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Going to school in a circus

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We recently reviewed Ovo, currently touring Australia.

Have you ever wondered how the kids who travel with their artist mum and dad get their studies done? After all, just being part of a big circus entourage doesn’t mean you get to miss out on your schooling :).

OVO has a school on site (and so do most Cirque Du Soleil touring companies).

A LITTLE ABOUT THE SCHOOL ON SITE AT OVO

  • There are currently 3 students at the OVO School (ages are 6, 7 and 15), two are Russian, one is French.
  • The OVO school follows the Quebec school system – it follows the school program, not the school year.
  • Only children of artists within OVO can attend the school.
  • During Brisbane, the children at the school will finish the school year- they will then have 2-3 weeks off and then will start the new school year in Sydney.
  • Children must start school when they are 6 years of age.
  • School runs Tuesday-Saturdays (Sun-Mondays off) and runs from 9:30am-3:30pm/4pm. lunch is usually at around 12:15pm-1pm (45 minutes). They also have morning and afternoon recess/break.

Classes are in French or English.

Wow! Which kid wouldn’t want to be part of a school within a circus?

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Learn about Bulgaria for Kids

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is in Southeastern Europe that’s bordered by Greece, Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia and the Black Sea. It was founded from an empire that deeply influenced the Slavic nations and was once part of the Eastern bloc controlled by Russia.

Bulgaria Facts

  • Bulgaria is 42,855 square miles, or 110,994 square kilometers, with a population near 6.5 million.
  • Its capital and largest city is Sofia.
  • The Bulgarian Empire, from which the nation takes its name, took power in the area in the late 7th century and developed Cyrillic script, which is used for many Slavic languages. The country was under Ottoman rule for almost five centuries, but it declared its independence in 1908.
  • Bulgaria sided with Germany in both world wars and became part of the Eastern bloc led by the Soviet Union in 1946. The Communist Party ceded control in the late 1980s and Bulgaria adopted a democratic constitution in 1991.
  • It is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president and a prime minister as well as a National Assembly.
  • The word Bulgar might have some from a word meaning to mix or stir, or a derivative of that word that means revolt or disorder. About 85 percent of the country is ethnically Bulgarian, and the official language is Bulgarian.

Bulgarian National Symbols

The Bulgarian flag is made of three horizontal stripes, one white, one green and one red. It was adopted when they gained independence from the Ottoman Empire.

The national anthem, “Mila Rodino,” or “Dear Motherland,” was adopted in 1964 but its lyrics have been changed many times, most recently in 1990, and a shortened version was approved in 1991.

The Eurasian griffon vulture is considered the national bird, and a lion is used as it heraldic symbol.

The patron saint of Bulgaria is Saint John of Rila, the first Bulgarian hermit, whose followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery, now a UNESCO World Heritage site (and a very cool looking building).

The national instrument is the kaba gaida, a bagpie that is native to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Activities for Kids

Listen to the kaba giada in this video, or you can listen for two hours(!) here.

Learn more about Bulgarian folk dancing and watch some people doing it. The people in this video are also wearing traditional Bulgarian folk costumes, which is fun to see. (As a knitter I love those socks!) You can learn more about Bulgarian folk costumes here or at Meet the Slavs.

See what your name looks like in Cyrillic and see if you can write it! You can also learn the sounds of the Bulgarian alphabet here.

Learn more about Bulgaria from Kids World Travel Guide, or check out the resources available at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Wonders of Bulgaria has a good rundown of traditional Bulgarian foods you might want to try. For kids I’d suggest their version of moussaka, which is like the Greek dish only made with potatoes and not eggplant or zucchini. The Modern Nonna has a version that includes carrots, but they’re optional.