Chinese New Year
Gong Xi Fa Chai!
K1 has had a busy couple of weeks celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year in a variety of ways. We had a trip to bustling Chinatown which gave us a chance to practise our Chinese, we have had Jane and Shu Na in to help with some lantern making, today everyone is dressed in special Chinese New Year colours and we have visited a fair at school with our G5 buddies and seen a lion dance! A HUGE thank you to all the parents, Chinese teachers and of course our Grade 5 buddies that have helped us learn so much about, and celebrate this festival.
Please enjoy the following slideshow which gives you a snapshot of all the exciting things we have been up to (please read on for further information about the millipede/garden shots!).
Inquiry learning - our millipede
As a sideline today, during morning tea we found a millipede in our eating area. The children were hugely excited so we took turns having a look and then brought it into our class. I searched on Google for some 'child friendly' information about millipedes and we also investigated the differences between millipedes and centipedes - one of the main being that the children should never touch a centipede as they can be poisonous.
We discovered that the kind of places millipedes like to live are dark and damp, and that they eat rotting leaves. We then brainstormed where in the school we could release our millipede that would be safe and the children suggested one of our garden areas. We went over to one as a class and hunted for the perfect spot in the corner where our millipede would be safe, then released it.
I wanted to share this with you as it is such a great example of 'inquiry based' learning where children are totally captivated and motivated. I could never have planned for this event to occur and the fantastic thing about working in K1 is that we were able to make room in our day to explore and discover something all the children were deeply interested in. This kind of learning can be done at home, on holiday, at school...any time your child finds something that they are really interested in and want to find out about! If you want some more ideas about how to do this let me know and I can share them with you. Although as parents, you may already be inquiry learning experts : )
If your children say "I wonder....." over the next few days please help them find out some information about whatever it is they are wondering about!
Holiday Books
The kids wanted to bring their books home again this holiday to record anything they learn about 'The World'! They are in their blue folders. If you are able to take them away on holidays with you that would be fantastic. If you are staying in Singapore I'm sure there will be plenty of exciting activities for them to draw about or record in some way as well.
Thanks, have a great week!
