The funniest act of the day for the little kids – Can you fly?

Today’s thematic lesson went slightly “wild and enjoyable” when the child were exposed to the usage of language in form of question and answers in their conversation.

Alicia: Can a bee fly?                       Children: Yes, it can fly.

Alicia: Can an ant fly?                      Children: No, it can’t fly.

This went on till the name of insects was individually replaced. Then I quoted name of human, for example Teacher Zhang; to challenge the children to converse. The real fun began when the question was posed: “Can Uncle Pang fly?” 

              

The children, as cheeky as they are replied by saying that “Yes, he can fly”. All teachers in the classroom smiled quietly. I then challenged the children to ask Uncle Pang if he can fly during their lunch.

We then invited uncle Pang to our class to confirm if he could fly. While waiting, the children were excited. 

Dang Dang: Why uncle Pang” is not here yet?  We felt much tensed in us.Alicia: Why you need to be tensed up? Uncle Pang will not eat you guys up. I thought you all like Uncle Pang a lot! Hahaha….Children: We are afraid we will forget how to ask.Finally, Uncle Pang turns up in the class. All children excitedly asked Uncle Pang at once…. “Can you fly?”Uncle Pang: Shhhh…. I can’t hear, 3, 2, 1. Let’s be seated first. Ok, what is your question (pointing at Kelly)Kelly: Can you fly?Uncle Pang: Of course, I can fly. Fly very high, up in the sky.Children: Why?Uncle Pang: Because I am a magician. Hehehehe…. Please look carefullyUncle Pang then prepared to show the children how he ca fly.Dang Dang: If you want to fly, you need wings. Please show us your wings.Uncle Pang: Look! (He then he rub his hand and request the children to look at his arms and the next moment, his arms were flapping like a wing and flying, while standing on a single leg. – PRETEND FLY)

Kelly: You need to fly with both legs up, not a single leg.

Uncle Pang laughed then jump, jump, jump up in the air. The children all laughed.

Lin Xin: Uncle Pang, do you know that if you need to fly, you need to fly very long time and not just jump up in the air. The legs cannot be on the floor.

Uncle Pang took a while to think. He finally took a chair and sits on it and flies, using his hands as wings and with both legs up!

Children: Uncle Pang, bum bum cannot be on the chair.

Uncle Pang: Ok. (He then stands on the chair and fly).

Children: The leg cannot be on the chair.

Uncle Pang had finally run out of ideas on how to fly. The children, teachers and Uncle Pang all laughed.

Kelly: Teacher Lee, you need to write this in our communication book ok?

From this, we can see that the children participated positively in the conversation (mixture of Mandarin and English). Besides the engagement, they tried to apply what they had learned in real life conversation. Learning English is not easy especially in countries where English is not the main language.

I would conclude that the short pretend play and conversation had not only served to reinforce children’s learning, but it also helped the children to acquire critical thinking skill. This is one of the essences in Montessori education which I find still lacking in many acclaimed Montessori schools.  So, why not flourish the child with joy in learning today for a better tomorrow? 

Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyuk Gook)

What is so special about this soup?  Besides yummy and mouthwatering, do you know what is the significant of this soup?

The children had an opportunity to explore Korean local delight in one of their cultural lesson. The Korean Seaweed Soup also known as Miyuk Gook (birthday soup), is one of the most significant dish. In the olden days, pregnant women would eat Miyuk Gook for about a month prior to giving birth and also after birth. This tradition is still prevalent today, but not as widespread as it once was.

The birthday culture for Korean on the other hand signifies a way to remind children not to forget the pain of childbirth and to appreciate the care given them by their mother. When this story was shared in the class, one of the children broke down into tears. It was a mixed feeling with sad and happy tears. Besides gaining understanding of the culture, and discovering the similarity and differences of other children in other country, it was indeed overall a touching short lesson, that touches the heart of the children. 

Arbor Day in the classroom and beyond

“Planting tree is an act of kindness.  The trees we plant help us clean the air, beautify our environment, provide homes for wildlife, conserve energy and topsoil, and help keep the atmosphere in balance. A life is just better when we live amongst the tree.” - Arbor Day Foundation.

Last year, my students and I celebrated Arbor day in the school for the first time. It had been done is a small scale, compared to other schools in other countries. The celebration is priceless as it provides children with positive actions to make their world a better place and to learn about trees, the natural world and to celebrate life and the interconnectedness of all creation. This is very much in line with Montessori’s cosmic education.

This was what we had done in 2014 - inside the classroom and outdoor prior to the school wide activity

Science

Children were taken to a nature walk and collected tree leaves. They were exposed to the different tree trunks and the different shapes of leaves. They also collected leaves of various sizes and colors for their art and craft. A group of children had blast planting garlic in a flower pot and were left in the classroom for observation for a couple of weeks.

Art and Craft

The leaves collected from the nature walk were used to create trees. Creativity in the Montessori classroom acknowledges the importance of self- expression. Children were only given a card stock, recycle papers, glues, scissors and leaves they collected to make a tree.  Children then came up with their individual unique pieces. In another project, the children learn to make trees using recycle toilet roll. Here, techniques and methods were thought step by step to further enhance the children’s crafting skills.

Culture – Social Studies

Children were gathered on different days to talk about and discussed the important of trees, when is Arbor Day, why the need to observe Arbor Day and how planting trees can benefit us in the planet.  They were also exposed to the different tools required and steps involved in planting a tree.

 School Wide Activity

Finally, the day has arrived. Children and parents dressed smartly with their colorful boots. Although it was drizzling in the morning and throughout our travelling journey, the effort paid off. Drizzle stops when we arrived at destination. It was partly cloudy and we had a long walk into our planting ground. It was indeed a quiet and peaceful area, surrounded with plants and flowers. Upon arrival, excited children and parents, including teachers, rolled up their sleeves and kick start the activity. The whole process took approximately 2 hours and children were seen happily working with the soil. Some children even found earth worms on the soil and started to invite others to take a look.

It was indeed a fruitful event to end the week. As Aldo Leopold (an American ecologist, 1887 - 1948) said, “Act of creation is ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a tree, one only needs a shovel.”

The study and understanding of this topic is not confining to Arbor Day and tree planting activity. There are a whole lot more of Montessori curriculum (from everyday life activity, senses exploration, vocabulary bank, literature, math, social studies, art and craft to drama and play that can be incorporated in the learning.