You have certainly passed by the Budanova kindergarten in Kavečany many times, on the way to the Zoo. The environment in which it is located offers views of the surrounding fields, meadows and forests. The kindergarten uses it to its advantage – it incorporates experiential learning associated with learning about nature into the educational process, where children gain new knowledge through discovery, experimentation and research. The kindergarten prefers learning in nature and staying in the fresh air. It seems that this is the right way. They haven't had a flu holiday even once in the last five years.

The stay outdoors was also related to the project "Teddy bears protect and enhance their surroundings", which received the support of the Together for the Region grant program. The kindergarten has embarked on modifications to the area so that the children have views of the surrounding nature and at the same time to establish an environmental classroom.

"We organized a total of 32 brigades, which were attended by parents, employees of U. S. Steel, Budanova Kindergarten and friends of the kindergarten. Thanks to the project, we have connected the community of the city district of Košice - Kavečany, got to know each other better, built a better relationship and improved the environment of their homeland as well as places visited by many tourists. We planted plants, planted birdhouses and feeders, and sowed the lawn together with the children as part of environmental education," says kindergarten director Agáta Šemráková (second from the left in the photo when awarding the winning projects).

As you can see in the "before and after" photos, the metal fence was replaced by transparent mesh panels and the outer yard underwent landscaping. Play elements and sandboxes have been relocated so that the space is used efficiently.

The overgrown slope near the kindergarten has been transformed into a landscaped, aesthetic space:

"I really appreciate the fact that in today's hectic times, as many as seven U. S. Steel employees have joined the project and are still willing to help us. A curiosity is that originally we only wanted to install a fence, but when we had the boundaries of the plot measured, we found out that we could have a wider yard. Smart and helpful guys gathered and in the end we made a brick foundation, drained the yard and leveled the terrain, just a lot of other unplanned extra work. Our work has slowly acquired the desired appearance, which we are very happy about and I believe that we will enjoy it for a long time."

As part of the project, an outdoor classroom was added to the kindergarten, supplemented with educational boards, aids for education, research and exploration. Volunteers also undertook gardening work - they established a rock garden, planted a cherry tree, blueberry and currant bushes. There is no shortage of brightly colored flowers in the area, which will attract pollinators.

"I am happy that we learned about the Together for the Region grant program and that U. S. Steel Košice supported our project. The project helped us solve a long-standing problem, brought new friendships, brought residents together on joint brigades and beautified our Kavečany. I believe that just as it is appreciated and positively evaluated by employees, parents, school partners and residents of the city district, it will also be liked by those who visit us," added the kindergarten director.

Seven of our colleagues devoted their free time and a lot of work to this project: Eva Syčová-Kriváňová, Martin Syč-Kriváň, Marek Kapurík and Roman Jerga - in the photo with the director of the kindergarten Agáta Šemráková at the symbolic launch of the project, as well as Marián Ilenin and Juraj and Silvia Prokein.

And there was more than enough work. After all, judge for yourself in the gallery.