AUSKOLA - AUGUS

Our morning began with warm-up games.First, we passed around some “claps,” then the “armpit-penguin,” and finally several rounds of making funny faces — we all had a great time. After that, as usual, we reviewed the calendar, the weather, the seasons, talked about winter, and also about recent and upcoming “winter” holidays.

We had our morning snack and then ran out to the playground to get some fresh air. The break ended with an advanced round of hide-and-seek, because the one we were all diligently looking for turned out to be waiting for us inside the room the whole time.

Then we began “building.” After a basic folding exercise, everyone let their imagination run wild: some designed hotels, others drew and planned their own homes. There were luxurious high-end apartments and budget-friendly basic rooms as well — it was encouraging to see how these new real estate owners thought of everything!

To everyone’s delight, the pizza soon arrived, which we shared and ate together, followed by a real playground break. After the break, we got to know the story of “The Poor Cobbler and the Wind King.”

The second half of the day continued with origami. We folded beating hearts, and the most persistent participant — the one who managed to make and fit together no fewer than eight (!) hearts — was rewarded with a rotating, openable and closable star.

To make folding easier, everyone also received a surprise snack.We closed the day with boomerang folding and playing — and of course, cleaning up together.

Kuki Edina

Today’s session was full of content and rich in experiences.We began the morning with group singing, which not only created a cheerful atmosphere but also provided a great opportunity to practice voice control and pronunciation. After that, we got to know the letters of the alphabet. With each letter, we learned a new word, so the children could expand their vocabulary in a playful way.

After the morning snack, we moved on to a shopping role-play. First, we learned the basic vocabulary needed for shopping, then the children eagerly threw themselves into independent buying. They joyfully took on the roles of both sellers and buyers and clearly enjoyed using the freshly learned expressions in real-life-like situations.

To finish the morning, we played a fun bingo game, for which we had previously learned the names of the objects and concepts in the pictures. During the game, the children listened attentively and competed with each other — all while learning.

During the quieter post-lunch period, creativity took center stage: we folded origami and drew. Through these craft activities, the children’s fine motor skills developed.

Overall, the children enriched their Hungarian language knowledge through varied, experience-based activities today — laughing, playing, and most importantly, cooperating.

Andrell Erika

There weren’t many of us at the August school day, as many families were still on holiday in Hungary.The middle group sat down together after a fun and super entertaining warm-up game organized by Fanni to share what we had done during the break. Riley rapped about how much he enjoyed the South African safari, and we listened to his fantastic story with great attention — and a bit of envy.

In the morning, we ventured into the world of dreams: we first talked about what dreams we have, what dreams really are, what language we dream in, and whether we dream in color or black and white. Most of the kids talked about school “nightmares” or funny dreams involving animals.

Then we explored the dreamlike art of Marc Chagall. After pizza and playtime, in the afternoon we created in a “Chagall-esque” way.Next time, we’ll continue dreaming.

Lenihan Dóra

The older group kicked off the August session with cheerful circus and juggling tasks.We tried out the basics of plate spinning, and Áron showed us how to juggle three balls at once — not as easy as it looks!

The highlight of the morning was once again the famous, dramatic “Einstand” scene from The Paul Street Boys. We asked participants to recall a moment in their own lives when something felt really unfair. These personal stories were then interwoven with the events of Molnár Ferenc’s novel, which brought the scene even closer to us.

In the afternoon, we had a brief discussion about the “Gittegylet” (a club from the book), and then everyone created their own mascot from “gitt” — or in our case, from clay. The children’s imaginations soared, and the little creations each told a personal story.

Csata István

New month, another session at the Auckland Hungarian School.This time, I brought a particularly energetic, reaction-based game for the kids as a warm-up. They had to form pairs and try to catch a ball as quickly as possible — but only when they heard the word “ball.”

In the first round, the pairs faced each other with the ball on the ground between them, equally distant from both players. While I called out body parts like “knee,” “ear,” “shoulder,” the kids had to touch the respective part on their own bodies. When I finally shouted “ball,” both players had to try and grab it first.

The kids quickly got the hang of the game’s rhythm, so we made it harder — they had to stand back to back and still follow the instructions. This not only developed their coordination and reaction speed but also helped them understand Hungarian-language instructions more precisely.

Throughout the game, their concentration and listening comprehension improved — and we all laughed a lot together.

After that, the usual playgroup-style morning continued, with coloring, cutting, and gluing in the spotlight. It was fantastic to see how focused the kids were. They decided they wanted to color in every coloring page I brought that day.

During the craft session, everyone glued and cut with full concentration. The little hands worked diligently, and everyone proudly showed off their creations.

But once someone said the magic word “playground,” they jumped out of their chairs and ran to the climbing frame, where they scrambled up and down like Spider-Man. Then, at the sound of another magic phrase — “the pizza is here!” — another race broke out towards the pizza boxes.

After lunch, we continued crafting with the girls from the middle and MID groups. I also learned something that day, as the girls made origamis during their free time that even I envied — so I asked them to teach me how to do it. In return, I showed them how to make the box braid, which was a big hit at camp — and they eagerly joined in.

We closed the day with a group dance, as has become our tradition.Of course, we couldn’t skip “Éjjel soha nem érhet véget” (“The Night Can Never End”) and many other beloved Hungarian hits, to which we jumped, spun, and twirled together.

See you in September — once again full of ideas, games, and Hungarian words!

Csényi Fanni

During the August school day, we continued working with the children on a scene from The Paul Street Boys — the one with the marbles, where the Red Shirts take all of Nemecsek’s marbles.

I spent a long time thinking about how to do this in a way that the children could really relate to. I decided we should start by just playing — by playing marbles.

It was a huge success, so much so that we couldn’t even move past it — the intensity of the game carried everyone away. That’s when I realized we didn’t necessarily need to recreate the movie scene.

Instead, a conversation started about what “Einstand” really means, what it means to take something from someone. What it means to feel hurt by something, and why something hurts when it does.

From this conversation, the foundation of our performance was born.The children openly shared personal, sometimes recent, sometimes older painful experiences or events they had felt as hurtful — where they had experienced an “Einstand.”

By sharing these stories, several new pathways opened: better mutual understanding, easier conversations about feelings — all supported by the active involvement of theater as an educational tool.

We found a stage format for this psychodramatic action — but I won’t spoil the outcome yet. Let it be a surprise.

Darvasi Áron