Teaching Nepali adding vowel sign aa

Adding vowel sign  aa to the consonant to make a new word or sound was easy and fun.  The cards with the vowel signs are 5.5 by 4.5 inches. Children put different letters on the vowel sign card and said the new word. They enjoyed reading from the word wall too.


                 Letter ch on the left, vowel sign -aa in the middle and new letter cha on the right

This course is for the LKG. Few guessed the words in the word list by just looking at the picture. The picture is used as hint to help read the words from the list. The words in the list rhymes with the picture.
                            
                                                                      Word list
                                             

This was our repetition class and children are perfect in reading. They read the story
न त मम  न त बारा by Mela books a perfect book for beginners.

Five Days Holiday

Our exhibition held on 15th November made us very busy and active. I am glad it went smoothly and wish to conduct more such programs involving school children. I want teachers to give more time on children's art and craft work because children were regular and very happy. They were happy because we didn't assign them homework. I simply love to hear them hum when they are busy.

Its warm and very quite day as our five days school holiday began from Tuesday 25th of November. Thanks to the 18th SAARC summit held in Kathmandu. Today is the third day and I am flipping back my diary and old planner going through lesson plans trying to figure out if in case anything is left to teach or needs repetition so far.

I usually don't ask for feedback from parents but maybe I should because I remember filling questionnaire in my son's school in Japan. I didn't understand few Kanji but my Hiragana and Katakana was good so I somehow managed to write my opinion.

Here we have Parents Teachers meeting quarterly and I often listen them patiently answering each and every questions.

Recently week after the exhibition I had one parent who admired our effort but advised me to talk to some one who could be my consultant regarding school matters. Without hesitating I agreed and hours later I questioned myself about my dedication, experience, hard work and of course my passion. Most of all why did that parent advise me to do so hit me hard.

I tried to convince how the Montessori education is different from our traditional system. I don't know if I did but now I have to think in a new way and almost like start from the scratch. I plan to introduce the Montessori materials we have been using to the interested parents some day.  For this my only shield is to empower my teachers and staffs who have done wonderful job so far. I've made all the plans and am going to get everything sorted.

Art and craft Exhibition 2071

We had Art and Craft Exhibition on Saturday.Visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/happycrayons2010

Matching cards in Nepali

I made these matching cards for L KG during Dashain holidays and introduced them on the very first day after Dashain. It was a kind of revision without writing where even older children were confused. I wanted them to exercise like below where picture cards are displayed on the extreme left and two word cards on the right simultaneously.Then they remove the incorrect card. But older children did their way because like always they took it for matching picture cards to the corresponding words cards. Anyway what matters ultimately is that they remember the correct spelling.

U KG busy matching their way

I  advised L KG teachers to start with few cards and slowly increase the number. She  mixed up few cards but from two different sets. The cards are neither too small nor too big. They are 2 by 1 inches, thick and covered with cello tape. I prefer thick cello tape coated cards over laminated ones as picking up is easier. The pictures are from old but same coursebook which children are following. I want them to be familiar with the pictures and words. Usually teachers spend too much time writing in copies and less time dealing with individual child. I feel this should help teachers from writing endlessly.
There are as many as 12 and 15 in two different sets.
I am glad teachers found old cocoa powder tin and eraser box to hold different cards.

Memory games

Dashain holidays are over and yesterday our school was quite different from the usual working days. Children enjoyed free moment and were relatively very quite and busy.
Like always U KG played memory game.They have mastered the names of different things while playing. L KG are learning the tricks. Memory game is the most loved game these days. I think its because children were confined indoor for long during rainy days.

Playing alone

Playing together

I made memory game cards of almost everything related to their studies. So they have plenty of cards to choose from. U KG play every now and then even during the teachers lunch break. For L KG its the teachers who decide what to play. The game is played in clockwise order and each get bonus chance if the cards match. Some play alone while others request friends to join them. I plan to cover the cards with cello tape because they look dirty as children set them on the floor. I never thought they would go crazy like this.

Lower Kindergarten have learnt that one with maximum number of cards is the winner. But they haven't yet mastered counting cards in pairs. Teachers divide them in two groups for quiet and smooth game.

LKG ready for the game

Counting begins after each game

While the older group were enjoying memory game few from the youngest group needed some comforting after a long holiday.

Teacher comforting a child

Changa chait-Kite Flying 2071

Dashain fever has begun with flying kites. This season is the best time for flying kites.Though it drizzled sometimes, we flew kites the moment we saw clear sky. Children made small and large kites to decorate their classroom and the notice board.

Collection of kites

The youngest had the plastic bags to fly. I am little scared to give them kites with spines because they  run and  fall knowingly . We laughed and we cheered as they ran enjoying the perfect weather.

Flying plastic bag kites

Couldn't cry as we cheered

The second lot got newspaper kites with no spine and cross spar. Its rectangle shaped.

Flying newspaper kites

The seniors made diamond shaped kites with spine and cross spar. I learnt the parts of kites from Kites in The Classroom . I gave them newspaper, broomstick and cello tape.

Newspaper and broomstick

Observing self made kite 

Only few children ran with their kites while the rest sat and cheered up.

Waiting for their turn

Nobody is perfect. Our kites didn't fly as it should high up in the sky but I think everyone enjoyed. We have four more working days before its a week long holiday and we will try to fly more kites. I found my son's old big kite spools which should surely add some spice to this event.

Chhata odhane rahar- A wish to carry an umbrella

We read the story Chhata odhane rahar  a beautiful story for rainy season. Children learnt that besides umbrellas and raincoat colocasia leaves, banana leaves and ghum our traditional umbrella made of leaves worn specially during  rice planting in the paddy fields can shade us from rain too.  We plucked colocasia leaf from our kitchen garden and covered the edge of the stem with small plastic bag to avoid stain and itching. Children enjoyed posing and we had a great laugh. Enjoy their poses  at  https://www.facebook.com/happycrayons2010

posing with colocasia leaf

posing with ghum our traditional umbrella

English for Lower Kindergarten-L KG

For the last three years we rushed to collect materials just before teaching looking for objects and cards sometimes picking up and not replacing. A bit disorganized. But this year I managed to have all the materials ready in a box without having to remove it. Just to make sure the materials are not displaced I wrote their names on the inner side of the lid. I have collected objects and made picture cards for each letter. L KG are learning words from letter C and I have finished collecting materials till letter E. I feel I should collect small objects because by the time I finish with letter Z, the shelves may not have enough space for other materials. All the picture cards have names written but only few match with objects. I hope to collect at least ten objects for each letter.

Weaving woolly webs

Our famous five from U KG weaved woolly webs of different patterns. Their teacher made lines on thick construction paper and  once they understood the trick the patterns were endless. They were simply superb and so we displayed  their work on the bulletin board for a whole week. Oh they showed off their work by calling their parents to come in and see. It was surprising to see little fingers work finely creating beautiful patterns. They used  thick and blunt needle but all preferred pointed ones. We took this idea from The Crafty Art Book by Jane Bull published by Dorling Kindersley.

U KG busy weaving 

They used these woolly web to make Father's Day Card. I think their card turned out to be the best one in the whole school.

Birds -2

 I spent the weekend making nomenclature cards in Nepali. I have the English version so just felt like to make a similar one in Nepali. I think children enjoyed the Nepali cards.

Nomenclature cards in English

Nomenclature cards in Nepali

 I plan to make these word cards in Nepali too.

picture cards and word cards

bird booklet 

Even the youngest lot enjoyed matching cards. We can use the same cards for memory and lotto games too.

Playgroup matching birds

While making materials  is fun and tiring its the organizing part that is important. I wish the materials last atleast few years so I request  teachers to remind children not fold or chew cards.

cards stored in old zip lock bags

Science for Lower Kindergarten-Birds-1

My two days holiday besides the usual weekend was quite relaxing. It gave me time to decide and collect materials for the next theme-birds. Among the four subjects children learn science thrice a week. Recognizing, matching, coloring, singing, listening to stories is a fun part for almost all the children but when it comes to writing its tough for few. Like always parents like neat writing and good spelling. We have few children who are least interested in writing but very good at spelling and recognizing objects. And the other lot who are involved in all the activities but not good at spellings. Then it becomes the real test for teachers who encourage children write and learn without scolding or spanking. We don't introduce new topic until they memorize the spellings. Its one of the main reason why all classes don't follow the same theme. Luckily this year U KG are quick in all activities. They have finished bird related works and now its  L KG's turn.
.

different birds

bird puzzle

books

flash cards

I have removed  Nepali word cards from the pockets charts and replaced with birds.

pocket chart with pictures 

I used a transparent box of size  10"x 7"x 4"  for holding all the teaching materials like birds model, pocket size books, flash cards and matching cards. 

materials  in one box

I drew pictures of birds from different  books. Children color and cut along the lines to paste  in booklet.  This booklet is kept as a reference till next year. They start writing with three letter word  like hen, owl and then move on to four and five. This year they need to learn at least six to eight spellings.

pictures for booklet

collection of books 

The stories and reference books collected  are kept in one bag until the theme is over. Teachers can add or remove books as per their liking. Its just to organize things and save time.

thick paper bag for storing books

I don't teach L KG so just to make sure children have excess to all the materials available I sometimes do the preparation.  

Prop story-I know an old lady who swallowed a fly

With my crazy and busy schedule it is increasingly difficult to find time for making materials and blogging . But today I thank Indian Prime Minister  for visiting our country. Its a two days holiday for schools and colleges in Kathmandu Valley and so I decided to make a prop story-
 I know a lady who swallowed a fly 

paper folded in half to draw symmetrical image

pictures colored, pasted on cards and covered with cello tape

stand for the old lady's face

Hollow mouth for inserting cards

I have stacking cards from scholastic and have read the story many times so probably children will remember the sequence.

9 stacking cards

. I have yet to see how children will react to my prop story.