At Semente (the name of our project, Galician for seed) we believe that is children’s utmost right to live pleasant experiences. Childhood is a very important period for a child’s upcoming life and it is in the stage where psychomotor, intellectual, physical, moral, aesthetic and affective development of the child must take place, ensuring that the successful development of the child’s personality, cognitive skills and ability to relate to others will take place.
At Semente, the right to play is seen as a particular form of child expression, thought, interaction and communication. Children’s plays are also seen as their way to access to available socio-cultural goods, which will allow children to further develop their expression, communication and social interaction abilities, as well as encouraging free and creative thought.
Pedagogy
All the activities at our centers are carried out in Galician language, encouraging the acquisition, preservation, care and consolidation of our language. As we see it, Galician language has an international role of its own and it is an essential part of our culture, our history and our future.
The Sementes are a space for a transforming pedagogy which sees the education as an integral part of society; it aims to serve the interests of the people, guaranteeing a democratic learning process and making it possible for children to become free and critical citizens.
The Sementes are a space for creativity and innovation where the necessary tools are provided for the development of children’s artistic abilities and imagination, through creative or lateral thinking. With creative thinking children look at situations and problems from all possible points of view and can provide, using creativity and innovation, more than one answer to solve different questions.
The Sementes are a secular space, a space devoid of any religious imposition, propaganda or indoctrination. Secular education conveys freedom of conscience and human rights, tolerance and democracy.
The Sementes are a space for coeducation. they are a space of integral education for children based on a deep believe of gender equality in all aspects of life. A patriarchy- and machismo- free space that favours the path of our children towards empowerment, that is to say, to take control of their own lives.
The Sementes are ruled by assemblies, a horizontal decision-making model in which fathers, mothers, teachers and children take part. Teachers and families have a direct relationship of trust regarding the joint education of the children.
The Sementes provide a space for nature focused education where children learn about the environmental values of our land by interacting with the surroundings through outdoors walks and hikes, using the vegetable garden, etc. This is also done in the Semente environment, favouring the use of recycled materials or responsible consumption.
At the Sementes, responsible freedom, respect and self-regulation are encouraged and supported; Teachers fully trust children; They respect them as persons, respecting also their emotions, trying to provide the tools for them to solve their conflicts by themselves. We try to favour the child’s full awareness of their freedom, but also of the existence of some basic limits of respect for other people and their context.
The Sementes are an interactive educational space where the educator is a mediator accompanying the child in its learning process; the pedagogical relationship consists of providing the conditions in which educator and child can collaborate to make those exchanges progress. This favours the integral development of children and their mutual learning
The relationship between teachers and students is based on mutual understanding and respect in our centers. It is through love, understanding and empathy that fathers, mothers and teachers can best convey these principles to the children.
The Sementes are multicultural spaces where children understand the importance and respect of other cultures that exist in our country and allow them to interact, grow and work together.
The Sementes aim to offer education close to the reality of the people. They are open spaces linked to the neighbouring community, a community which cares about daily real life in its surroundings and its people.
Our Semente in Vigo
Our project has become a reality in the shape of a leisure center. It is located at 102 Dr. Corbal street (Teis District, Vigo). It hosts spaces suitable for children of all ages and a vegetable garden of more than 100m².
Semente children’s center is a space that favours mental, psychomotor, affective and sensorial development through playful, educational, dynamic and creative activities ; fostering social integration, gender equality, cooperation and knowledge and respect for nature.
Semente Vigo is designed for children ranging from 2 to 6 years old and is organized in different areas, offering a wide variety of free games and programmed activities for children to choose from.
There is a logics and mathematics corner, a music corner, a reading corner, an experience corner, as well as dedicated spaces where to play hide and seek and where to move dynamically, making Semente Vigo a living, joyful, fun, creative and welcoming space. There is also a place to have a rest when needed, respecting our children’s rhythms.
