HIPPO 2026 National Finals

 The National Finals of the international HIPPO competition for pupils from Kikinda schools were held on 24 and 25 April at Đura Jakšić Primary School.

Just like last year, the contestants took their exams online. My pupils did their best on the more challenging tests and achieved excellent results, making it to the yellow and orange lists:

• Little HIPPO:
  Stefan Zekonja II3 (Reading: 30/30, Use of English: 39/43.5 = 69/73.5), European finalist,

• HIPPO 2:
  Nađa Mandić VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 37.5/42 = 71.5/76), European finalist,
  
  Jovan Ćoškov VI3 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 24/42 = 57/76),

• HIPPO 3:
  
  Nikola Tomić VIII2 (Reading: 29/33, Use of English: 36/43.5 = 65/76.5 points), European finalist,
  Luka Baba VIII2 (Reading: 26/33, Use of English: 25.5/43.5 = 51.5/76.5 points).

HIPPO 2026 Preliminary

Here are the results of this year's Contest which took place on 22 March in Đura Jakšić Primary School:

• HIPPO Little:
  Stefan Zekonja II3 (Reading: 30/30, Use of English: 27/30 = 57/60), national finalist

• HIPPO 2:
  Nađa Mandić VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 62.5/64), national finalist,
  Jovan Ćoškov VI3 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 61.5/64), national finalist,
  Mila Petrović VI1 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 61/64), national finalist,
  Anastasija Đomparin VI3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64),
  Vukašin Mrkelja VI3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64),
  Nina Stijelja VI2 (Reading: 33/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 60/64),
  Dunja Barna VI 3 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 59/64),
  Anđela Mijandžić (Reading: 30/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 58.5/64)

• HIPPO 3:
  Nikola Tomić VIII2 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 62.5/64 points), national finalist,
  Luka Baba VIII2 (Reading: 34/34, Use of English: 27/30 = 61/64 points), national finalist,
  Nataša Đurin VIII2 (Reading: 32/34, Use of English: 28.5/30 = 60.5/64 points).

Easter 2026

In our Easter lesson, Class 1 pupils talked about their own traditions, watched a short video about the Egg Hunt, and coloured the page in their books while singing a catchy Easter song.

Class 2 pupils shared their favourite Easter activities, followed my example on the board—drawing a big egg, colouring it red, and making a mind map. They added a chick, a bunny, chocolate, a basket, and hot cross buns. Afterwards, I taught them the Hot Cross Buns song and showed them the actions, which they repeated in pairs. Even after the lesson ended, you could still hear them singing Hot Cross Buns with smiles on their faces.

My older pupils enjoyed singing the same songs and playing the Easter online board game.

Our Animals

My Class 1 pupils used their colourful playdough to make their favourite animals. Soon, we recognised pets, insects, forest, jungle and other creatures in various shapes and sizes. 

With one group, we watched an animated version of Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and then recorded their own version.

With another group, we practised can for ability in a playful way.

Do you like?

This catchy song is another favourite in Class 1. It is perfect for practising food vocabulary and simple questions. My youngest pupils always enjoy it. This time, they made it their own by adding new foods and answers. 

They used playdough to make the food, which made the activity even more fun and creative.

Soon we had watermelons, lemons, spaghetti, muffins, cookie pizza, and lots of “Yes, I do!” and “No, I don’t! Yukky!” echoing around the classroom:

 

 

Tommy's in the Kitchen

This song is another favourite with my younger pupils. It’s great for revising food vocabulary in a fun way. The rhythm is easy and the funny food combinations always make the children laugh.

Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!
Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!

I've got an apple in my sandwich.
I've got milk on my peas.
I've got juice on my sausage.
Help! Oh, help me, please!

Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!
Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!

I've got carrots on my pizza.
And a banana on my cheese.
I've got chicken with my cake.
Help! Oh, help me, please!

Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!
Tommy's in the kitchen,
Come and take him out!

HIPPO 2026

 This year, three groups of my pupils—12 in total—joined the preliminary round of the Hippo Contest. For some it was a familiar challenge, while for others it was their very first time. All agreed the tests felt easy, so we’re hopeful for good news in the weeks ahead. 

The local round took place on 22 March at Đura Jakšić Primary School.

Toy Shop

My Class 2 pupils had great fun chanting about toys. 

This lively chant is a wonderful way for them to practise toy vocabulary while enjoying rhythm and repetition.

Toy shop, toy shop,

Let's go to the toy shop.

Look!

A doll, a car, a bike, oh yes,

A go-kart and a train,

A ball, a computer game,

A monster and a plane.

Yes.

And there's a kite!

That's right!

Pets

This old song about pets is a much-loved classic in my classroom. It is great for practising pets and adjectives. My youngest pupils always love it. This time, they made it their own by introducing their own pets and descriptions. Soon we had happy children with their long fish, happy birds, clean cats, big dogs, and even a small hamster filling the room with laughter:

 

 

At the Circus

This new generation of Class 2 pupils loves singing this fun song about animals! 

It’s an easy way to revise vocabulary and always brings cheerful energy to the lesson. The rhythm is simple, the repetition makes it easy to remember, and the playful mix of animals brings smiles every time.

Look at the spiders,
Look at the rats,
Look at the lizards,
Look at the cats!

Look at the elephants,
Look at the dogs,
Look at the ducks,
And look at the frogs! 

Spiders, cats,
Lizards and rats.
Ducks, dogs,
Elephants and frogs.

Busy Week

This Class 5 generation’s favorite song is one we learned three years ago. 

When it was time to revise the present simple, it was the perfect warm-up. Later, the pupils used activities from the song to write about what they always or sometimes do, and to practise the -s ending with he or she.

It turned out to be a fun way to practise grammar while enjoying music.

Animal Habitats

 Class 2 pupils revised the names of animals and then worked in teams to create posters showing farm, forest, jungle, and ocean animals.

They sang songs connected with each habitat, which made the activity fun and gave them ideas to improve their posters. Each team carefully labelled the animals they had drawn, so the posters became colourful and easy to understand.

This way, the pupils practised vocabulary, worked together, and enjoyed learning about animals in different habitats.

SDG 14

As part of our project activities, Class 2 pupils explored SDG 14: Life Below Water.

We began by watching a short video and discussing what we saw, especially how the sea animals felt when surrounded by things that do not belong in the ocean. 

To make learning fun, we sang songs and played games to revise and learn the names of underwater animals.

Next, we joined forces with our international partners to create a collaborative story about animals, pollution, and hope for a cleaner ocean. Each school chose a situation, added a drawing to illustrate it, expressed an animal’s feelings, or suggested a solution.

Voices from the Ocean

Click to read this book, made with Book Creator

read.bookcreator.com

I invited my pupils to create a poster together. Each child drew a sea or ocean animal and labelled it, so the poster became a colourful collection of marine life.

Finally, we agreed on our own rules for protecting the ocean and added them to a digital poster. 

This way, the pupils not only learned about underwater animals but also shared their ideas for keeping the underwater clean and safe.

Festive Season Activities

My two Class 5 groups shared their festive spirit in different ways. 

First, they talked about what they usually do in December and completed our December activities survey. 

Then, they wrote about their favorite traditions telling us what they enjoy most during the festive season. 

Finally, they joined a collaborative writing activity, creating a comic about a travelling gingerbread man. Each partner prepared two panels, used the present simple with frequency adverbs, and illustrated their story.

These activities were part of our eTwinning projects English Quest and A Year of Friendship & Discovery.

Unity is Strength

 Together with our project partners, we recreated the title of The Seagull and the Cat eTwinning project.

My Class 1 pupils had just finished learning the Cyrillic Alphabet with their class teachers. In our English lesson, they enjoyed colouring the letters that are the same in the Latin Alphabet, using ScrapColoring.

Class 2 pupils joined in by making the letters N and S with their bodies, showing how teamwork can bring letters to life.

Finally, we used Copilot to design the letter T, inspired by the story itself. 

Each international team contributed in a different way, and the whole activity showed that unity really is strength.

The Gingerbread Man

 In our first lesson after the winter break, I read The Gingerbread Man with my Classes 1 and 2 pupils. Before starting, I asked if they had heard the story before, and reminded those who had to keep quiet so they wouldn't reveal anything. 

First, Class 1 pupils drew the characters and then watched a short video of the story. Then, I asked them to number the characters in the correct order. I also asked them simple comprehension questions and whether they liked the story, what they enjoyed, or what they didn’t.

Class 2 pupils also drew the characters in their notebooks, but they labelled them as well. We read the story together and did some fun tasks that they really enjoyed. 

It was a lively start to the term, and both groups showed great enthusiasm for the story and activities.

New Year Wishes for 2026

 We were delighted to receive beautiful cards filled with warm wishes from our friends, pupils, and teachers—Zemira from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alison and Joana from Spain, Margherita from Italy and Heng-Ting from Taiwan. Their creativity and kindness brightened our days both before and after the winter break. Even more, our friends from Taiwan surprised us with traditional cakes, which each child from my ten groups sampled and voted on to choose the best of three flavours.