MÁKVIRÁGOK DAY
HUNGARIAN PRESCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – ORLANDO
Living 6000 miles from our motherland is not always easy. But Viktoria Butala had a dream. As a mother of 2 daughters she wanted to fill the need of the missed Hungarian preschool experiences for her kids, as well as for the Hungarian community’s children and their parents.
In 2014 she founded her open, ideologically and politically neutral, non-profit Saturday preschool in Orlando. From the 2015-2016 academic year the Mákvirágok Preschool has grown and the graduated preschoolers can continue their education in the Mákvirágok Elementary School.
Viktoria’s incredible energy, enthusiasm and selfless dedication lends wings to the Mákvirágok Preschool and Elementary School. Week after week, new experiences enrich the lives of the children with Hungarian roots in Orlando and Central Florida, giving a taste of the atmosphere of a real Hungarian kindergarten.
Mákvirágok Hungarian Preschool and Elementary School was founded with the purpose to strengthen the next generation’s Hungarian identity.
Our programs and events are for 3-10 years old children giving them the opportunity to practice and learn the Hungarian language, culture, history, and geography and to form ties within their community in a playful setting.
Our events include cultural celebrations, camps, folk dance, singing and fun play time as well.
Our founder continuously participates in workshops such as the annual professional development training of Pannon University. Our students use a variety of materials that include textbooks and workbooks published for schools in Hungary.
Our school is proud to have created a solid Hungarian community where the student body consists of first and second generation Hungarians.
Community
Based on the belief that young people learn best from each other, our school encourages them to cooperate and build their own community.
Engagement
Our school expects its students’ families to be actively engaged in the activities of our Hungarian Community. These activities are connected to Hungary, Hungarian culture and traditions.
Responsibility
By including children of a wide range of ages, the student’s families learn to show responsibility for the younger generation, thus passing on their pride in their Hungarian heritage.
Children develop social and communication skills while learning about Hungarian culture and traditions through stories, songs, games, crafts at the Mákvirágok Preschool.
The primary goal of the Mákvirágok Elementary School is to develop students’ fluency in reading and writing in Hungarian, as well as to teach basic historical and geographical knowledge of Hungary and the Carpathian Basin.
Our students use a variety of materials that include textbooks and workbooks published for schools in Hungary, other resources are learning materials that were developed for learners of Hungarian as a heritage language.
Hungarian children games are steeped in the tradition of story-telling. Games played in groups are often combined with folk songs that reflect Hungarian history. Other games resemble those played in the US, such as hopscotch.
Many other Hungarian games for children involve traditional folk songs and poetry. The poems often recall events in Hungarian history. Other poems are used to scare away unwanted animals, such as wolves or crop-eating birds. These poems and songs often accompany games with dancing.
Playing these traditional Hungarian games helps children to learn their language in a fun way.
In order to become healthy, happy and productive teenagers and later healthy, happy and productive adults, at Mákvirágok Preschool and Elementary School the children have lots of experiences and repeated practice with tasks in the Cognitive Development (Thinking), Emotional Development (Feeling), Social Development (Relating) and Sensory-Motor Development (Coordinating) areas. Arts and crafts help our children experience and practice their skills in all four of these areas.
Our Arts and crafts sessions offer children endless opportunities to learn by doing. All of our projects are related to the Hungarian culture.
One of our school’s mission is to enrich the lives of children by introducing them to Hungarian culture through dance, music, and folklore with the goal of preserving and passing on the Hungarian heritage. Our students perform several times throughout the year in various community events. The children share their joy of Hungarian dancing and music in a fun, friendly and engaging environment.
Sport is an important part of our schedule. We engage the children in activities that are fun and challenging, but not beyond their abilities. We know, that kids who enjoy physical activity tend to stay active throughout their lives. And staying fit can improve self-esteem, help maintain a healthy weight, and decrease the risk of illnesses. All of our activities help develop skills and coordination. It’s important for our students to engage in a variety of activities to encourage a wide range of movement and skills.
Mákvirágok is a real blessing for the Hungarians living in Central Florida. There are no words that could express how thankful we are to Viktoria for her commitment to create and maintain a real Hungarian kindergarten 6000 miles from Hungary. If your family has Hungarian roots and you’d like to enrich your child’s life with wonderful, unforgettable experiences, don’t hesitate to come here!Monika Harmund, Ata’s mom
The Makvirag School is a real pleasure to come. We have been coming to the school almost every Saturday straight from the Daytona Beach area because my son gets here a deep Hungarian influence, real friendships and wonderful education.Piros Pazaurek, Nimi’s mom
My little daughter loves to come to the school every week. It helps me to give her more what I can give her in our English-Hungarian speaking home. Viki the founder and the teacher is loved by the kids. Her work is outstanding in every way!Terezia Sersovszky, Abigail’s mom
I cannot express enough my gratitude to Viktoria for establishing the Hungarian Preschool and Elementary School. She teaches our kids about Hungarian culture, history, poems, reads them tales, and shows them what does it mean to be Hungarian. I`m so grateful that my daughter Panni can experience the same “privileges” as the other preschoolers who live in Hungary. Thank you Ms. VikiAniko Igaz, Panni’s mom
I’m so happy my daughter Lily, enjoys going to the school on Saturday’s. The kids have grown to have great friendships through the school. Viki has definitely helped the mothers and children develop a family-like atmosphere and I’m very thankful for that. They learned a lot about Hungarian culture, holidays and poem. It’s amazing how much Lily learned about our country so far away.Zsanett Toth, Lily’s mom
Both my children love to attend the Hungarian school where they participate in activities that support my efforts to maintain our Hungarian culture and language. Ms. Viki is extremely dedicated to the school and its success. We appreciate her hard work.Juliana Boros, Olympia’s and Aurora’s mom
Merely in my mother tongue can I be authentically me. That’s why the Makvirag Hungarian preschool and elementary school fulfills such an important rule in the lives of the Hungarian children living in Orlando. The mother tongue and culture is an important aspect of self-identity, to know where they are coming from and where they belong. And this wonderful Hungarian community fuels all these values!Aniko David-Kent, Leda’s mom
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and grandmas on the other side of the globe!
If I had to describe the picnic in three words, maybe these three would be: Hungarian, Easter, family!
🇭🇺 Yes, because in true Hungarian tradition, the girls were waiting with painted eggs for the sprinklers, who were prepared with Hungarian sprinkling poems.
🐰Later, the Easter bunny visited us and scattered lots of eggs, but of course the children found them all! 🙂
❤️ Last but not least, it was a real family event, as not only our students joined us, but also little brothers, big brothers and parents! Thank you for being with us!
March 15 was remembered at the School! The schoolchildren recalled the events of 15 March 1848 in the form of a performance, followed by a dance and music show by the kindergarten students. The ceremony ended with a Palotás dance by our schoolchildren.
This Saturday we said goodbye to winter with the students. We had a really meaningful Saturday, because not only did we put on a show, but we also had a real clown visit us! Later on, the real carnival games and fun started.
Phone: 407-715-4017
Email: makviragokorlando@gmail.com
