After School Activities

It never ceases to amaze me the different activities the four teachers have planned. All the planning and resources were developed when the girls were still in Ottawa yet they clearly have a very good sense of what might engage young children in learning. All activities are hands-on and the children revel in creating and learning.

 

Hunter, Alicia and Merey developed a lesson on shapes for the younger children. This entailed cutting head and arm-holes in black garbage bags and then drawing and cutting out shapes that were stuck on the children’s new “black plastic gowns”. This was a riot of activity and for some unknown reason, the children then swarmed outside into the village to show off their new outfits. They were all hooting and laughing uncontrollably so I am still not sure what triggered such energy but they were very proud of their new custom-made outfits.

Erin worked with the slightly older children on geography. She had constructed small booklets with tasks about the world, hemispheres, compass points etc. The children were totally into ensuring their booklets were perfectly completed and coloured in. We have hung world maps, brought small globes and also have a giant world puzzle that the children love completing, breaking up and completing again numerous times in an hour.

We have hung the children’s colouring in on the walls of the center and I wonder, in watching the children’s reactions, if this is the first time they have seen their work displayed.  The schools have very few resources so a primary school like St. Annes’ where the girls are teaching does not appear to have any spare paper or chart paper for children to be creative. Most children have a small notebook and a pencil but some appear to have nothing. The teachers took additional supplies to every teacher in the school this week which will go a small way to helping the teachers and children and is very much appreciated.