Spring full of successful competitions – Espoo schools were involved in many things
It has been quite the spring full of successful competitions. Students in the 4K class at Jalavapuisto school (Jalavapuiston koulu) in Espoo participated in the Kartonkikilpailu cardboard competition during the semester where Finnish, Swedish and Danish children compete around recycling themes. The students in the class were pleasantly surprised in the spring: they had won the competition and €1000 to be used for a group event experience.
The class visited the Duudsonit Activity Park in May 2023 and the rest of the money was put aside to wait for school camp. Teacher Anu Kahri thinks that the competition is well in line with themes in the curriculum and very well organised.
This year’s Kartonkikilpailu ended on 19 March 2023. It consisted of three competition tasks where students had to solve fun and educational tasks together as a class. Kartonkikilpailu is also an educational and inspiring platform with environment, sustainable development and recycling-related material, videos and exercises which can be utilised outside the competition as well.
First-graders from Espoo in the lead at science competition TuKoKe
The final event of the national science competition TuKoKe was organised at Otaniemi upper secondary school (Otaniemen lukio) on 5–6 April 2023. The event brought together over 100 children and young people with a curious mind who share the desire to explore, experiment and invent. There were two winners in the preschool and primary education category.
One of the winning teams, Sampo Olenius and Eero Hätönen, tested the best way to relay a message to a neighbour. The two friends are first-graders from Laajalahti School (Laajalahden koulu), Espoo.
More information about the competition on TuKoKe website: The youngest TuKoKe winners explored time and communication — Explore-experiment-invent(external link, opens in a new window)
The works are on display at a virtual exhibition on the TuKoKe website: Tutki-kokeile-kehitä (tukoke.fi)(external link, opens in a new window)
The virtual exhibition is open until the end of September. The event was organised by TEK academic engineers and Development Centre Opinkirjo (Kehittämiskeskus Opinkirjo).
The Taitaja9 competition and Innokas tournament were held in Espoo in May
Taitaja9 is a cheerful and active manual skills competition for 7th–9th graders. The final was held in Espoo as part of the Taitaja2023 event in May. The fast-paced competition is a fun way to get to know different vocational fields. For more information about the competition and results, visit the Taitaja website Taitaja9 - Taitaja2023(external link, opens in a new window)
The Innokas programming and robotics tournament brought together robotics talents in Dipoli, Espoo in May. In addition to competitive activities, there were interactive programming, robotics and gaming-related stalls. Minister of Education Li Andersson opened the event and Suna school choir performed in the grand opening ceremony.
In the Innokas events, students battle it out in five different event categories. For example, in the Freestyle event, participants invent various uses for robots. In the Rescue event, a robot has to follow a black line and overcome various challenges.
The GameDev category is the most recent addition which was included in 2019. In the national tournament, each team has their own stall where they bring their own game on a computer, any related accessories and a diary, either in paper or digital format, describing the game and its development stages, for example.
Team XBanda from Niipperi school (Niipperin koulu) did well and came second in the XSumo event where robots follow a line and take each other on in a sumo match. Read more about the event categories: Innokas(external link, opens in a new window)
Insightful team from Nöykkiö school emerged victorious in the Food Quiz
The Food Quiz is an educational teaching package in food education aimed at upper secondary schools. The annual Food Quiz consists of study material and a quiz which then tests the teams’ knowledge. The best three teams move on to the last round.
Nearly 2,200 upper secondary school students from all over Finland participated in the first round of the quiz. The final task was to design and cook lunch and a snack together as a team. The teams were asked to consider local produce and food culture and the principles of sustainable development, especially reduction of food waste. The task also encouraged to practise collaboration and communication skills.
The Nöykkiö team’s strength was imaginative, sustainable and local meals which contained things like fresh nettle pasta with lake fish in sauce as well as berry ice cream prepared using the quick freezing method along with oat-apple-granola. The judges could see the students’ interest and enthusiasm towards the subject through their work which displayed knowledge of various food preparation techniques and even molecular gastronomy. The reasoning behind the sustainable choices inspired by the students’ daily lives was also good.
Susanna Hakkarainen, home economics teacher at Nöykkiö school (Nöykkiön koulu), rejoices about her team’s success:
“This year’s theme was close to my heart. Local production, reduction of food waste and sustainable development are topics that are present in nearly every class in one way or another. We decided to set up a Food Quiz Club with the students whose members got together during long breaks three times a week to study the material. The students’ daily lives served as an inspiration for the final menu and I must say that I have admired their close teamwork and skills.”
The Food Quiz has established its place as part of food education at schools and this year was the 13th time it was taught. The Food Quiz is based on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and particularly the goal of responsible consumption.
Read more at Ruokatieto Yhdistys (Finfood – Finnish Food Information)(external link, opens in a new window)
Watch a video from the Food Quiz final!(external link, opens in a new window)
