After several years’ hiatus, the “Workshop under the open sky”, an educational and pedagogic program for children, was once again organized at the Royal Compound. The first group of children came to the Palace today, and the second group will come on 30 October. The special emphasis of this year’s program is an interactive story related to details and interesting things from the life of the Karadjordjević Royal family.
The program’s intention is to turn the Royal Compound in Dedinje into a kind of “school” in which students have a unique opportunity to be in various roles, which should depict everyday life at the Royal Palace. After having a tour of the open parts of the Royal Complex, the children came to the Palace where they were introduced to the protocol and rules of behavior at the Royal Court. At this part of the program, called “Bonton for big and small”, where the selected children (boy and girl) will be secretly costumed and will represent the King and the Queen.
The program continued in the basement and the movie theatre, and finished with the workshop “Princes go to school as well, where the guide took the children back to a time when the members of the Karadjordjevic dynasty were young Princes, children like all the others, lively, curious, but also a bit lonely. What did their classroom look like, were they hardworking and obedient students, what did their games look like – the children found out from the guide/lecturer. As a sort of a surprise, a costumed boy appeared in the role of Crown Prince Peter Karadjordjevic, who joins the other students and finally has many friends by his side, which is what he always wanted.
TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine are very sorry that, due to humanitarian activities in North America, they could not personally welcome the children, like they did before. “It brings me great joy that the children will learn more about our nation’s history, and my ancestors, who were an important part of our past. I am especially pleased that emphasis is put on my father, who did not have an easy life, and deserves to have proper remembrance”, stated the Crown Prince on this occasion.
The cultural and educational centre “Workshop under the open sky” has created and implemented educational programs for out-of-school interactive learning and ambient teaching. Through many years of research work, following the educational programs of preschool and school institutions, a project was carefully prepared that deals with education, upbringing, and culture in a unique way. The theme that served as inspiration for the Workshop team is “Get to Know Belgrade From A to Z”. The goal of the project is to get the students from Belgrade schools, as well as the schools throughout Serbia and the region, out of their classrooms and have them spend at least one teaching day a year in the improvised classrooms under the open sky, getting to know Belgrade and its surroundings through ambient-interactive learning that affirms spirituality, culture, history, tradition, and universal values.
