Kindergarten Edu Valem

EI ref: 2011-EE-18

MTÜ Edu Valem is a private kindergarten located in Tallinn, Estonia. It aims to provide a safe, relaxed environment which enables the children to develop social, intellectual, creative and emotional skills. We want the children to be confident, caring, well-adjusted people who are motivated to learn, and hope to encourage them to reach their full, individual potential.
There are 120 children divided into 6 groups by their age. 5 groups are meant for Russian speaking children and 1 group for Estonian speaking children. Regular activities in the kindergarten are active and based on play. There are covered all areas of the curriculum – language (Russian as mother tongue + Estonian and English as 2nd language), maths, music, art and craft, environmental studies, learning about the world, etc.
There are extra lessons of English language in the program. The day begins with the English morning. Children aged 6-7 have lessons of English everyday. Children aged 3-5 have English lessons 3-4 days a week. We also have a tradition to celebrate holidays in English (Christmas, New Year, St. Valentine’s Day, etc.). Once a week children have skating and chess lessons.
The project will take place in a picturesque part of Tallinn, which is called Kadriorg with its beautiful park and palace near the coast of the sea. This is 2 kilometres east of the centre and is served by buses and trams.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is located in Northern Europe in the north-eastern part of the Baltic Sea region. With its population of 401694 Tallinn is the biggest town in the country. The population of Tallinn is around 400 000 people, there are about 53,7% Estonians and 35,6% Russian, Ukrain 3.7%, Byelorussian 2.0% Estonian's official language is Estonian. Russian, Finnish, English and German are also understood and widely spoken.
Tallinn is located on the cross roads between Europe and Russia which make it possible to travel between St. Petersburg and Helsinki.
Tallinn is also a cultural centre with the range of theatres, cultural centres, movie theatres and wide infrastructure. In other words all one needs for living : kindergartens and schools, churches and theatres, good sport facilities and SPA centres, hotels and swimming pools, shopping malls and supermarkets, pubs and restaurants and etc.

Volunteer's tasks
The volunteers will work every weekday (Monday to Friday) from 9:00 to 16:00.
The volunteers will take the breakfast and lunch in the kindergarten with the teachers and the children.
The main role of EVS volunteers will be teaching English through play and everyday activities by assisting the teacher, representing his own country or European Union through games and quizes. Another role of EVS volunteers is the support and help in everyday work of the nursery. This includes helping in the painting lessons, playing games with the children, joining the trips, excursions, participating in holidays and celebration activities, helping the teacher to prepare extra materials for the lessons: posters, copies, cutting out the pictures, etc. According to volunteer’s interest, they are also welcome to bring intercultural element into sport and music classes. Intercultural learning and foreign language experience will be integrated into daily activities.
The volunteers will assist the staff in the daily childcare and organise his/her own small project depending on his/her skills and ideas (e.g. music, handicraft, games etc). A further important aspect of the project is to give the volunteer the opportunity to put into the practice his/her ideas and to reflect upon this with experienced staff of our nursery.
Examples of activities in the kindergarten:
- outdoor games: e.g.ball games, playing in the sand box, rope skipping etc.
- indoor games: e.g. drawing, painting, preparing fruit and making bread together with the children, playing board games and other creative activities- various seasonal themes during the year
- arranging outgoings, excursions; taking children to picnics, hikes etc.
- helping to organise events according to folk callendar
- work with the language capabilities of the children through reading, story telling, rhymes, and play.
- presenting his/ her home country and its culture as a part of intercultural learning;
- supporting staff in all requested activities.

We are looking for a person who is willing to work with young children in age 2 – 7. Volunteer should be open minded and with positive attitude. Patient and tolerance are important personal skills that help to better adapt into kindergarten’s environment.