Primary school kids explored their roots at the Ágoston Pável Museum during the GUČIMO workshop! Crafts, traditional games, and songs helped them connect with the Slovene dialects of the Prekmurje and Rába regions.

On August 17, 2026, the Ágoston Pável Museum hosted its first children’s workshop under the GUČIMO project, titled “The Tourist Appeal of the Slovene Minority Collection of the Ágoston Pável Museum, Its Connections with Educational Institutions and Slovene Minority Self-Governments.”

The event brought together 25 primary school students (from 1st to 8th grade) from bilingual schools and minority self-government settlements across the Rába Region, including Felsőszölnök, Apátistvánfalva, Szentgotthárd, Rönök, and Csörötnek.

Guided in three languages — Hungarian, standard Slovene, and the local Slovene dialect — by museum educators Margit Mayer Gáspárné and Andrea Károly, alongside museum director Tiborné Horváth, the young participants embarked on a hands-on journey into their cultural roots.

A Day Full of Learning, Language, and Play:

  • Exploring Traditional Life: Following an introductory icebreaker and morning refreshment, the children took a guided tour of the museum’s Slovene collection to discover the traditional lifestyle of the local Slovene community.
  • Creative & Language Challenges: To consolidate their new knowledge, students drew imaginary traditional village homesteads, learning the names of buildings and objects in all three languages. They solved exhibition-based puzzles, reconstructed traditional costumes from picture fragments, and practiced dialectal vocabulary.
  • Music & Movement: The group learned the folk song “Marko skače / Markó ugrál” through rhythmic movement and dance, exploring its story and lyrics in both Slovene and Hungarian.
  • Traditional Games: The lively afternoon concluded with reflection drawing sessions, ice cream, and traditional local games, such as Nine Men’s Morris played with beans and dialectal counting-out rhymes.

By combining play, craft, and language immersion, the workshop successfully fostered a deep connection between the youth and their local linguistic heritage, proving that the Slovene dialects of the Prekmurje and Rába regions remain a vibrant bridge between generations.

Photos by GUČIMO