News / Nunn Road / 2014 / September 2014

The children came back after holidays happy and eager to meet their friends and the teachers.  Since then, I have observed and felt the changes in the class dynamics.  The 8 youngest children in the class have gotten much closer to each other and they are   enthusiastic and active in their creative plays.  They made full use of their free time to play together.  I have to say that I find it very pleasurable to watch and play with this very active group of young children.

Before our term break, most of the children in this group would run away when I sing the clearing up song indicating time to start clearing up the toys. However this time round, they help to clear and put back toys to their respective corners after play.  Even though they have taken more than half a year to get into this particular class rhythm, I still feel triumphant. I am re-charged and it is easy to teach and go through the daily hours with them happily.

Although this year, we celebrated our moon-cake festival after the actual day, the children still enjoyed making their own lanterns and moon-cakes.  A day before, the big children helped in the moon-cake preparations by rolling out the paste into nice round balls.  On the day of celebration all the children gathered to make their own moon-cake. First, they flattened the outside skin layer with their hand and then placed the paste in its middle.  Then the skin is wrapped round the paste and the mixture is rolled into a ball again. Lastly they press their round moon-cakes into the mould and presto, their own moon-cakes are done!  

Before the festival, the children had diligently picked the blue flowers from the garden and handed them over to the kitchen staff who processed them into blue food dye.  Pandan leaves were used to make green food dye. The food dyes were used in the skin of the moon cakes. When we were packing the moon-cakes for them to take home, the children mentioned that their moon-cake smelt good and delicious.

Seeing that the children preferred to eat homemade moon-cakes rather than the store-bought ones, we decided to serve only our handmade moon-cakes during our celebration.  They sang the moon-cake festival’s song joyously and ate the moon-cakes happily. 

Moving along, the children are practising songs and poems for the coming Harvest Festival during the morning ring time.  The big children in the class lead the younger ones during practices.

In Nania, we celebrate Harvest Festival to thank Mother Nature for sun, rain and wind.  Through the poems and songs, the children express their gratefulness for the food on their plates and to the farmers who work hard to grow the crops as well as to their parents who lovingly prepare food for them.

We enclosed herewith the Harvest Festival programme and songs for your attention.  Please be on time and we look forward to sharing a wonderful celebration with you.

After the Harvest festival, the children in the English class will be preparing for the graduation ceremony for the 6 year-olds.  For the past few days and after their daily afternoon lessons, the big children have already begun decorating their musical instruments with colourful crepe papers.  

Teacher Nora