We had one of our best Saturday sessions at Whampao last weekend.
As volunteers, we're finally getting to know the kids (it's taken us a year!), understand what floats their boats, realise that they have very different home, and probably school, environments than we ever did.
Most importantly, Saturday was the most engaged they've ever been. They're starting to trust us, and maybe realise that we care, and that learning isn't a drag.
We've started dividing the two hours into several sections:
- a warmer, to cater for the kids that are on time and to get them into it as they come in
- a lead-in, to get the kids to guess the topic and get into it and get them engaged
- puzzles, word searches, crosswords, mindmaps, in which the answers relate back to the topic. Sometime its more hands on, like making stuff. The kids get one-on-one attention from the volunteers here.
- a gameshow style quiz in which the answers come from the topic. The quiz REALLY gets their competitive spirit going.
And on Saturday, the two co-ed teams of Ninja Turtles and Barbie Dolls (they chose their own names, we had nothing to do with it) were really close! Just one point difference separated them. Lots of enthusiasm and energy.
It was fun for us adults too! AND I finally get to put my photo and art books to good use. This week, the topic was functions of the heart, and apart from bio, the reading material also included a list of heart-related idioms.
So, as a lead in, we used pictures of Ironman (his "heart" was failing, right?), an Irving Penn image of beef, eggs, oil (too much is bad for your heart), a Cartier-Bresson image of a couple kissing in front of a cafe. Also, one of the volunteers from ACS found a really good site for related reading materials for kids. It's at http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=1446
Next couple of weeks: WORLD CUP!
3 comments:
I think the idioms really worked because:
1) the game & competition format
2) it taught the kids to think out of the box and understand concepts like analogies and figure of speech
the highlight was Nicholas - what a gem! Loved the way he was really out there trying his best.
Maybe next time we can try simple riddles as part of the game?
Hey, great job on Saturday! It's really great to hear that the children are really starting to see that learning can be engaging and fun! I wish I had more chances to sit in during the sessions, but it sounds like you guys are really doing a fantastic job! Glad you're having fun at it too :)
the kids are so great. even when they're not. on monday the sji boys didn't show up so Nicholas and Hosni stepped in to help the P2s and K2s
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