PAPER, PAPER, PAPER EVERYWHERE!

During the two weeks break in June, we did a special holiday programme on Papers.  We explored many types of papers and learnt how to cut them or fold them and use them to make beautiful masterpieces.  We even made our own papier mache bowls and built a big construction out of rolled out newspapers.  This created a special dome or tent that as many as 12 small children were able to go in.   Together with the children, I learnt that the dome is known as Geodisic Dome and you can watch it from youtube when you search for How To Make a Geodisic Dome.  The wonderful dome can even be made into actual shelters as homes or garden sheds for growing plants.  Ours in Little Beans was just for fun - we turned it into an army camp, a princess castle or just something to get into!  Besides these, we also "grew" many paper trees!  Do you know how to do so????  We had lots of fun, from the Soya Beans right up to the Navy Beans.

Pressing the soaked egg cartons into the sift to mould out the bowls

Press harder, to shape it and to get rid of excess water.

Look at the bowls - so many, so many

We want to make balloon and play with them!

Bowls and balloons waiting to dry in the sun

Pretty bowls up close - can be used to keep paper clips, earrings or trinkets.

Building the giant geodisic dome together!



The strong, sturdy dome

Four children can go in ....

Even 10 if we squeeze tight enough!



We also make 2 mini domes for our dolls.



We can make patterns with papers.



Different houses from Green Beans (4 years old)

Cutting old magazines to make turtles and elephants

Our elephants and turtles

Learning about geometric shapes



Folding our hats

That's my pirate hat!

We want to grow our paper trees.  First roll up the newspapers.

Sing a magic song and the tree will grow.....



and grow and GROW!

Mummy used to play with this - Paper Dolls with paper clothes!

By the Navy Beans - ask them about their art piece and they will bring you to the toilet, moon as well as....

...the zoo!

Using scraps of papers to complete their lapbook.

Building a house - this requires teamwork .... and hard work!

Making paper apples to help us with counting ...1,  2,  3,  4,  5

Painstakingly rolled-up to form beautiful trees

and flowers.



Stamping and printing, and rolling papers on a mahjong paper to create the Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world.

While we had a great time with this theme, we also reminded the children and ourselves that we must not waste paper, and to use paper with care as it is one of the most precious resources.  Paper is from trees, and trees are important for the environment and mankind.  A little girl told me, " Teacher, I told my Mummy to recycle and reuse, but she says she has no time and no place to keep all the old newspaper and papers!"  Do we want to teach our children this?  I think not!

THEME BOARDS IN 2012

Below are some of the beautiful theme boards that we have done for 2012 and all the themes for the year. Starting from Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom to Bananas & Apples.

Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

Wings & Wheels - Transportation

We Are Going to the Zoo

Space & Robots

 

The Space Station

Gardens

The Water Cycle

Nursery Rhymes

Down By The Station rhyme



Bananas and Apples - song is composed by the three training students from SEGI

There more more theme boards - Kami Anak Malaysia, Giants, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Special Me and Papers.  Unfortunately, I cannot find photos taken.  Wonder where they are???

We had a good year, with varied themes and we will continue to introduce interesting themes next year.

Safety Awareness Workshop

As part of our corporate responsibility programme, as well as to instill safety awareness for our children, we have been working with Versatile Resources for the past 4 months to teach the children how to take care of themselves.  Besides teaching the children basic skills such as staying away from strangers, calling for help as well as running away from dangerous situations, the children are also taught simple, effective but life-saving skills such as dodging, pushing away with their hands or stop unwanted touching or teasing and even escaping from emergency situations as quickly as possible.

Briefly, the Safety Awareness Workshop is a series of workshops that are catered to provide a complete and comprehensive self-defence and safety sharing session.  The goal of the workshop is to provide KNOWLEDGE, HABITS, and APPROPRIATE SKILLS for an effective self-defense for young children. 

Representatives from Versatile Resources come monthly to update us with the knoweldge.  Children take home notes to share with their parents, and possibly to practise with them.  The skills that are taught are simple and straight forward, yet effective amd useful at any given time.  We hope that with the workshop and the materials that are being provided, it would also open up an opportunity for you to learn and share personal safety with your child.  We also hope that your child would enjoy and pick up a thign or two over hte course of this workshop about how they can prevent themselves from being victims of crime through proper self-defence knowledge, habits and appropriate skills from the Safety Awareness Workshop. 

Learning how to protect the head by locking the ears and neck tightly to reduce impact of any hits.

Uncle Norman showing the correct way to do it.

So far, the workshop has been very informative, even to the teachers and we will continue to invest in this workshop in 2013.  For more information, please visit their website at www.versatileresources.net

Mooncake and Lanterns Galore!

The Lantern Festival came and went. As usual, we made mini mooncakes and held a lantern-making competition amongst the children's family. We had a great time, and the lanterns made from recycled materials really are amazing and blew the mind! Thank you, daddies and mummies for your great support. We hope that you had a great time making the lanterns with your child/ren!

Demonstrating how to put some flour into the moulds so that the paste will not stick.

Press the paste into the mould and knock it out. 

Viola!  My Mickey Mouse mooncake is out.

Gently, gently, out comes the mooncake.

Pretty mooncakes, all waiting to go home.

We also cut up the patterns on this lantern and lighted it up in the class.  Beautiful glow in the dark!

The Transformer lantern

Some of the lanterns made from recycled materials
 

Twinkle, twinkle little star and his friends

This is a rainforest lantern, comes complete with a waterfall.  Pour water into the mineral bottle and when water fills up the plastic container, the candle will float up!

Intricate dragon lantern by Robbin and mum



Hello Kitty house!   Comes with furniture, fan, lamps, flowers, bed, wallpaper and even ....
 



toilet bowl, toilet paper and ......(close ypour nose!)

Voting for their favourite lanterns ... an early lesson in democracy.

Voting is a serious matter.  Let's see... what is the number of my cloud lantern????

Another star,  cut from newspaper.
 

The winners of the lantern-making competition.