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Join UsNews / Nunn Road / 2013 / December 2013
Another year is passing us by and New Year is just round the corner.
Looking back at the past 12 months, what came to pass in the English class? Most significantly the girls to boys ratio is now balanced. Ended with 14 girls to 7 boys end of last year, with the new boys joining us beginning of this year, we are now ending with 10 boys to 11 girls.
Girls at kindergarten age are mostly demure and sweet. We had lots of girly experience this year with girls who love their hair to be tied in various styles, girls who like us to apply ‘magic oil’ to sooth their little wounds, girls who are upset when mothers pack t-shirt and shorts instead of dresses. Most of all they often willingly offer their little hands to help in class chores. The ‘quiet’ girls in the beginning of the year have become more active and started to converse more with their friends during origami sessions. They also started to run about happily in the garden with the boys and the younger children.
On the other hand, many of the boys who came to us this year are lively and energetic. They are like little hurricanes that sweep by you unaware of the wreckage they leave behind when they play actively and run around in the class. Complaints stream in, such as so and so stepped on me, hit me, knock me and so on. Little injuries occur occasionally. I often have to guide them to more quiet activity like drawing and origami to calm them before letting them join the play again.
The few younger boys who are not ready to join the active boys yet, are the ones who are always ready earlier for class routine, e.g. waiting to go for lunch, reaching out for the drinking bottle to drink water without reminders, and also on time to help to set tables for lunch during English class duty days because they change after outside play without delay.
Someone once commented that English class has many nice ‘little houses' during creative play. Some girls do set up a warm and pretty house decorated with rainbow colour cloth. They bring cups, plates, spoons, cooking utensils and dolls into their house and continue imaginative house play till it is time to clear up. Some other girls set up a similar house at another corner and start to sell homemade craft or home bake cookies to their friends, just like a real store.
The boys have their solid little house too. They negotiate and devise strategies to find the best way to bring down an unseen monster or remove enemies in the house till it is time to clear up.
Teacher Kerry and I are constantly on our toes, not only keeping an eye on them but being their favorite customers if they are selling food, drinks or things. We are their invited guests if they are planning a birthday party and we are managers of the theme park if they decide to build long tunnels to crawl about.
The little boundaries in the form of colourful houses also reduce the tendency of active boys to run about the class and reduce the number of little accidents that happens when they do run about. When they are outside they can spend their energy by running, chasing, catching and mini sumo wrestling for a full 45 minutes.
Time flies and every child in the class change and grow up in a nurturing environment that we try to provide at Nania. So many children have the best years of their young childhood in this beautiful and warm house with a green luscious garden. Next year we will have a different play dynamic in the class when we welcome four new children to join us.
I am grateful and thankful each year to the capable and willing 6 years old ‘ko-ko’ and ‘che-che’ who play creatively with the younger ones so that they can imitate and play creatively when it is their turn to be the big children in the class. They are also the ones that fold the best origami to share with the younger children. So to these four big children that are leaving us soon, Teacher Kerry and I will miss them and will always remember the time that we have had together. We wish them and their family all the best in their future undertakings and thank them for their support.
Coming back to our Christmas Festival, as part of the preparation, we have placed a “Star Window calendar” in the centre of the display corner. Each day before lunch, the teachers will invite one child to open a calendar window. Another child will then hang a colour star on a tree branch while two others will each take out a gnome and a wooden animal and put them on the display table.
Every child will have a chance to perform this ceremony until all the windows are open. When the last window is opened, it signifies that it is time to celebrate the Christmas festival at Nania. We are looking forward to see you and your family on the 13th of December.
Last but not the least, Teacher Kerry and I wish to take this opportunity to wish everybody Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Teacher Nora