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Join UsNews / Halaman York / 2018 / February 2018
We were delighted to see all the children participating during the recent Chinese New Year festival. We are especially proud of the newcomers. It is not easy for them to perform in front of the big crowd. This is the first festival for them. They had to settle down for the class rhythm, then they had to get into the festive mood so that they could enjoy circle time together. Initially, some of them refused to sing and dance but the big ‘ge ge’ and ‘jie jie’ guided them very well by setting a good model for them. So together with the teachers’ efforts and support, they began to enjoy circle time. From your feedback we know that they really enjoyed the Chinese New Year song that we sing in the class because they started to sing it at home too. We are so happy to have your support for the children during the celebration too. We believed you enjoyed the performance and had a great time with us. Before the Chinese New Year festival, the children were involved in the festival preparation. They lent a helping hand by cleaning and wiping the chairs, moving the toys and cleaning the classroom.
For the Chinese New Year festival, the children made ‘ribbon kuih’. The ‘big children’ helped Aunty Anny to cut ‘ribbon kuih’ into the shapes required while the younger children helped to twist them before they were fried. Thus, all these activities created a meaningful festive mood as they prepared for the actual festival day.
Even after the Chinese New Year break, the children were still in the festive mood. During outside play they imitated the lion dance using a mat. During indoor free play they set up a Chinese New Year puppet show by themselves. The children also shared their experiences with friends and told us about their activities at home with their families.
We are happy to report that all the children, including the newcomers, have settled down quite well. Most of the times we observe the children playing happily in the different corners of the classroom. Those in the kitchen corner are busy cooking. They use books as ‘menus’ for the customers to order food. Then, they set up the place and serve the food nicely to the customer.
Others prefer the doll corner. Budding engineers build tall towers with blocks. They like to build their ‘house’ or ‘library’ by using dividers. Their creations are decorated with colourful cloths and strings. It is lovely to watch the class dynamics but it is not always the same. Sometimes during free play, the children get into arguments. At Nania, we ask them the reason first no matter what they did wrong, instead of scolding the child straight away. We are sure they have reasons for their actions. As we question the child, he or she becomes calmer and we can have a fruitful conversation. When they understand what they did wrong, they willingly apologise to their friends. Although the action is wrong we have to accept his or her reasons first. With this acceptance, the child will learn and remember the experience positively deep in his or her soul.
Teacher Chithra & Teacher KerryChinese New Year Festival
