A destination for kids – Agatho Educational Center Larnaca

Hello everybody,

In 2009 the gates of Agatho Educational Center were open offering more chances for a better education and more life opportunities for children in Larnaca. Julia Goupalo graduate of University of Nizniy Novgorod is sharing her life between her two children and a lovely career as the co-director of the children's educational Center Agatho. Her goal is to raise the kids interest in various activities, to limit the time spent playing on the computers, to increase the love in music, painting, sculpting and interaction in various foreign languages. Agatho is bringing kids together with various backgrounds and making studying a pleasant and fun activity for any kids no matter their ages.




Izzy: Dear Julia, Thank you very much for this opportunity that you gave to KidsFuninCyprus to find out more information about your educational offers. How did you decide to open an educational center in Larnaca and why did you choose this name?
Julia Goupalo: Well, I have known Svetlana, the director of “Agatho” for a long time as she had been teaching my children music. During the summer of 2009 I was in charge of a small summer camp. And that is where I got the idea from; to combine music and the summer camp activities, and create an educational center where children can expand their knowledge and talents. By giving the name “Agatho” to our school, we tried to reflect what we do, as “Agatho” is an ancient Greek word for 'good' and 'giving kindness'.This year our center is turning 5 years, and in this time we have achieved so much. From offering only a few lessons a week, our school now has various types of activities going on every day! At the beginning our center only had 2 teachers and now we cooperate with many experienced teachers who are very professional in their area of work. Our school has always been actively taking part in Russian community events and events all over Cyprus. We have always supported the events of Vestink Kipra like 'The Galaxy of Talents'. Apart from that, with our students, 3 times we had organised charity concerts “The Magical Winter Story”, the money from which went to The Agios Spyridonas school for children with special needs and to a charity fund to help send sick children abroad to get treatment. Every year we also organise concerts 'Agatho invites friends' where we cooperate with other schools and make a combined concert which is very fun.





Izzy: As everybody knows we live in times when parents are more and more busy with their jobs leaving less time for their kids. Also many of the afternoon centers that take care of our children in the evenings have very limited offers regarding the variety of the activities. How is your center different from any other one? How is an afternoon spent in your center?
J.G: Our center is different, as I personally believe that we offer such a wide range of activities that any child can fit in to our school. Children can simply stay and play with their friends, or if they are more interested in learning, which of course is our goal, then we offer activities, from music and art to languages, sciences and humanity subjects. Our afternoon begins right after the children come from school. After a long day they are very hungry, so we have lunch which we provide them, and then with my help they do their homework, as we need to get school work out of the way in order to continue with our activities. After a little break, our lessons begin. With every year, we look at the kids interests and try to add activities to our list to increase the variety of things the children can do, in order to make it more interesting for them. As most of our students are Russian, we provide Russian and Russian Literature lessons. And for children who have difficulties with English, of course we have English lessons. This year we are introducing a new English subject which will help children to increase their word knowledge and find out more about the world around us. Many times the children themselves propose many activities which we try to organize for them, like chess, which we will also introduce this year. The children continue the day by doing the activities they chose to do. However as our school is also a music school, the children usually love taking part in the choir.




Izzy: What are the ages that kids can join Agatho Educational Center and what are your offers for the little ones?
J.G: Last year we created a group “Pochemuchki”, which is an activity group for very young children from the age of 1 and a half. It is a wonderful program aimed at developing the children's knowledge; it is made up of different 15 minute blocks with different activities, so that the children keep their interest and don't loose concentration. Through a form of play we learn how to read, write, solve logical puzzles, sing songs and do rhythmical activities. This year we have ordered a large variety of special equipment from Russia for the lessons which will help make the activities more fun and productive. Last year's program was very successful. The 3 year old children amazed their parents by learning how to count, knowing how to perfectly distinguish and say the letters of the Russian alphabet, and showing interest not only for reading but even for writing.







Izzy: It has been proven that helping kids improving their Math abilities keeps their brain active, improve problem solving and increases confidence in themselves. Having a strong Mathematics skills will also give them the benefit of being able to choose between more qualification later as teenagers. As a Mathematics Teacher how do you think you can help them falling in love of Math?
J.G: I believe that maths isn't just numbers. It is more of a problem solving ability. Which is why I try to give them maths in the form of problems and not just pure numbers. By developing his/her logic, the child can solve even harder problems, not necessarily mathematical, which of course is also a good life skill. So by turning a simple mathematical equation like 2 + 2 into a mathematical problem, simply like 2 sweets and 2 sweets, automatically makes it more interesting for the children, making them see maths not as numbers but as a skill to solve problems.






Izzy: One of the most beneficial activities for children is learning music and how to play on an instrument as no matter how old we are, there will always be an opportunity to use this skill . What kind of music classes Agatho Educational Center has to offer? Looking at the children that learned to play an instrument at your center, how did their life changed? Are they going to competitions? Any of them choose music qualifications?
J.G.: Our school tries to satisfy the needs of our students, therefore we offer any musical instrument lessons the children would like to learn. However, right now (as this is what most students desire) we offer singing, piano, guitar and violin lessons, along with musical theory and aural lessons. Most of our students take exams of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, which gives them certificates that they can use later in their studies. A few years ago we also introduced a choir, and last year we made a choir group for children from the age of 2. These lessons give the young ones the ability to breathe correctly, develops their speech, rhythm and musical ear. Our students constantly take part in cultural activities and competitions in Cyprus and abroad. Of course some of our students chose to continue their musical studies and get qualifications, however even those who didn't definitely do not regret having the basic knowledge, as musical lessons need a lot of hard work, and hours of practice, which improve them as people in their daily lives, giving them different skills like patience.





Izzy: I liked the fact that your center is hosting kids that speak various languages from Greek to English and Russian. What do you feel seeing them all together, sharing experiences, toys, activities? Are they improving their communication in all these languages? What system are you using at your Russian and English language classes that can raise kids appetite for “talking foreign”?
J.G: To be honest, it is quite funny to watch the kids that speak different languages play together, as they try to communicate, often switching languages mid-sentence. It also makes me very happy, as it shows that for these young children language isn't a barrier and it doesn't stop them from being friends. Of course by interacting with children that speak other languages a child improves their language skills. This is very helpful to them, as the more languages they can talk or understand from a young age, the easier it will be for them to later learn even more new languages which is definitely a good skill. We try to make our language lessons interactive by doing various activities like learning poems, acting out extracts, having discussions etc.






Izzy: I believe that lower number of children in a class help them get the most from their teacher also leaving him with more time to concentrate on each one. How many children are in a class and did you notice making any difference?
J.G.: Of course there is a big difference. Working with children, especially small ones, we noticed that the lessons are most productive when in one group there are no more than 6 or 7 kids. In this case, I can ensure that every child gets maximum attention. This is especially important when the child is learning how to write. The ability to correctly hold a writing object will have a large impact on his/her writing in the future. It is also important for scissor work. Generally, it is important to have quite small groups so that I have the time to explain things to every child to ensure better understanding and more concentration within the class.






Izzy: What kind of art classes can you find in Agatho and what does it give to the children?
J.G.: Our art classes include everything. From drawing and painting, to various crafts like quilting, straw work, mosaics and many more. In our classes we try to help the children to feel what they are drawing or painting. It is more important for them to show the emotions in a picture rather than be very accurate with all the drawing details. And of course we spend some time focusing on various famous artists, which expands the children's ideas and knowledge. I would like to also add that art is also included in all of our group activities. Our children's art works have many times been put out on display at exhibitions.





Izzy: Having two daughters did they help you taking better decision in your center activities? Did they participate to any of the lessons?
J.G.: Raising my two daughters, I have noticed the things that the kindergartens and schools fail to offer, which I try to provide in my center. Through the lessons we provide, I try to make sure that the program provides a wide range of knowledge for the children. Now that my children are quite grown up they help me a lot. My oldest daughter teaches English at our center and my younger daughter helps me with the small kids.



Izzy: I will like to thank Julia for this very interesting interview and we would love her sharing with our readers a small story from her experience as a mother or teacher:
J.G.: I remember, when I was small, in spite of the difficult times, my parents would try to find me and my sister interesting toys. The best ones for me, were the ones where we could play together with my parents, and I always found it interesting to learn something new from them when playing together. When we opened our activity group for the little ones, it was extremely difficult finding the right equipment for them, and I remembered my childhood and the games that my parents would make for us. After going to Jumbo, I bought a few packs of colorful plastic balls, after remembering how my own kids would play with them at Kids World. We made so many interesting games with them! And how much joy it gave to the children. We would count them, say the colors, even throw them into boxes. Even though this year we have ordered lots of professional equipment for the lessons, I think these balls will always be the children's and my favorites.





Lots of sunny days from Izzy the Cypriot lizard!

Agatho Educational Center

Opening hours: 10:00-12:00 and 13:00-19:00
Prices:
Music: (private lessons) from 60 euros/month and up depending on the level.
Choir: 20 euros/month
Maths: (private lessons) 15 euros/ hour
Languages: Russian or Literature or English- 25 euros/month (group lessons 1 time a week)
Arts and Crafts: 25 euro/ month (group lessons 1 time a week)
Afternoon school: Depending to the number of hours
Pochemuchki (for children from 2-5 years old): Monday, Wednesday, Friday-morning or afternoon or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday :105 euros/month
Harmony(for children from 5-8 years old): Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday 85 euros/month



Address: Agios Spyridonas 5, Larnaca
Phone no: +357 97841119 - Julia or +357 99918779 - Svetlana
E-mail: agatho4s@gmail.com
Facebook: Agatho
Webpage: www.agatho.info

Other services: Summer school and Easter camp


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The museum of the Sea - Thalassa Museum in Agia Napa

Hello everybody,

Behind every closed gate there is somebody ready to open it and let you step in. This is what happened at the Museum of the Sea in Cyprus. With a nice smile Mr. Fotos Kikillos the Director of Agia Napa Municipal Museum THALASSA welcomes everyday little and bigger guests. He takes care that everyone is diving in an antic world and takes the ship to enjoy a marvelous trip back in time, the old Cypriot time.
Mr. Fotos Kikillos has been appointed as the museum director since 2003 and he graduate the Sunderland University U.K.
To be sure that we will not miss to get on the ship, he will tell us an exciting story about how the vessel was brought in the Agia Napa Museum.



Izzy: The most attractive exhibits of the Museum is the Kyrenia II vessel that can be admired at the fourth section of the museum, a life size exact replica of the ancient ship of Kyrenia of the Classical period (400 B.C.), which was built in 1985. What is the story behind Kyrenia II vessel? Why it was build and what did the experiments concluded?
F.K.:


The ship of Kyrenia


In 1967, while diving at a depth of 52 meters off the port of Kyrenia, the Cypriot Andreas Kariolou came upon a mound of amphorae, which revealed the most important ancient shipwreck of Greek Classical times ever to be discovered. A scientific expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professor Michael Katzev worked for over ten years on excavating, raising, studying and restoring this unique find. Professor Richard Steffy, a specialist of ancient ships, reassembled the hull of this ancient merchantman that became known as the “Ship of Kyrenia”.
With some 75% of the timber of its hull preserved, it is the most complete ancient Greek ship known to have survived to our day.
The attentive study of the cargo, which included 404 wine and oil amphorae, almonds and scrap iron, as well as millstones that may have been part of the ballast, helped in retracing the itinerary of the ship’s last voyage. The crew utensils all found in sets of four are an indication that three men plus a captain manned the ship.
The discovery of the “Ship of Kyrenia”, which sunk around the year 302 BC, greatly enriched our knowledge of how, at the end of the Classical times and during the life of Alexander the Great and of his successors, merchant ships were built and how they sailed the Eastern Mediterranean.
Since 1973, the “Ship of Kyrenia” is in the Turkish occupied city of Kyrenia, displayed in a large hall of the Crusaders’ Castle arranged as a Museum.

Kyrenia II

In 1981, the Hellinic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition, based in Athens,started a project of experimental archeology aimed at researching how ships of the Greek Classical time were built and how they sailed in the Greek seas. The “Kyrenia Ship” was the ideal prototype. Harry Tzalas directed the project with active collaboration of Michael Katzev, Richard Steffy and Susan Katzev, who had first-hand information on all the details of the construction of the ancient ship. Using the same hell-first method of construction as in antiquity, the same material and with often the same tools as those of the ancient shipwright the “Kyrenia II” was built from 1982 to 1985 at Psaros Yard Perama, near Piraeus, Greece. A vast amount of knowledge was gained from the construction of this ship as well as during its sea trials. For over three years the :Kyrenia II” sailed the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean under different weather conditions totaling some 2000 nautical miles of experimental voyages. This included an autumn voyage from Piraeus to Cyprus in 1986 and a spring itinerary while returning to Greece in 1987. As was the case for the ancient ship, the “Kyrenia II” had a crew of four with Glafkos Kariolou, the son of late Andreas Kariolou, who first discovered the ancient ship, as her captain.
The “Kyrenia II” has been exhibited in several towns in Greece and in Cyprus as well as in New York, Nara (Japan), Seville and Hamburg. A large number of scientific publications deal with the various aspects of this pioneer program in Experimental Archeology.





Izzy:Loving husband and father of a little boy, Mr. Fotos Kikllios knows very well the demands of little children. The museum is his passion, reason for which he tries to make out of every visits, a memorable day for children, a day full of stories, a day to remember. Starting what age, kids will enjoy a visit at Thalassa Museum and what do believe they will love the most?
F.K.: Kids of 4 years old and above will be attracted the most by visiting the museum. These ages’ kids are fascinated by the marine life section, which included stuffed sea animals, such as turtle, seals, seabirds, fish and others. Moreover, they are well impressed by the massive impact of the ship. At the same level and while the visitors walks on a glass floor where a reconstruction of the old shipwreck is displayed, it is shown a documentary film about the excavations of the ancient ship and the preservation of it, which took place in the now occupied castle of Kyrenia.




Izzy: How can parents make a visit with their kids at the museum be a successful one? Is it a secret about how to captivate their interest for the exhibits?
F.K.: The kids should be prepared orally from their parents what they are going to visit and see. The usage of simple words regarding the exhibits, they are very useful in my opinion at these ages. The creation of a descriptive picture will aim the children to understand easily the exhibits, when they have them face to face.





Izzy: What can you tell us more about two of the museum exhibits which captivate my interest: the pigmy hippopotamus and elephants of Cyprus?
F.K.: The pigmy mammals reached Cyprus from the mainland by swimming. The reason for such animal migration is not clear, but it may have been due to over population on the mainland and / or decreased available food sources. Over time, these pygmy forms descended from their normal sized mainland ancestors. The small size of these once large mammals gave them greater mobility in the mountainous island environment.
Exactly when such animal migration arrived on Cyprus is not clear; geological observations of terraces yielding the bones suggest that it was sometime in the later Pleistocene, probably between 250,000 and 100,000 years ago.
The Cypriot pygmy mammals were indeed very small. An average adult hippopotamus is 3.5 - 4.5 meters long, over 1m tall, and weighs up to 4.5 tons. The Cypriot pygmy hippo, currently known from over 30 sites, would have been less then 1.5 meters long and 0.75 meters tall. Some of its unique characteristics are: its very small size; changes in molar shape; bone fusion and shortening in the lower limps; placements of the eyes and nose on a lower plane than in the large living hippopotamus; and the loss of foot pads. This evidence suggests that the Cypriot pygmy hippo was better adapted to walking than to swimming.
The modern Africa elephant is the largest living land animal, with a shoulder height of 3 - 4 meters. The Cypriot pygmy elephant, known form about a dozen sites, would probably have stood about 1m tall.
The visitor could admire in our museum, unique Cypriot geological and paleontological exhibits. In addition, to the authentic bones and skulls of endemic pygmy hippopotamus and elephants of Cyprus (phanourios minor) from Ayia Napa’s excavation site, audiences can be seen other fossilized exhibits such as sea-urchin and corals five millions years old, as well as pyrites, gypsum and others.




Izzy: I believe that one of the main objectives of a museum is the educate and the best way to do this is by involving kindergartens and schools to participate at various activities or even simple visits at the Museums. Do you have special activities, that are organized to help these educational establishments?
F.K.: As a museum, we conduct plenty of activities for adults and children. There is specific program for schools, which we run them through ought the academic year (September-May) for children of 9-11 years old that is related with the sea and history of the island. The children are actively participating in the program by excavating, playing and acting. Furthermore, scheduled tours of other age’s students are made as well.




Izzy: The oldest object in a museum is most of the times the one that will be always looked for. What is the oldest exhibit and how did it reached Thalassa Museum?
F.K.: One of the oldest exhibits of our museum is in our paleontological section, an Ammonite dated about 160000 years old. It was given to the museum by “The Pierides-Tornaritis Marine Life Foundation”, which is an associate of the museum.




Izzy: A place to relax after an interesting visit and a little shop will always be another attraction of every museum. Is there anything like this at Thallasa Museum?
F.K.: An attractively designed cafeteria, a gift shop, an open air amphitheater and a multi-purpose hall for periodic shows, lectures, seminars, and workshops supplement this contemporary Municipal museum complex. The museum’s shop has a variety of glass and ceramic handicrafts made in Cyprus, books, minerals, magnets, replicas of museum exhibits and others.
Izzy: If you were now in front of 15 children how would you try to convince them to visit the Thalassa Museum? What would you tell them?
F.K.: Once, in Ice Ages 80000 years ago, some massive elephants and hippopotamus decided to explore their little northeastern neighborhood. They had walked on ice for few days and suddenly arrived, in the tiny island of Cyprus. When, the ice melt, these kinds of animals found themselves in difficult situation, since they were not able to walk back home, but they had to live in the island. Meanwhile, their numbers were growing. From few, they became a lot, but experienced some problems with their food. Growing numbers of them led to a limited quantity of food. Due to that fact, century by century, they became small, narrow or as we refer on them as pygmy elephant and hippopotamus. They disappeared 8000 years ago and approximately 2000 after the first human arrive in the island. Probably, they slaughtered them for their leather and their meat to be fed.
In a cave in Ayia Napa, a reconstruction of it can be seen in our museum, they have been found the last decade, bones and skulls from about 170 such animals. The excavations are still going and new findings will be revealed soon.




Lots of sunny days from Izzy the Cypriot lizard!

Agia Napa Municipal Museum
THALASSA

Opening Hours:
Summer Season
( 01 June – 30 September)
Monday 09:00 – 15:00
Tuesday-Saturday 09:00 – 17:00
Sunday 15:00 – 19:00

Winter Season
(01 October – 31 May)
Monday 09:00 – 13:00
Tuesday- Saturday 09:00 – 17:00
Sunday Closed

Entry Fees:
Individual Group (10 or more)
General €4, €2.50, per person

High School &
University €2.50, €1.50 per person
Students

Elementary &
Junior High School €1.50, €1.50 per person
Students
Address: Kriou Nerou 14, P.B.: 30707, 5345 Agia Napa, Cyprus
Phone no: + 357 23816366


Map Location:

Additional information:

The THALASSA Municipal Museum is directed by the Pierides Foundation, in association with the Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition and the Tornaritis-Pierides Marine Life Foundation. It opened to the public, in August 2005 and it comprises the cornerstone for the local cultural infrastructure of Agia Napa-Cyprus. It has the sea as a subject-matter. It is the first museum of its kind across the Mediterranean region with main principle to present to the audiences, the local and foreign visitors, the impact and the significance of the sea upon the history of the island. The exhibits of the museum cover a chronological span, from pale ontological to prehistoric periods until present times.


The museum is a three story building made by marble, onyx, wood, metal and offers unique experiences appealing to all our senses with its ‘bird eye view’. It incorporates seven sections and the exhibits are presented with four different methods: in underground showcases, where the visitors are able to walk and view the objects from the top or in modern showcases. Other exhibits are freely placed in the museum whereas other the rest are hanging from the roof. All exhibits are spotlighted by fibre optics.
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Larnaca Beach Tennis Club – All the fun and exercise in only one sport!

Hello everybody,

Cyprus is sometimes all about sun, beach, sand and why not Beach Tennis. It is a perfect combination between the Cyprus beaches and "The new Sport". Even if everybody has in Cyprus two wooden tennis rackets and tries their best on the beach, nobody imagined that there is now a professional way to practice and even compete.


Beach tennis merges the world of beach volleyball and tennis.
It is related to beach volleyball but played with a softer tennis ball and a racket. The court is a standard beach volleyball court that is 8 m wide and 16 m long. There is a center line that splits the court lengthwise. At the center of the court, there is a 1.70 m net. A special tennis racket and a slightly depressurized tennis ball (6 lbs instead of 12 lbs) are used.



The rules are a mix of tennis, badminton and volleyball rules. Ball that hit the sand result in a point. Scoring is similar to tennis with scores of 15 - 30 - 40 and no-ad at deuce. There is only one contact per side. Balls that hit the net remain in play. At deuce, the receiving team chooses which player will receive.
In Larnaca we can start learning how to play beach tennis beginning with 7 – 8 years old, we can train and we can even compete in Official Tournaments starting 14 years old or Club Tournaments 10 years old. The best one can reach playing in the National Cyprus Beach Tennis Team representing Cyprus at European and World competitions. But to reach that level you need lots of training, love for sport and devotion.




At the Larnaca Tennis Club you can find all the necessary equipment to start playing for fun. It is a fantastic opportunity as both the parents and kids can play in the same time or the parents may choose to relax at the Club's Coffee shop.
There are lots of health benefits for kids choosing to play this wonderful game.





First of all running on sand - "A Griffith University (Queensland, Australia) study concluded that landing on soft sand increases the “collision” time, or the time during which the foot sinks into the sand, and therefore reduces the overall stress of pounding on the lower extremities". The increase in collision time on soft sand also indicates that sand has less rebound than pavement, which forces the quadriceps, hip flexors and gluteus muscles to all engage more than they do on a normal run.
Second of all how will Beach Tennis help your kids ?
By learning planning and implementation of strategies since you naturally learn how to anticipate an opponent’s moves and plan your counter moves.
By learning to solve problems since beach tennis is a sport based on angles, geometry and physics.
By learning sportsmanship since beach tennis teaches you to compete fairly with opponents.
By learning teamwork since successful doubles play depends on you and your partner’s ability to communicate and play as a cohesive unit.
By developing social skills through interaction and communication before a match, while changing sides of the court and after play.
By having FUN…because the healthy feelings of enjoyment, competitiveness and physical challenge are inherent in the sport.







So why not meet all together to play Beach Tennis at Larnaca Beach Tennis Club?
Lots of sunny days from Izzy the Cypriot Lizard!



Larnaca Beach Tennis Club

 Opening hours: Everyday from morning till dark all year round
Price: Yearly membership is 50 euro per person to become member of Larnaca Beach Tennis Club and use the premises; For group lessons or single lessons information please contact Mr. Marios Nicolaides
Address: KOT/CTO Larnaca beach, Larnaca-Dhekelia rd, P.O. Box 40134
Contact Person: Mr. Marios Nicolaides
Phone no: +357 99 688 933
E-mail: beachtennislarnaca@gmail.com
Facebook: Larnaca Beachtennis Club Group, Marios Nicolaides (personal page)
www.facebook.com/groups/120407451353606/?ref=br_tf
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