My work partner Ester and I were placed for the first two weeks in a kindergarten called Austen. Out of the ten possible kindergartens I would put Austen in the top four. It had about 60 children. They have a couple of rooms in a church – one to take classes in and the other for cooking and storage. Resources were pretty good too, there are posters on the walls (colours, shapes, animals, numbers and alphabet); tables and chairs for both the children and the teachers; a hob oven for cooking; a couple of footballs; and plenty of paper/pens/colouring books etc. On top of this they had a three walled metal barn with concrete floor outside and a big tree, both offering plenty of shade.
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On most days a good lunch was cooked for everyone. On a day where the water had gone down (usually due to rain in the area and we are now entering rainy season) no food or drink was provided. There also was no toilet so children would run off and wee in the bushes.
Each kindergarten has a black box with pre-primary starter packs including things like bean bags and puzzles. Austen had more than most in the box but the organisation of it was an issue. Teachers would hand out puzzles to each table but all the puzzles were mixed together. It is difficult enough for the kids to complete a puzzle without the pieces being mixed. The same went for other game such as a board with shapes cut into it with corresponding pieces to place in.
Our main job is to offer help to the teachers, all of which are volunteers, giving them new ideas and empowering them. Here the teachers were very willing to try new things and if we suggested an activity or even took a session they both would happily join in. This is great since once we go they will be left to their own devices. Others have said their teachers will leave or sleep for hours at a time during the day so this was brilliant news for Austen.
Most the children could read and write their names but something like the alphabet, days of the week or counting was less familiar. Sure they could sing the days of the week to the tune of Oh my Darling Clementine (or Cher Lloyd’s Swagger Jagger if you wish) but if you were to point at the word ‘Wednesday’ they were lost. This very regimental chanting carried over to all the previously mentioned. Ester and I focused on the alphabet and colours so asked the teachers to request the kindergarten kids to collect bottle caps so we could make letter counters. On the way home that day we saw lots of them already searching through the sand for the lids. We also bought some cheap coloured, plastic bangles. We introduced activities to the teachers to help the kids identify between letters and colours in ways other than just remembering a list.
Ester decided it would be nice to hold a photo day for them as most hadn't even seen a picture of themselves. All the children turned up in their cleanest attires and had their hair done smartly. With my digital camera we photographed each child, printed out the photos at a local shop and got the kids to make frames. They were all grinning, showing one another and laughing and so it was good to give them something to take home.
The first two weeks ended with the fun camp I previously blogged about where our kindergarten wore necklaces with their name and coloured beads. They performed a selection of songs that the teachers taught them.
doing the photos for them sounds a great idea :)
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