Romanian language and culture
Text: Eliza van Peppen Photos: Dana Marin
With this Saturday's lesson we have concluded the theme "Professions". After a brief review of the professions we know, through a game of pictures, we learned words from the kitchen (tel, twister, chopper, bowl, flour, gloves, kneading, funnel, mould, chef's chopper, sieve, etc.). A contest of answers, stories and good times!
With glee, we put on our aprons, chef's or baker's hats, rolled up our sleeves and "kneaded" an imaginary cake. We mixed eggs, flour, sugar, butter, milk, yeast and prepared a delicious dough, which we rolled out with a rolling pin. Of course we used our imaginations and represented all the ingredients through movement and mime play. We danced and sang to the rhythm of the animated song Bakers, created by TraLaLa.
At the work table we played with geometric shapes and the letter c. After naming them with the help of the children, the triangle, square, rectangle and round helped us build a house. At the blackboard, we competed in writing the letter c, naming new words in which we hear the sound c. I also sang, alphabet song, but adding the letters ă, î, ș, ț.
I would like you to know that also this Saturday we started preparing for our Christmas party, which will take place on December 16th, the last day of class. As is our custom, we will be caroling. The children can also learn a short poem or another carol apart from the ones we sing. I am at your disposal for suggestions and texts.
The carols we sing will be: Santa Claus with blue feathers and Today Christ is born.
My plea is to listen to them at home with your children. The more often they hear them, the easier they will remember them.
Thank you and I look forward to a new lesson next Saturday, with a new theme: "Winter. Traditions and customs. Santa Claus in the world".
Play and personal development
Text: Raluca Tudorache Photos: Dana Marin
Whatever the occasion, we find solutions to run our lesson and can create an interesting space from any location, using it as a platform for children's rich and beautiful imaginations.
This time we tried to relax together, meditate and look into ourselves a bit. I noticed that the children were no strangers to meditation, in fact they did it with great pleasure.
On this occasion, we travelled through a world where all animals are friendly, and we went from land to the depths of the sea, even the Black Sea, where we met dolphins, about which we talk a little. Did you know that dolphins use 20% of their brain capacity, compared to us humans who only use 10% of our capacity?
From the Black Sea coast we floated gently through the clouds to the African savannah. Talking about our favourite animals, we remembered some of the coolest, with spectacular characteristics, like the cheetah, which we learned new facts about, like it can outrun a racing car.
Then we continued our journey into a fantasy world, ending with some funny drawings, childish reflections of an ideal world.
Next time I'll prepare some winter season surprises and tips on how to boost our energy levels during the time when the sun is not always with us.
Until next time's workshop, I wish you health, good cheer and... vitamin D! All the best!
Dwarf Workshop
Text and photos: Dilek Iusuf
Our dwarves and their parents are real yogis!
The theme of today's lesson was movement. With the weather outside keeping us from getting out to the playgrounds, we did a bit of kid-specific yoga, moving from donkey pose, to the jumping tree and then to the falling star.
Children have learned that they have a small balloon in their belly that they can slowly inflate and deflate when they are upset or have negative emotions. Then, as a prelude to the "fox and the bunnies" game, we watched the story Bunny Hut:
And at the end, to exhaust all our energy, we danced to our favourite songs:
Photos from the workshop Romanian language and culture and Play and personal development are kindly made Danei Marin, whom we thank for her visit and time!
