The idea of spending the night at school was born several years ago. Information about this year's St. Nicholas celebration was passed on to parents at a meeting in November. We decided that we would wait for St. Nicholas from December 4 to 5. On Friday evening, at around 6:00 p.m., the children arrived at school with their parents. Everyone brought a mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, and cuddly toy, but above all, a wonderful mood and great curiosity about what it would be like.
After the mattresses and bedding had been arranged, the parents had been said goodbye to, and the last kisses exchanged, joint games and activities began. Their purpose was to release the accumulated emotions and help the children integrate. After all, this is an extremely important aspect of spending the night together in a place other than usual.
Another important moment that evening was a shared dinner. The children made their own sandwiches using products supplied by their parents. They learned how to eat meals politely—there is never too much of that—in a pleasant, family atmosphere. It turned out that even the “picky eaters” had enormous appetites. The products intended for the meals were only enough for dinner, so some additional products had to be delivered in order to prepare breakfast.
One of the scheduled activities was a group art session. The children were tasked with making baubles using colorful pieces of paper. These were used to decorate the windows in the gym.
Another attraction was relaxing in the “home cinema.” The students watched a film on a large screen while lying comfortably on their mattresses.
Finally, it was time for the evening routine and “lights out.” For the duration of the nighttime adventure, three classrooms were turned into bedrooms—one for the girls and two for the boys. This was where the children went to sleep. After settling down on their mattresses, the emotions caused by the unusual situation did not let them fall asleep immediately. There was even a “pillow fight” and “peeking” into the other bedroom. Of course, all this brought the children enormous joy and fulfilled their expectations associated with spending the night at school. Some did not manage to fall asleep until after midnight. There were also those who planned to wait for St. Nicholas all night, but eventually sleep overcame them too.
The silence and peace in the bedrooms did not last long, because some children woke up very early in the morning, which of course prevented the others from sleeping. After such an early wake-up, a shared breakfast had to be prepared. This time, too, everyone had a good appetite. Ham, cheese, chocolate spread, jam, and tea disappeared at lightning speed. During breakfast, the children said disappointedly that St. Nicholas had not left them presents under their pillows and loudly wondered why.
At one point, the students noticed a letter. It turned out to be a letter from St. Nicholas, informing them that he had been at the school that night, but, seeing how soundly the children were sleeping, had decided to leave surprises. The condition for receiving them was to complete tasks hidden in various rooms of the school. After fulfilling all the requirements set by St. Nicholas, the children found the gifts they had been waiting for. Once they had satisfied their curiosity about what the package contained and exchanged their impressions, it was time to say goodbye. The parents, who had missed their children, began picking them up. The stories went on and on. Everyone returned home very happy and satisfied.
As they said goodbye, the children asked, “When will we spend another night at school?” The entire event took place thanks to the support of the parents, who provided the mattresses necessary for sleeping and financed the products needed to prepare the meals; the considerable help of the school support staff; and, of course, the great commitment of the teachers, who came up with and organized the entire undertaking.
Information: Marzanna Gal, Jolanta Pańczak, Beata Chmielik