Meeting real heroes

1.  Why is it fine to relax in the nature?
Nobody is a machine and human beings need a rest. If we have to recover after mental and physical strain, we need to recharge our batteries, so we need a rest and the nature provides us the perfect place to do it.
2.  Why is it important to plant trees?
One tree produces enough oxygen for 2 people. Trees help us with the drainage of water during the storms. They provide us some food and they represent the dwelling for little wild animals, too. It is also said that people living surrounded by trees are healthier and more satisfied.
3.  Why do people build bird houses?
Birds live difficult times during winters. If we want to protect them, to keep their numbers and use them as pest control, it is important to give them food during strong freezing period and icy weather which help them to survive. The perfect food for birds is different kind of seeds (sunflowers, nuts, oat flakes, corn etc.) and tallow.
4.  Why are the insects important for us?
We would be in troubles without insects, there wouldn´t be anything to pollinate the flowers and plants and the life would be different in the nature. By the way, human beings use some products that insects produce – for example the honey. We also know that there are forest bees in the nature, too.

5.  What do forest bees do?
The bee – worker builds honey combs, looks after the larvas, brings food into the beehive, flies out for meadows, cleans up the beehive and collects the nectar and pollen. The mother bee is a queen and it lies eggs, flies out the beehive during a fertilization and swarming period. It is a founder of the bee family and house. There is also a drone living in the beehive. It doesn´t do anything, but it is important for a fertilization. It is driven out of the beehive by other bees. It doesn´t have any sting. However all the members help as much as they can.
6.  What do ants do in the forest?
The ants live in an anthill. There are about 800 000 ants there. Their role differs. The main and the most important member of the anthill is an ant queen. The biggest group of ants are workers. They look after the queen, eggs and larvas.
7.  How does it look like in the anthill?
There are corridors, small chambers, food store places. The anthill can remind us of a shopping mall. There are many floors and the ants work hard similar to people working in the supermarkets.
8. Do ants and bees live like a family?
Some animals form groups – societies.
Each group is called differently – bees live in a bee colony, horse in a herd as well as deer, storks form pairs, wolves form packs, geese form gaggle, people live in families, ants in colonies.

9.  How long do animals live? Is it as long as people live?
Animals and people change during their lives. They grow up, evolve, get older and sometimes also fatter. Some animals grow up faster than human beings. That´s why they may live shorter than human beings. Some young animals are very similar to their adults (bears, human beings, carp, snail, tits, grass snake), but some young animals are totally different from the adult ones (butterflies).
Here are some examples how long the animals live:
1)   animals living shorter than a man:
fly (29days), edible frog (12 years), ant queen (18years),
2)   animals living nearly as long as a man:
orangutan (59 years), African elephant (59 years),
shark(70-100 years),
3)   animals living longer than a man:
sturgeon (more than 100 years), Greenlandic whale (more than 115 years), Greenlandic shark (more than 200 years).

The 2nd Graders interviewed a nurse about Hygiene rules.
„Careful hygiene related to our hands can protect your health, think about it especially during this season of pandemic of COVID 19 illness,“ Mrs. Škybrahová started her talking. „We can prevent illnesses by washing our hands with a soap and water or using the disinfection. You protect yourself and the others as well.“

„By mechanical washing of hands with a soap and water we remove the germs so that we stop their spreading. This is why the hand hygiene is the 1st protection people do for stopping the spread of the infectious illnesses,“ she continues her introduction.

1)     What does a nurse do?
She helps the doctor to examine the patients, she checks the temperature or gives you a prescription written by a doctor. She gives you an injection, takes a blood pressure or takes blood for blood tests. She also tells you when you have to come again. She cleans the tools and in case of emergency she gives people first aid, too.
2)     What does a doctor do?
The doctor examines the patients, collaborates with other doctors and hospitals, writes prescriptions, decides how long the patient has to stay at home and out of school or work. The doctor looks for a problem that the patient has and tries to find a way how to help him/her.
3)     Where do doctors and nurses work?
They work in hospitals and health centres. However, if you want to have some medicine, drops or pills, you have to go to a pharmacy. Either you buy what you need or you have got a prescription written by a doctor.

4) When have we got a temperature?
We use thermometers to check our body temperature. If the thermometer shows 37 °C and more, so it is considered to be a temperature of an ill person and your body is fighting against the infection now.
5) When do we have to wash our hands?
We have to wash our hands before we put the face mask on, after travelling by public transport, before we start eating, after we stop touching an animal, when we have a runny nose, we cough, sneeze, work with a dustbin, use the toilet or before and after we visit doctor.
6) How do we clean our hands?
It is not enough the put some water on our hands. This is only the beginning. Then you have to use a soap. Soap your hands carefully. Rub them at least for 40 seconds, even more if you can. Rub your fingers, a palm, other side of your hand, rub between the fingers, under the nails and don´t forget your thumb. Just after doing this, you can wash the soap off your hands and then clean them using a towel. It is better to wash your hands without a ring or bracelets.
7) How do we have to use hand sanitizers?
Put the gel into your palm and then use it to rub your hand the same way as you do with a soap. You don´t use any water after that, wait till the gel is dry.

8) How does the illness spread?
If talking about COVID 19, we have to keep social distancing, wash our hands perfectly and wear face masks to protect our respiratory system. The germs of the illness are around us, on the tools that were touched before by an ill person, especially on the handles, buttons of our door bells, keyboards, phones, buttons in the lift, taps water – these are things that are often the most contaminated by the viruses.

Meeting real heroes
- SLOVAKIA -

A special thank you to Zuzana Vojsovičová, a teacher who organized the interviews and documented them for us.
She also recorded the pupils questions and guests answers.

Children liked discussing and asking questions, they were interested in environmental, animal and hygiene topics.
They also expressed their joy with these special days at school enriched also by IWB and Art activities.

OUR HEROES

- 2020 - Primary School Nábrežná, Slovakia -
- made by J.Madigárová Kubišová -