WEEK ONE - 21 JULY 2016

What Happened Today:

IN THE MORNING

Role playing – was both meaningful and a scream.  While the theme was to emphasise the importance of ‘Community Helpers’, a unit that we do at school, from time to time, to explain the roles that a garbage-collector, fire-fighter, police-office, doctor, etc. play to facilitate convenience and essential services within communities, the children were given a free hand to don a costume and become a ‘Community Helper’.  What ensued had us in stitches.

 

A ‘citizen’ (Ishan) called the ‘Tampines Fire Station’ reporting a fire! The number as imagined by him: 15668155, raised our collective eyebrows and we would not advise you to call it, for any assistance, fire or ‘under-fire’ and no matter how dire, your circumstances!  Guess where the fire-fighters were asked to come to, by the ‘citizen’ – of course, ‘Broadrick Road’ and to the school!  They were fast, sirens on (sound effect by Ishan again!) and (we imagine) lights glaring and ladders clunking, with the Fire Chief (Ananya) totally in cool control, but poor ‘Aunty May’ (Richa) missed a beat because of the calamity.  It was a hoot and an excellent presentation of what to do in a fire and how those who fight it, help the community.

Skit No: 2 was about a doctor (who dispenses without a prescription, now please don’t get any ideas here).  Acting a little girl (Yecenia), suffering from an imagined cold, went to see the famed GP (or could be a consultant in disguise?), Dr. Ishan.  Her complaint – a cold, naturally, because she had to, eat ice-cream and a lot of it!  Poor kid!  Dr. Ishan dispensed her medication, with a flourish, telling the patient that Prospan taken 20 times a day (serious afflictions require higher dozes as you may agree) and to bolster the healing, Vitamin C would be the remedy.  The bill was issued to the amount of $100.00 which, by today’s reckoning, seems fair wouldn’t you say?

That was it for role play!

Then came ‘Straw Painting’.  No, not painting straw as in straw, hay and the like, but using drinking straws to propel (water based and child-safe), globs of paint onto paper!  The pictures will give you an idea of this amazingly effective art form.  Please try this at home if you have white walls, will you?  The beauty of the exercise (which involves motor skills and breath control) is that the art produced is abstract and undetermined.  Once done, children can interpret a shape or formation, using their imagination. This was a blast too!

Lunch was followed by a narration about another ‘person from history’!  May spoke about none other than, a person whose creations still bring a smile and a chuckle to every child in the world, (well, we like to think so!) – Walt Disney!   She showed  his first drawing of Mickey Mouse in a flip-book and introduced a one-minute video of a flip book (inventor was John Barnes Linnet).  The narration went on and the children were quite surprised that Disney's first full-length movie - ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’  was made such a long time ago!!

Trivia: Disneyland in Anaheim, California, USA was built in 1955 – and Alisa shared that she has been to its Hong Kong park!

Bingo indeed!  We missed you and what could have been a very appreciated audition, but we remain in hope!  Rumeshi and Yan Mei introduced the game and the older children had a turn at this very popular social indoor game.  Other board games were also available and some did play with them.

The ‘dot painting' of the T-shirts continued after lunch, and we are a-go, for delivery tomorrow.  Yay!  To perk up the project, as mentioned, we put on a ‘Fashion Show’!  Music (no lights) and lots of action, with authentic ‘catwalk’ music.  First, as with all modelling apprentices, it took a senior ‘model’ to show the ropes.  The short straw went to Aunty May! The video clips tell more of what ensued and please do observe the ‘dot-painted’ T-shirt she is wearing.  Then it was a call to the children to get on our ‘catwalk’.  Goodness, did they strut it up!  First off, Richa, then those who wanted to be ‘models’ for the moment, followed, Ananya, Riana, Alisa and the only male model, Ishan!  We did our best with the commentary’ albeit a lack of experience in the world of high fashion!  Judging the proceedings were, Eden, Jun Ying, Jia Yu, Sophie, Diyara.  We missed, Yecenia, Christoph & Johan, who left soon after lunch. We did not tell them though that our early release had a price.  They will have to be the models, at our next ‘Fashion show’! 

Sports and, at today’s session of cricket, we went further with batting strokes, showing the stump-saving ‘back-foot defensive’, the attractive, ‘pull’ and the mighty, ‘hook’ shots.  The children were organised into three groups again and the bowling and fielding drills continued.  Please allow your child to enjoy some cricket on the TV.  Several interesting matches are going on internationally and most of them are available, via video streaming.  Cricket is an excellent game, incorporating strategy, patience and risk-taking.  It requires fitness and the athletic ability, too.  Those interested in cricket for their children may contact the various clubs and associations in Singapore that provide coaching and leagues for junior cricket.

With that. It’s the end of another super day at Summer Slam 2016!  Gallery

A very good evening to you!