Description of the application of the method in the camp
Solar pedagogy as a method
Solar pedagogy is a system of principles and methods that can be conditionally divided into a philosophical /theoretical/ and a practical part. The ideas of solar pedagogy have been drawn from the teachings of the Master Peter Danov and for more than 90 years have been applied by many educators in various cities and schools in the country.
A fundamental principle of solar pedagogy is that in nature everything is connected in the life of the Whole. Small and big plants, animals, all the elements of organic and inorganic nature, connected through visible and invisible threads, build the skeleton and the body of a spectacularly large organism. Therefore, one of the goals of Solar pedagogy is to work to restore these primal bonds of man to the forces of the living and wise nature.
The system of solar pedagogy has its “organs” that are connected to one another in one whole.
They are as follows:
- Principles – Love, Wisdom and Truth;
- Methods – of the light, warmth and power.
The purpose of Solar pedagogy is to bring light into the mind, warmth in the heart, and power of will.
In solar pedagogy, the virtues are centers around which all positive natural forces begin to function. Teachers and parents get knowledge on how to work with the four factors of health – light, air, water and food, etc. Solar pedagogy combines breathing, gymnastic and musical exercises that are extremely practical. Their performances improve the mental and physical health of children, teachers and parents, develop virtues that represent the goal of any well-intentioned education.
The natural center and focus of the implementation of the methods and principles of the Solar pedagogy is the work with children whose daily regimen includes the exercises described, as well as mountain walks, lots of music, studying a variety of skills such as cooking, painting, archery, swimming, and so on.
The innovative training and educational methodology – Solar pedagogy is applied in LuckyKids as:
- Individual approach to learning, tailored to personal needs;
- Requiring and maintaining neatness and order everywhere in the camp;
- A distinctive feature of the identity of the camp is clear rules for camp organization;
- Inspiring team of teachers;
- Open system and continuous process of communication with the parents and feedback;
- Complex health program /breathing, physical exercises through yoga, tae-bo, mountain hikes, horseback riding, and so on/;
- Sightseeing and mountain hikes in nature;
- Ergonomic and dynamic studying environment;
- Optimal conditions for studying and relaxation by minimizing the negative impact of electromagnetic emissions and noise.
The mission of the camp is to create new learning and education opportunities based on the harmony and free communication between teachers and students, between children and nature.
The direction that Solar Pedagogy gives us and which we follow in LuckyKids is: the industrial-class model of teaching is considered to be morally and functionally outdated, that is why we are working according to another team and practical model of education. Children work as partners in their researches, as their consciousness relaxes them from the workload created by electronic devices, smartphones and any technique.
This is achieved not only during the learning process but also during this part of the day when children go out into nature or take part in daily trips to interesting historical and geographic sights.
In Lucky Kids, children learn new things every day through the senses, so they know:
- How and where the information comes from;
- Why it is important to develop your senses;
- Ways to develop and master them in order to: receive information consciously, the mind rests and the kids are able to concentrate more easily;
In Lucky Kids, children adopt virtues so they know:
- What makes us take care of ourselves in a meaningful way – for our mind, for our body, for our emotions, for our psyche;
- How to connect to the nature;
- How to fit into the whole – in our case in the Camp community, by contributing to the daily life in it.
Solar pedagogy is an extremely valuable part of our camp life as it ensures one of the reasons for the child to be in our camp, namely, re-establishing the relationship with ourselves through direct communication with nature and all its components, air, water, so valuable to our health.
Our day begins with Time together, during which we discuss the virtues that are an integral part of solar pedagogy and our camp life, respectively.
Next comes the breakfast. The food that is prepared is in line with health principles. The walk, the outing, the mountain hikes are an integral part of the program because we believe that every touch to nature, albeit short, has a wonderful impact on the development of children.
The classes are related to basic principles for:
- health, movement and cleanliness
- living nature
- numbers and figures
- active games
- foreign language /English/
- arts
- astrology and astronomy for children and other.
We believe that the various activities, carried out with love and inspiration, create good conditions for children to develop their abilities and virtues. Our goal is to encourage every child to show their talents. Not by chance, we organize a talent evening where every child can freely demonstrate his talent – whether it is a musical, dance or other talent.
One of the goals of Solar pedagogy is not only the work with children and teachers, but also awareness and training of parents. The parent is the main moral model for the child. He/she is the prime source of virtues and emotional intelligence from which the child can draw knowledge.
In our society, due to the pace of life and work, many parents fail to find time and opportunities for this important contact with their children. They leave everything to chance and instant permissions from the school. They believe that the child “will be educated in school” by teachers, controlled by school rules. However, this is quite a delusion.
The parents of participants in our camp, understand the basic principles with which the camp works, they assist us and realize that their children are part of a community in which virtues are valued, as all kids are part of a team, and knowledge goes hand in hand with the creation and integration of a healthy value system. The help and cooperation of the parents for us is of paramount importance because without them we can not achieve this harmony so sought by the Solar pedagogy.
