Balanced diet – description. Grade 5. Level A. Integration with Health Care Specialists @Basanavičius.


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LEU students @ Germany: “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

From March 13th to March 24thme and my course mates had the chance to travel to Heidelberg Germany. Due to our limited budget we brought plane tickets for the March 12th instead (the tickets for that day flights were much cheaper). The original plan was to spend 24 hours at the Frankfurt-Hann airport and then get on the bus which was leading to Heidelberg. We successfully

stayed at the airport for the first hour. After that we got a little bored and decided to go sightseeing. The only problem was that were was not much to see. Frankfurt-Hann was in the middle of nowhere and the closest city was about 100km away. Yet, we were not dishearten and still went out for a little adventure. Near the airport was a tiny town that was full of motels. We decided to walk around this tiny town and if we were lucky maybe even find an affordable motel to stay for the night. We were not lucky. We walked and walked, yet everywhere we went it was ridiculously expensive and neither one of us could afford it.

Soon after we found a “Burger King” where we ordered some coffee and spend 4 hours talking. Me and my peers originally were not that close, but after spending the entire day wandering around that small town, we became closer. Our airport adventures did not stop there. We still needed to sleep. But where? At the airport? There are no beds there! But there are chairs…

And this is how we slept. On the chairs. At the airport.

Next morning we got on the bus and went to Heidelberg. Heidelberg is one of few German cities that were not destroyed during WW2 and today is one among most popular tourist attractions. It has spectacular old town, castle and many more. Unfortunately the 2 weeks we had were not enough to see everything that the city had to offer. But together with secondary

school students from Heidelberg Theodor-HeussRealschule school we went to explore the old town and the castle that was nearby ( the students were giving us a tour around). It was a lot of fun and helped us to bond with those children.

In Heidelberg we spend two weeks attending classes as teachers-observers,

walked around the city and explored the unknown places. Yet, all of us agreed on the fact that most fun time we had was back at the airport. Because it was the place where we all become friends.




A Flashback of Summer – „Atgaja“. By LEU student Andrius Židovainis

A flashback of summer – „Atgaja“

Loud and eyesight blurring winter is slowly crawling her way into our lives. Personally, winter is a season of constant battle with my inner self: „Me: It‘s been too long since you have been out with your friends. Also me: But… it‘s too cold outside…“ It might seem ridiculous, but I long summer so much, that I spent few minutes under a spotlight, just so that I could feel as if I was looking into the sun. After a while, when all the lightbulbs burn out, I turn to my greatest weapon – memories of „Atgaja“. It’s the most heartwarming place, where I developed as an individual and found my future calling. It’s a place that I call home and I tend to visit those memories, as people say: “It’s good to be home”.

Thus, I will begin unveiling this being that to you, my dear reader, is still a mystery. „Atgaja“ is a creativity encouraging, children and youth, summer camp, but it‘s no ordinary summer camp. Every summer there are 9 shifts with different themes, goals and each and everyone lasting ten days. The most amazing and important part of this summer camp, that the program is created not just by camp counselors but children themselves have all the authority to create or alter the program in any shape, way or form.

There are 5 main virtues we are imparting to the children. First, being nationality – we focus our activities around Lithuanian social figures (authors, social activists, scientists, etc.), folklore (dances, songs, fairy-tales) and history. Second, would be family. We do not talk much about it, because it’s a hard feeling or virtue to explain. For ten days, three counselors become parents and those three get 21 of their children. They become their sons and daughters and the children become brothers and sisters. We share our food, we share same rooms, we experience everything together – we are a family. Third – personality development – every single one of us are unique personalities. We believe that everyone is a flourishing and nurturing personality in the right environment and “Atgaja” is “the” environment. Forth is creativity. As I mentioned earlier, children have total creative freedom – counselors only provide the material – the children do the rest. And lastly, education. We believe, that spending ten memorable days is as important as coming back home knowing a little bit more about the world.

Frankly, if someone asked me what “Atgaja” is to me, I would be puzzled. It’s way more than these 5 virtues that I have mentioned and I couldn’t really explain how many are actually there. “Atgaja” became the place where I grew up as a Lithuania loving, folklore singing, family cherishing, individuality developed, creativity spewing, educated person and it’s only a tip of it.

To me though, the most important part of “Atgaja” is that I realized that I want to be a teacher. An epiphany struck me last year, that I want to be a teacher. Me… of all people. I couldn’t believe myself. While I was imparting all those virtues to children I understood that not only did I make them as my own, but I learned a world from the children themselves. I realized that some of them are a lot smarter than me and that I have educated myself in order to provide them with more information. I felt the need to nurture their personality and education. Chills are running up and down – it was a great moment in my life. And even today, every new thing I learn, would it be a new song, an interesting article, a great book, I am thinking of ways how to explain or portray the new information that I’ve gained.

Thus, my article is coming to an end, leaving you with a message. Your story wouldn’t be same if you decide to travel to this mythical land called “Atgaja”. It would be better. Much better. Experiencing it with your own two hands, mind and a smile, is the only way to find out. It is impossible to put that rejuvenating, nurturing and warm feeling into words that is “Atgaja”. I hope that you will get to experience it for yourself and if you do, I promise you – you will have a time of your lifetime.

P.S. if you want to go as a counselor, I suggest to like the “Lietuvos Atgaja” Facebook page and look for more information or contact jaunimas.vaikams@gmail.com.




Kids – Don’t Smoke. By Marek Tysevič

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Chance for Life by Edita

I’m going to tell you the story of my life. I‘m very young yet so it fits into one page. I do not remember my birthday, my home and my family. My life started a little bit later than I was born…

Some words about me: lovely, sweet, cute and … miaow! My name is Ugnius. Yeah, I know this is an unusual name for cat, but my owner says he gave it to me because of the color of my fur (why not “carrot” or “orange” then..?) Of course I can’t forgive him for this bad decision, but I hope I will someday.

He found me in early cold summer morning. I can’t remember how I got in his yard. Maybe I had come there by myself or maybe someone had brought me there.

There was a big dog in the yard. When I saw him, I thought he’s going to eat me, but I found him playful. He approached me and started to lick my fur. I knew I was unclean, but I got frozen after that so I started to cry pitifully.

Suddenly I heard a noise of door opening. I could hardly see what it was. I got scared because I thought this will be one more dog… but this was somebody else. A human. I don‘t remember if I had met a human until then.He was with big legs and big arms. Suddenly he took me into his warm arms and I found it much more pleasant than the dog‘s wet tongue. I stopped crying.

The human brought me to his large house. He poured me a small plate of milk. I hadn‘t eaten for a long time. I was hungry. When I started to eat I felt pain in my mouth. I started to cry again. The human approached me and beganto look around in my mouth. After that he went out

somewhere for a while and came back with the thing he called „pipet“. I had never seen this thing before and couldn‘t imagine what it was. The human started to drop the milk in my mouth. This way I was fed. He took great care of me, I will never forget it. After that I slept in a warm bed.

Next day the human took me to the doctor which was called veterinarian. I didn‘t like him at all. He dropped something in my eyes. He called it medicine drops that had to treat me for an eye inflammation. Also he said that I had ulcers in my mouth. This was the reason of my pain. According to the vet I had to be fed by pipet. Also he prescribed me antibiotics and medicine eye drops for my damaged eyes. After the vet‘s examination we got back home.

I couldn‘t eat by myself. Only with the help of others. I felt sick and weak. The human had to feed me by pipet for a long time. I had to take those disgusting pills (antibiotics). After several days I started to feel better and stronger. I found my nails so sharp and my legs so fast. Finally I started to use them in my games. On the fifth visit to the veterinarian I was proud of myself. I put on weight 0,2 kilos. This was a sign of my excellent recovery.

Day after day I felt stronger and better. I could eat without pain, clearly see everything around and play actively. I didn’t feel sick anymore. I became the member of the family I have never had. My human says that every creature has to have a chance to live. I got the chance. Miaow!

 

 

 




Moving back to Lithuania. Does it feel like my home? By Justina

It is really strange when you are coming back to your home town after many years living abroad. It has changed. All streets, buildings surrounding your home and all friends are gone too, including you. The feeling is that you move back not to your home, but to a completely different country. If somebody asked me, why I came back? I would say THIS IS MY HOME. But is it still my home? I don’t know! It used to be that your home was a prescribed space: where you grew up was usually where you found a job, got married, bought a house and raised children. But as more people immigrate and emigrate, we have been forced to re-evaluate this model, and this sometimes creates a tension. There had been many things about Dublin I disliked: rainy and windy weather, public transport system, every morning traffic jam, driving, people’s manners, the never-ending construction, to name a few, that I gave up my life there with a flippancy I now find shocking. I had spend so long focusing on the things I didn’t like, and on some idea of “home” back to Lithuania, that I had failed to appreciate what I was losing: real friendships and real home I had spent years building. Picture of Dublin(Picture of Dublin) Many of my friends abroad have spoken of the guilt they feel when they start to accept their new country as home. They feel guilty about missed weddings, new lifestyles and friends but mainly, about not wanting to go back to Lithuania at least not yet. The main reason is money and work. As we know what economical situation is here and what it is in Ireland.  But in general, there are plenty things that help me remember why I returned, some glimpses of the home you’ve cherished in memory for so long. An evening walk in the old town of Vilnius, even the smell of air is different and is really good to hear Lithuanian language around you and that felling that nobody will ask you “Were are you from?” As this one was almost an everyday question abroad. (Picture of Vilnius) And of course, there’s family. It’s very freeing to be able to meet up with your friends and family without feeling sad when you leave, wondering when you’ll see them again.

I know setting back will not be easy, magical transition I had imagined, but I also know that with time and big willingness, Lithuania will eventually feel like home again. 😉 

 

 

 




Some Hints on The Spanish Education System by Pablo Barrera Villaverde

In Spain, according to the law, it is guaranteed thirteen years of free public education. Beginning in the infantile
education (3-6) till the end of the secondary education (12-16) and going through the primary education (6-12). Out of those thirteen years only the primary and secondary education are obligatory (ten years). 

The Spanish education system has a decentralised management and administration model, so educational powers are shared between the State General Administration (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport) and the Autonomous Communities (Departments for Education).

Most of the schools are public; that means they are fully founded by the government.

In able to be an infantile or primary school teacher you must study a degree called “magisterio” (school-teaching would be the most accurate translation for that term) that is why this article is going to be focused in those two stages.

School:

– The ratio nowadays is around 25-30 students per teacher (it changes depending on the region of Spain you are in)

– All schools are mixed

– Every group has one main teacher which will be with them most of their time teaching Spanish, Sciences, Maths and Arts and Crafts. Then they will have specialists in Music, English (and French if so) and Physical education. (Could happen that the main teacher also is a specialist in one of these areas so he will teach it too to his group)

– Normally the schedule goes from 9:00 till 17:00 with a break a for the lunch and extra activities from 12:30 till 15:30.

Preschool in Spain is divided into two cycles, the first cycle is for children between the ages of 0-3 years old and the second cycle is for children from 3-6 years old. The first cycle of preschool is not free, although there are aid programs for families in need. The second cycle of preschool education in Spain is free for all students. This cycle is often considered as an integral part of the education system. Normally, the first cycle of preschool is taught in special nursery schools or daycares (kindergarten) and the second cycle is taught at primary schools. However, more and more primary schools in Spain are beginning to offer the first cycle of preschool as well.

Primary school in Spain, is the beginning of the government required education in Spain. Primary school is made up of 6 academic school years from age 6 through 12. The system is divided into three cycles of 2 years each. Generally, the first cycle is from age 6-7, the second cycle from 8-9, and the third cycle from 10-11 years of age.

The objective is to give Spanish students a common and solid basic education in culture, oral expression, reading, writing and arithmetic. Required courses include: social studies, art education, physical education, the Spanish language and, if different, the official language of the Autonomous Community, foreign languages and math.

The teaching methodology is directed towards developing pupils and integrating their different experiences and learning styles. Spanish primary education is focused on personalized and tailored classes depending on the level of each child.

Inclusion:

Nowadays the Spanish educational system it is integrated in a context of Inclusive Education. It claims that the educative experience should be an individualised process, where everybody is accepted and provided with everything needed according to their needs.

What do we mean by needs? As a difference to past times, needs does not have a negative connotation anymore. Students, with their own particular situation will be helped to develop their capacities no matter what it takes or which situation it is. (This could be difficulties because of personal reasons, diseases, conditions etc; everybody has to be included in the system no matter what it takes with the idea of creating a normalized environment which prepares student for the real world)

It is a moral obligation also, to work in this context, given the multicultural situation that we as teachers will find in our groups in the schools.




Child Labor: a Thing of the Past or an Everlasting Horror? By Armantas Stankevičius

Many think that child labor is nearly or non existent today, since it doesn’t meet the norms of human rights which we have in our modern societies. As much as they are right about the latter, child labor still continues to be a global threat even today.
According to “Business Insider” the number of countries where the level of child labor was “extreme” in 2012 was 76 out of 147 studied Furthermore, even such developed countries as US managed to get 141st spot, which is considered to be a “medium risk” and were on par with Kuwait, Georgia and Cuba. Also, according to the official website of UNICEF, in least developed countries approximately one in four children (ages 514) is involved in child labor. Moreover, according to the data provided by the official website of UN, children are engaged in agricultural labour, in mining, in manufacturing, in domestic service, types of construction, scavenging and begging on the streets.
Others are trapped in forms of slavery in armed conflicts, forced labour and debt bondage (to pay off debts incurred by parents and grandparents) as well as in commercial sexual exploitation and illicit activities, such as drug trafficking and organized begging and in many other forms of labour. Many of these are “worst forms” of child labour as they are especially harmful, morally reprehensible, and they violate the child’s freedom and human rights. Child labour tends to be concentrated in the informal sector of the economy. For some work, children receive no payment, only food and a place to sleep. Children in informal sector work receive no payment if they are injured or become ill,
and can seek no protection if they suffer violence or are maltreated by their employer.

In conclusion, I just want to say that this subject is a global threat that requires more attention than it gets and if you ever come across any form of child exploitation via labor etc. please don’t be a bystander and contact any official organisation concerning this subject.

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Facebook by Živilė Pstygaitė

FACEBOOK Facebook too. Check it out!

 Waste of your time!
One of the biggest Facebook disadvantages is that it is addictive or can become addictive easily. Once you get connected with your Facebook friends you will realize how frequently you open Facebook and also spend so much time in commenting, viewing pictures of others , playing games or doing other stuff. Many people know drawbacks of using Facebook but can’t stop using it. Many people use Facebook day and night without thinking how much time they have wasted on it, and that they could have done more important work during that time

You can’t keep things personal!
You obviously do not want your personal information exposed to every friend of yours or even to public. On Facebook your personal life updates come to the notice of all your friends and others, and so your privacy is compromised. By the way, any text you put into the status update box is sent to Facebook’s servers, even if you don’t click the post button!

 Account Intrusion

It is no surprise that Facebook is vulnerable to attacks, and several hackers actively alter people’s profile information, on daily basis. There are hundreds of examples of this. Many Facebook and ex-Facebook users can tell you that they noticed change in their profile information while they were not logged in.

Also, there are some things like scams, ability to ruin your life because of Facebook… These were the disadvantages of using Facebook. So what are you thinking now, will you still use Facebook???




Be a volunteer!

1. Volunteering connects you to others
One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks could make a real difference to lives of people, animals, and organizations in need.
2. Volunteering helps you make new friends and contacts. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people. Volunteering also strengthens your ties to the community, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.
3. Volunteering increases self-confidence
You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of achievement. Your role as volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity

4. It could be your hobby
A lot of students are bored because they do not have a hobby. The every day routine make them feel depressed and unhappy. Volunteering is a very good choice in this situation, because there you can help somebody and have fun at the same time.
5. Volunteering can provide career experience
Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in nursing, you could volunteer at a hospital or a nursing home. Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could be of benefit to your career.




The value of volunteering by Mažena Germanovič

Is volunteering about money? Should we measure it that way? Most people would say no. Volunteering is not about money. Volunteering is about giving, contributing, and helping other individuals and the community. It is working with others to make a meaningful change in the world.
People volunteer for an endless variety of reasons. Many people want to gain experience, acquire new skills, meet new people, or expand their network of contacts as a way to get a new job or start a career. Others just want to help and contribute to create a vibrant society – dynamic, engaged and self-reliant. They do it because it makes them feel good. It is the feeling of satisfaction that keeps volunteers going. Most people think volunteering is just about organizing hundreds or thousands of volunteers for large events but that is not quite true. It is spontaneous acts of kindness like helping a neighbor shovel their walk, giving aid to seniors, or helping an elderly person cross a busy street. It’s the little things we do that make the biggest difference in this world.
Furthermore, I’m also a volunteer and I’ve been volunteering for almost 10 years at the day care center for disabled people in my town (or The Day Care Center for Disabled People?). You may think “wow helping for so many years and getting nothing in return, not even a single penny”. Well, helping and giving is something I always loved to do and seeing their faces light up when you help them or simply talk to them is incredible. Every time when I make a disabled person laugh or smile makes my heart melt and that is when I realized I want to help them see this world not as a dull and miserable place to live but make them feel like they are apart of our community and they deserve to be respected as everyone else. It is an unpaid work that makes you feel satisfied of making someone a little more happy. Giving money for volunteers just undermines the true value of volunteerism. Like the term “mandatory volunteerism”, it misrepresents the meaning and spirit of volunteering. Our society needs motivated, not mandatory volunteers because volunteering is all about helping, not hiring, giving, not taking.

The value of volunteering is much deeper, much more fulfilling and much more important in contributing to a healthy and vibrant community than money can ever measure.




Animal Protection or a Profit Hungry Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? by Armantas Stankevičius

Most of you are probably familiar with the organization called PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ) Animal-Rightsthat claims to be helping animals worldwide, but does PETA really help animals or is just a big fake?
For starters, according to the data provided by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer  Services (VDACS) PETA has killed 1,792 cats and dogs during 2013, an average of 5 per day. The 1,792 figure represents 82 percent of all animals PETA took into its shelter that year. In2014, coming from VDACS, VoicelessQuotethe same animal protection group killed 2,454 of its 3,369 cats, dogs and other animals, the vast majority of which were”owner surrenders,” meaning that they’d been relinquished to the group voluntarily. Just 23 dogs and 16 cats were adopted during 2014. As scary as this looks these are only two years, the number of animals killed by PETA since 1998 exceeds 31,000.

Furthermore, longtime PETA critic Nathan Winograd, a well known shelter reform advocate, posted some interesting numbers in his Facebook page.

“ How much money did PETA take in last year from unsuspecting donors who helped
pay for this mass carnage? $51,933,001: $50,449,023 in contributions, $627,336 in
merchandise sales, and $856,642 in interest and dividends. They finished the year with
$4,551,786 more in the bank than they started, after expenses. They did not see fit to use some of that to comprehensively promote animals for adoption or to provide veterinary care for the animals who needed it. ”
To sum up, I just want to say that it is sad that such atrocities are allowed in this modern age and that even with all the evidence in broad daylight nothing is still being done about it.




What is Cancer? By Vakarė Kuklytė

Probably everyone knows cancer. And no, not the one from the anime called Fairy Tail. Yes, I’m talking about the one, that makes many people die every year. Cancer, also known as a malignant tumor or malignant neoplasm, is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer has existed all the time, it’s just that nobody knew that. Now, why is it called cancer? It’s because in medieval ages, a doctor saw the cancer, and it looked like crab’s legs to him. You will get cancer mostly by smoking, but you can get it in other ways.

Just be healthy, okay?

SU2C-Logo

Basic Cancer symptoms:T
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Skin change

Colon cancer symptoms:
• Change in bowel habits or bladder function

Skin cancer symptoms:
EY• Sores that do not heal
Lung cancer:
• Coughing up blood

Will cancer be cured?
Actually, no one knows when it will be cured, because whenever scientists say, that they made a cure for cancer, and this time it will work because they cured a mouse that had skin cancer, it is most likely to never be heard of again. But there’s a new method to cure cancer, which no one knows if will cure a human and will be successful. It is called nanocure (at least they call it like that for now). So, let’s say how much a one nanometer is. If you put one million nanometers together, it will make a one millimeter. This method is actually confirmed to work in a few countries, because it cured breast cancer, also confirmed in the Philippines that it cured bone cancer, and now it is being tested with other people to cure lung cancer.efg
How does it work?
There are four stages on how does this cure work:
1. Antibodies “unlock” the cell that contains cancer. Doctors inject golden nanoparticles inside your body. On top of those nanothings there are antibodies, that attach into some places of the cell, called “key holes” (I know, that’s a strange name).Later, the cancer cell grab the antibodies and let them inside.
2. Lasers detonate the cell. From the outside, lasers are targeted to the cell. The rays make the golden electrons oscillate in sync, so the metal starts warming up. After a really short wait, the heat makes the gold melt, making the created bubble of gas explode.
3. The cure gets inside through the holes. Outside the cancer cell there are oil capsules, that have cure from cancer inside of them. The power of the gas bubble exploding make the capsules have holes in it, so the cure gets inside through the holes of the cell.
4. X – rays forbid the tumor cells to multiply. The scientists use a really small dose of them, because the nanoparticles make ray stronger. Because of the x – rays, the DNA spiral intertwines and doesn’t let the cancer to multiply and damage the other cells

cancer-fighting-foods




Think before you drive by Dominyka Dovidaitytė

Driving most often refers to the controlled operation and movement of a motorized vehicle, such as a car, truck, or 2bus. 1

Almost all teenagers say that when they are 18, they will attend driving school and will try to get a driving license. But before that important step you should know that driving a car is a big responsibility. A driving license for its owner and for others sometimes could be more dangerous than permission to have a gun. Because a gun is rarely used and more rarely used against the human. But a car is used every day and when a bad driver is in a car it can be very dangerous.
And don’t forget that driving in traffic is more than just knowing how to operate the mechanisms which control the vehicle; it requires knowing how to apply the rules3 of the road. An effective driver also has an intuitive understanding of the basics of vehicle handling and can drive responsibly. Also, a driving license and a car can change human’s life. For me, for example, driving is the best thing right now. I can go wherever I want, when I want and reach my university faster. But of course it is expensive but driving is worth it.

Dominyka Dovidaitytė