Junior's school is celebrating "Small World" week from tomorrow. Parents are invited to explain about their country for pre-schoolers. And I signed up for the same without much planning ... after all I grew up in India and could very well speak about my home country. Boy ... how wrong was I !! Its very tricky coming up with concepts for 3 year olds .... really.
So far, I have come up with Indian flag ... festivals of India ... National Bird / Animal. I am unsure what else would be relevant for 3 year olds from across the globe. (there are Chinese, Taiwanese, French, American, Japanese, German kids in Junior's class) The presentation is supposed to be for 10 mins .. Ideas plsssssssssssss ....
Update:
The presentation went quite well ... thank you all for the wonderful ideas. I prepared slides for Indian flag / map, festivals, vacation spots, food, dances and taught the kids to say "Namaste". I also had a slide which showed personal pics of us as a family celebrating festivals. A true winner with the kids :)
Showing posts with label Schooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schooling. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, May 27, 2011
My dad likes Badminton ... my sister likes my dad
My mommy likes "Free Time" ... *gasp* (Really??????)
But most importantly they all love ME !!!
This was the note on Cantaloupe's class door (displayed during open house) .... where each student was asked to write about their family "Likes"
It was for the entire world to see what mommy likes ....
But most importantly they all love ME !!!
This was the note on Cantaloupe's class door (displayed during open house) .... where each student was asked to write about their family "Likes"
It was for the entire world to see what mommy likes ....
Friday, April 2, 2010
Fun With Colors
That was the title of the Cantaloupe's project in the Science Fair held recently in her school. What can I say ... she had so much fun ... 15 mins into the fair, she was marketing her booth and attracting visitors.
I had registered to participate alone ... but later realised it would improve her team spirit enrolled another classmate of hers in her booth.( I was just a little apprehensive on if she will be able to hold her booth alone for almost 2 hrs ) The concept was simple ... understand / explain Primary Colors and Secondary colors. But the fun part was mixing Primary color paint for every guest who stopped by their booth and show them their desired Secondary color. It was more fun than expected I tell ... nothing to beat dirtying themselves ... in this case with a purpose and parent approval :)
We had to set up the booth in the morning ... so Cantaloupe and I went in early around 8:00am and set up our booth. We felt lucky for being allocated a booth close to entrance. We set up our booth and came back home. The fair was to begin at 6:30pm ... and it began sharp on time. Our cardboard display looked so colorful .... we were extremely pleased. The girls were all excited and didn't know what to expect since it was their first year in school. In fact I was clueless on what to expect as well .... but there were almost 160 odd booths that I was more excited than the kids. I have to add here, the last time I participated in science fair was during my school days.... and this event brought back all those lovely memories.
There were mentors assigned to all booths who would evaluate the project. There were no prizes to be rewarded .... the idea behind inviting mentors was to evaluate the understanding of the projects ... age appropriateness of the chosen project and also to see if the kids were indeed having fun.
Cantaloupes' mentor was the first to arrive to their booth. The girls were giggling and having fun posing for the pictures when the mentor arrived and they were somewhat unprepared for his arrival. But they did just fine explaining the concept. I was glad the mentor realised how much fun they were having while mixing colors. ( they did not even hear his say, good job ... they were too busy mixing colors). They were given a science project idea book and a certificate. Cantaloupe's first ever certificate !!! And boy was she happy to receive one ! The evaluation went great.
Once the mentor left ... I advised the girls to just add few drops of paint and mix instead of mixing a plateful as they had just shown to the mentor. Slowly the crowd started gathering ... and people started visiting our booth. 15 mins into the fair, Cantaloupe had loosened up and started inviting random people passing by if they'd be interested in learning about colors. Most people were surprised the enthusiasm and appreciated the kids for their efforts. It was funny how Cantaloupe soon learnt tricks to attract people ... she offered a colored plate of their choice as a token :) After about an hour into the fair, Cantaloupe's partner started loosing interest ... and wanted to go to her sister's booth. (she had an elder sister from 5th grade who had a booth set up as well) Cantaloupe managed the entire show the whole time. Poor girl ... she wanted to look around the auditorium and learn about other projects ... but could never leave her booth. Later I learnt, it was ok to leave the booth to visit other booths. The outside rain did not dampen the spirits of the participants or visitors ... I think there was a turn out of over 400 people !!!
I learnt some new concepts myself at the fair .... I'd love to have visited all the booths ... but that just didn't happen.
I came home very satisfied ... Cantaloupe sure made me proud that day and I simply loved this concept of science fairs !
I had registered to participate alone ... but later realised it would improve her team spirit enrolled another classmate of hers in her booth.( I was just a little apprehensive on if she will be able to hold her booth alone for almost 2 hrs ) The concept was simple ... understand / explain Primary Colors and Secondary colors. But the fun part was mixing Primary color paint for every guest who stopped by their booth and show them their desired Secondary color. It was more fun than expected I tell ... nothing to beat dirtying themselves ... in this case with a purpose and parent approval :)
We had to set up the booth in the morning ... so Cantaloupe and I went in early around 8:00am and set up our booth. We felt lucky for being allocated a booth close to entrance. We set up our booth and came back home. The fair was to begin at 6:30pm ... and it began sharp on time. Our cardboard display looked so colorful .... we were extremely pleased. The girls were all excited and didn't know what to expect since it was their first year in school. In fact I was clueless on what to expect as well .... but there were almost 160 odd booths that I was more excited than the kids. I have to add here, the last time I participated in science fair was during my school days.... and this event brought back all those lovely memories.
There were mentors assigned to all booths who would evaluate the project. There were no prizes to be rewarded .... the idea behind inviting mentors was to evaluate the understanding of the projects ... age appropriateness of the chosen project and also to see if the kids were indeed having fun.
Cantaloupes' mentor was the first to arrive to their booth. The girls were giggling and having fun posing for the pictures when the mentor arrived and they were somewhat unprepared for his arrival. But they did just fine explaining the concept. I was glad the mentor realised how much fun they were having while mixing colors. ( they did not even hear his say, good job ... they were too busy mixing colors). They were given a science project idea book and a certificate. Cantaloupe's first ever certificate !!! And boy was she happy to receive one ! The evaluation went great.
Once the mentor left ... I advised the girls to just add few drops of paint and mix instead of mixing a plateful as they had just shown to the mentor. Slowly the crowd started gathering ... and people started visiting our booth. 15 mins into the fair, Cantaloupe had loosened up and started inviting random people passing by if they'd be interested in learning about colors. Most people were surprised the enthusiasm and appreciated the kids for their efforts. It was funny how Cantaloupe soon learnt tricks to attract people ... she offered a colored plate of their choice as a token :) After about an hour into the fair, Cantaloupe's partner started loosing interest ... and wanted to go to her sister's booth. (she had an elder sister from 5th grade who had a booth set up as well) Cantaloupe managed the entire show the whole time. Poor girl ... she wanted to look around the auditorium and learn about other projects ... but could never leave her booth. Later I learnt, it was ok to leave the booth to visit other booths. The outside rain did not dampen the spirits of the participants or visitors ... I think there was a turn out of over 400 people !!!
I learnt some new concepts myself at the fair .... I'd love to have visited all the booths ... but that just didn't happen.
I came home very satisfied ... Cantaloupe sure made me proud that day and I simply loved this concept of science fairs !
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Teacher's Appreciation week
This week is Teacher's Appreciation week in Cantaloupes' school. The theme is Winter Olympics. PTO has come up with different ideas for each day of the week appreciating the teachers. Like flowers on one day (in red, blue or white), books, thank you notes etc. I am all kicked about this but sadly Cantaloupe is not showing as much interest. She has always maintained that her teacher is good but other Kindergarten teachers are better ... one particular teacher she adores because the said teacher has lovely hair :) Go figure her reasoning ..
Anyways, Cantaloupe teacher is good ... but not great. She is good with teaching ... but I think a teacher should act like a motivator ... a supporter in needy times .. clearly this teacher isn't. There is complete professionalism in her approach.. but the personal touch is missing. And I think thats a big factor as to why Cantaloupe is not so much enthusiastic about this week. Its not like she doesn't want to write a thank you card and decorate ... but she is doing it just for the sake. I have nudged her sometimes to do it with more enthusiasm but don't see much results.
Growing up I was very popular with the teachers ... you know teacher's pet student who followed every bit of their instruction .... quietly sat in the class and never troubled them .... enthusiastically participated in all activities be it singing, dancing or art or science projects. I was am almost ideal student a teacher could ask for. And I loved ALL my teachers and respected them tremendously.
And its hard for me to not see the same enthusiasm I once had for my teachers missing in Cantaloupe.
Tell me .... did you love ALL your teachers ? Would you actively take up in their appreciation ?
Anyways, Cantaloupe teacher is good ... but not great. She is good with teaching ... but I think a teacher should act like a motivator ... a supporter in needy times .. clearly this teacher isn't. There is complete professionalism in her approach.. but the personal touch is missing. And I think thats a big factor as to why Cantaloupe is not so much enthusiastic about this week. Its not like she doesn't want to write a thank you card and decorate ... but she is doing it just for the sake. I have nudged her sometimes to do it with more enthusiasm but don't see much results.
Growing up I was very popular with the teachers ... you know teacher's pet student who followed every bit of their instruction .... quietly sat in the class and never troubled them .... enthusiastically participated in all activities be it singing, dancing or art or science projects. I was am almost ideal student a teacher could ask for. And I loved ALL my teachers and respected them tremendously.
And its hard for me to not see the same enthusiasm I once had for my teachers missing in Cantaloupe.
Tell me .... did you love ALL your teachers ? Would you actively take up in their appreciation ?
Friday, August 31, 2007
Day care story
Cantaloupe has been going to day care since she was 5 months. She has been a very accommodative child and has always enjoyed her day care stay. Infact some of her best pals are are from her day care she previously went to. Even though she gets to meet her old friends rarely, its amazing to see how they bond instantly.
But this April, I invited my parents to come over and spend some time with us. The idea was for Cantaloupe to bond with her grand parents. We extended the same invitation to BP's mother as well, but she wasn't very keen. My parents accepted the invitation after much deliberation ... afterall they could not resist the idea of spending time with their only grand daughter. Also, Cantaloupe was growing fast and we figured this was her only chance for a break from school ... she could be pampered lot by her grand parents.
So, May 2007, we stopped sending Cantaloupe to the day care. She made it so much easy on my parents by bonding with them instantly. (note: She had met them only once before ... and that for a very short span of 5 days). My parents booked their return tickets before they arrived and had informed us that they would go back in September. So we had booked the day care from September.
Cantaloupe started pre-school this week. We expected her to cling to us and throw all tantrums the first few days of her day care. Afterall she had got used to a different style ... but that was not to be. She made us proud by waving a cheerful goodbye on the first day. I cried in the car driving back home ... afterall it was the start of school for her and she would be in school for the next 20 something years on her life !! I will cherish that moment for the rest of my life... her cheerful face is stamped in my memory for ever.
The mother in me, could not wait till the end of day to pick her up. I ended up going to the pre-school quite early ... there she was ... again welcoming me with a warm hug and her best smile. The next 2 days was the same ...
But yesterday when I went to pick her up, she was being pulled to one of the corners and the teacher was saying something to her in a stern voice. Cantaloupe was sad ... her smile was missing ... her head bent ... and was ready to burst to tears. As soon as she saw me, she could no longer control her emotions and started crying profusely ... the sight of my baby crying so hard brought tears in me too, though I tried hard to control my emotions. The teacher came to me and started complaining about Cantaloupe.
She said, that Cantaloupe had not been paying attention to anything said in the class, had not helped in cleaning up the toys, had not slept well ... was very excited with other kids and had pushed them etc etc ... the teacher blabbered non stop for the next few mins. All the while, Cantaloupe kept crying. I looked at Cantaloupe and asked her to say Sorry which she did. I told the teacher I would talk to her about it.
The ride back home was very upsetting to say the least ... the teachers words were circling in my head and I didn't know what to do ... I think I was humiliated / upset / shocked all at the same time. I yelled at my baby for all the things that the teacher had pointed out :( All the while Cantaloupe kept quiet and requested to be fed something.
Its a routine for me to carry some snack when I go to pick up Cantaloupe. She is hungry and tired in the evening and is ready to eat anything that I have to offer. No fuss .. no mess time ... anything I give her she will gladly eat.
But yesterday on our drive back, I didn't give her anything to eat for quite sometime ... just kept repeating my moral lessons. Then I realised how hungry she could be and gave her the box of Mangoes and Watermelon I had carried. Cantaloupe greedily ate ...
By the time I reached home, I was more calm ... I looked into Cantaloupe's eye and this was our conversation:
Me: Why did you not sleep?
C: Because I couldn't
Me: (to myself): What would I do, if I couldn't sleep ... of course I would get up from my bed
Me: Why did not listen to the instruction the teacher told you
C: Because I already knew what she had said .. she kept saying the same things
Me:(to myself): Well ... she must learn some patience
Me: Why did you hug ABC?
C: Because she is my friend
Me: But you cannot hug her ... you have to talk to her from a distance. Did you push her?
C: She doesn't like me hugging? I didn't push her ... I was just trying to play with her !
Me:(to myself): Cantaloupe can be wild while expressing her affection ... she must learn to be gentle.
I explained to her that it was not OK to hug her friends and that she had to be patient and listen to the instructions her teacher had to give.
When I opened her lunch box, I found that he had not eaten anything ... my child was hungry and thats the reason she was perhaps restless. While the teacher noticed her restlessness, she had not noted that she was talking to a hungry child. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some things that Cantaloupe has to learn like being more patient ... but then what would you expect from a hungry starving child?
But this April, I invited my parents to come over and spend some time with us. The idea was for Cantaloupe to bond with her grand parents. We extended the same invitation to BP's mother as well, but she wasn't very keen. My parents accepted the invitation after much deliberation ... afterall they could not resist the idea of spending time with their only grand daughter. Also, Cantaloupe was growing fast and we figured this was her only chance for a break from school ... she could be pampered lot by her grand parents.
So, May 2007, we stopped sending Cantaloupe to the day care. She made it so much easy on my parents by bonding with them instantly. (note: She had met them only once before ... and that for a very short span of 5 days). My parents booked their return tickets before they arrived and had informed us that they would go back in September. So we had booked the day care from September.
Cantaloupe started pre-school this week. We expected her to cling to us and throw all tantrums the first few days of her day care. Afterall she had got used to a different style ... but that was not to be. She made us proud by waving a cheerful goodbye on the first day. I cried in the car driving back home ... afterall it was the start of school for her and she would be in school for the next 20 something years on her life !! I will cherish that moment for the rest of my life... her cheerful face is stamped in my memory for ever.
The mother in me, could not wait till the end of day to pick her up. I ended up going to the pre-school quite early ... there she was ... again welcoming me with a warm hug and her best smile. The next 2 days was the same ...
But yesterday when I went to pick her up, she was being pulled to one of the corners and the teacher was saying something to her in a stern voice. Cantaloupe was sad ... her smile was missing ... her head bent ... and was ready to burst to tears. As soon as she saw me, she could no longer control her emotions and started crying profusely ... the sight of my baby crying so hard brought tears in me too, though I tried hard to control my emotions. The teacher came to me and started complaining about Cantaloupe.
She said, that Cantaloupe had not been paying attention to anything said in the class, had not helped in cleaning up the toys, had not slept well ... was very excited with other kids and had pushed them etc etc ... the teacher blabbered non stop for the next few mins. All the while, Cantaloupe kept crying. I looked at Cantaloupe and asked her to say Sorry which she did. I told the teacher I would talk to her about it.
The ride back home was very upsetting to say the least ... the teachers words were circling in my head and I didn't know what to do ... I think I was humiliated / upset / shocked all at the same time. I yelled at my baby for all the things that the teacher had pointed out :( All the while Cantaloupe kept quiet and requested to be fed something.
Its a routine for me to carry some snack when I go to pick up Cantaloupe. She is hungry and tired in the evening and is ready to eat anything that I have to offer. No fuss .. no mess time ... anything I give her she will gladly eat.
But yesterday on our drive back, I didn't give her anything to eat for quite sometime ... just kept repeating my moral lessons. Then I realised how hungry she could be and gave her the box of Mangoes and Watermelon I had carried. Cantaloupe greedily ate ...
By the time I reached home, I was more calm ... I looked into Cantaloupe's eye and this was our conversation:
Me: Why did you not sleep?
C: Because I couldn't
Me: (to myself): What would I do, if I couldn't sleep ... of course I would get up from my bed
Me: Why did not listen to the instruction the teacher told you
C: Because I already knew what she had said .. she kept saying the same things
Me:(to myself): Well ... she must learn some patience
Me: Why did you hug ABC?
C: Because she is my friend
Me: But you cannot hug her ... you have to talk to her from a distance. Did you push her?
C: She doesn't like me hugging? I didn't push her ... I was just trying to play with her !
Me:(to myself): Cantaloupe can be wild while expressing her affection ... she must learn to be gentle.
I explained to her that it was not OK to hug her friends and that she had to be patient and listen to the instructions her teacher had to give.
When I opened her lunch box, I found that he had not eaten anything ... my child was hungry and thats the reason she was perhaps restless. While the teacher noticed her restlessness, she had not noted that she was talking to a hungry child. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some things that Cantaloupe has to learn like being more patient ... but then what would you expect from a hungry starving child?
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