 9 graders returned from Stockholm. We had a nice time with a lot of laughter and a few tears.

The bus for Stockholm left Tanum around 9 o’clock on Monday morning.
We stopped for Burger King after some time. We looked on some movies for example Sleepy Hollow in Italian I think the movie’s name was Il Mistero di Sleepy Hollow.

Our trip continued and around 6pm we arrived to Stockholm and Af Chapman the hostel we were going to live in. Every one started with a walk to Old Town which is a district in Stockholm. On our way we walked past the Royal Castle and its many guards we stood an looked at one specific guard a little too long because he called for backup and soon 4-5 other guards came and told us to keep moving.

After that we could move freely and almost everyone started looking for a restaurant were we could eat dinner. Me and my friends found a Mexican fast food restaurant and almost everyone eat Tacos or Burrito.

Next day we went to Djurgården an area in Stockholm were many Museums and Grönalund is. Grönalund is an amusement park.
I visited Skansen a big Zoo with Both Swedish animals and some exotic animals inside.

Then on the afternoon we could go shopping and do almost what ever we wanted.
We eat on nice restaurants and bought clothes, shoes & jewellery.

Next day we Visited the Government and parliament it wasn’t so fun that we thought it should be as the man how guided us was boring. Lars Tysklind was his name.
On that afternoon we also visited the Army Museum there we saw some tanks, different weapons and stuff like that mostly things for the war geek.

We shopped that evening and sat on cafés talking about that these days had gone fast and that we wanted to stay longer. We stayed up almost the whole night because the teachers couldn’t punish us by sending us home because we were going home the nest day anyway. But I think they had very much fun chasing us around Af Chapman but they kept it a secret.

The bus trip home was so unbelievable boring we saw the same movie and stopped for food on the same place as we were going up. Almost everyone were sleeping and complained that they had a headache.

We came home around 7 o’clock the same evening.
/Calle

Last week all the pupils in 9th grade and some teachers went to Stockholm. We went at 09.00 on Monday morning. We lived on a youth hostel. In Stockholm we visited some museums and the Swedish Parliament, went to cyber town ( laser doome, you have a laser gun and shoot each other, it’s really fun ), went shopping in our free time and had fun with our friends. We went home on Thursday morning.
/Elise

Moose in the Garden!

There many moose in Sweden. They just walk around in our gardens and eat apples, when they eat apples they sometimes get drunk!
The moose live in the deep deep forest. They say that there is only ONE white moose in the hole Sweden.
Each year they can only have 2 calves.
Every January- February the male looses its horns.
The males are larger than the female and weights much more. The photo shows a moose with two calves. The photo is shot by our teacher in her garden!

/Alicia and Bianka

Todays Weather

It's a sunny day and there is no clouds and the temperature is 12 degrees C. It is a bit windy. The leaves starts fall off the trees.

/Willy and Emil

It doesn't feel like autumn

Today the weather is lovely, it is sunny.
It is 16 degrees above zero.
And it is 16.7 degrees above zero in the water.
It doesn’t feel like autumn. But the leaves have started to fall from the trees.
The leaves, which still are on the trees, are green or yellow.
It is warm in the sun, but in the shade is it cold.
And that was the weather from today, 25 September.

Ida, Bianka, Emma

”Skoljoggen”

Each year Tanumskolan has a run for children with cancer. We started in the gym, were the gym teachers told us about the rules. You could also donate money to help cancer research.
After that we started to run or walk. You had to run at least two laps. One lap was 2 kilometers. After an hour and a half we gathered in the gym hall again. Then the girls who had run more than 5 laps and the boys who had ran more than 7 laps got a price. The winner ran a total of 10 laps which is 20 kilometers!

Well Done! All comparatives could win prices.
// Natali and Elin

Safety course on a school-bus

We had a safety course on the school-buses. A bus driver talked about security in the bus. For example he said that you need to wear a seat belt. And that smoking is forbidden. Because that can make it start a fire. Later, Lars from the local fire department told us, how you evacuate a bus, if something happens. After that we had to practise. The bus started to fill with white smoke. And everybody ran out. In the front of the bus there was not much smoke, but in the rear of the bus there was a lot of smoke and you couldn’t see anything, it was just white everywhere. When everybody had ran out and gathered about fifty meters away, the safety course was done.

//Ida and Natali

All 9 graders are soon off to Stockholm

Almost every year everbody in 9th grade go to Stockholm, Swedens capital if they can collect the money.
Its gona be so much fun. We will arrive next next Monday lunch and stay to the Thursday the same week so 4 sweet days with all of our best friends.
Were all excited and we are talking the whole time about everything were going to do, some are going to the cinema and some wants to go on theatre or the opera. If were lucky it’s a concert we can se.
Well, I will make an update when I come back.
/Calle

Lobster fishing

The big lobster fishing will start at the 22nd of September, and will go on until 30th of April. It is a big event in the area. You will put lobster cages into the water. In Sweden we call it “hummertinor”
Sometimes we call the lobsters the black gold, it is because when you catch them they are black. When you boil them they turn red.
They have to be rather big, you are not allowed to pick up the small ones, the small ones you have to put back into the sea.
The lobsters which carry roe, are you not either allowed to fish.
Soon there will be more information about the lobsters!!
/ Annie and Anna Clara

Oyster Celebration

Oyster Celebration

Grebbestad is the “oysters capital ” of Sweden.
The first Saturday in September there is a celebration to the oysters in the village of Grebbestad, 6 km from Tanumshede. You could try oysters in different restaurants all over the village. There was also a competition in who could open and serve oysters fastest.

Recipe
Gratinated oysters in white wine Calculated for 4 servings
4 large oysters, or 8 small 1 dl white wine 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp flour 1.5 dl cream 1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs chives, chopped 2 dl salt water
To do this: Open the shells and pick out the oysters. Pour the wine, oysters and their own liquid in a saucepan. Simmer the oysters for a minute. Rinse the oyster shells carefully. Mix salt and water to such a texture that you can shape big "heaps" by using a tablespoon to put oysters in on a baking tray.
Add an oyster shells in each heap. (see photo)Make a thickening with butter and flour. Add cream and about half of the oyster and wine liquid. Let it simmer at low heat a few minutes. Put the oysters in their shells and pour a tablespoon of sauce on each. Sprinkle with an even layer of breadcrumbs. Cook in the oven at 175 degrees C for about 5 minutes, until golden. Sprinkle with some chopped chives and serve.
Source: http://www.tanum.se/

/Annie

Autumn has arrived!

The autumn has arrived

Today is the weather quite cloudy. It is 12 degrees above zero.
The sunrise was at 06.35 a.m. The sunset will be at 19.46 p.m.
In the water the temperature is about 17 degrees above zero.
Yesterday it felt like the autumn has arrived. When you go out you need a jacket or you are going to freeze. Many pupils have got an autumn cold.
The leaves are still on the trees.
This was the weather-forecast from Tanumshede.

Annie, Anna-Clara and Cristoffer

Rock Carving Copies

We made copies of some of the rock carvings. There are a few different ways to do this. We tried frottage. Usually you are not allowed to make copies -but we were told we could do it this special day -as it was for a special reason: we are going to send them by snail mail to the school in Capo di Ponte and ask if they could send us some copies of their rock carvings. Then we can compare them and see what is similar and what is different.

The Bronze Age Games

During the Twin Town celebrations we could dry different games from the Bronze Age. We had a fun day with beautiful weather!

Välkommen till vår nya blog!

Äntligen är vi igång! Tanken med bloggen är att vi ska försöka få ett enkelt sätt att kommunicera med skolan i Capo di Ponte -och kanske även med de andra skolorna i vårt skolutvecklingsprojekt "Learning in a European Classroom".

Eftersom de flesta besökare kommer vara engelskspråkiga får vi försöka skriva det mesta på engelska i fortsättningen... Men, om du besöker vår blogg och vill skriva ett inlägg på svenska går det givetvis också bra!