Life's little mysteries

#1: Why can I never find a pen in my rucksack when I know that I always have one in there?
#2: Why is my rucksack so heavy?
#3: Is it possible there is a connection between #1 and #2?

This afternoon when we got back from the centre I emptied out my rucksack in a bid to solve these mysteries and, more to the point, to find my pen! This is the pile that appeared on my desk:

• Laptop
• Laptop lead
• Phone
• Phone lead
• Purse
• Year planner
• 2 copies of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1 English; 1 Thai)
• Notebook
• Scrap paper
• Folder with miscellaneous resources
• Stapler
• Staples
• Glue stick
• Masking tape
• Half a dozen paper cups
• Half a packet of drinking straws
• Bottle of water
• A selection of home-made percussion instruments (metal pan lid; metal spoon; plastic bottle; plastic spoon; yoghurt-pot-rice-shaker)
• Half a dozen bulldog clips
• Indoor school flip-flops
• Scarf (the morning bike ride is a bit chilly now)
• 4 bananas (afternoon snack - they are only small!)
• Tissues
• Mini 1st aid kit (plasters; wipes; painkillers)
• Insect repellent
• Throat sweets
• Chewing gum
• Hand gel
• Comb
• Length of string (for tying up my rucksack when I am carrying my ukulele)
• Pocket knife
• Small notebook

PLUS - a pen and a pencil!!

The presence of some of the more unusual items can be explained by the creative week we have been having this week, with the topic of butterflies. I had planned activities over a period of four days to try and illustrate how the teacher could do things slightly differently, even within the constraints of a large class. I am not sure how much she appreciated my efforts - she definitely didn't think much of my approach to creative activities (i.e. letting the children do their own thing with the materials).
The percussion instruments were for a movement activity in which the children acted out the stages of the butterfly life cycle, with a different percussion sound for each stage and full music for the final stage of the butterfly (Chopin's Waltz no. 14 in E minor).
Later we had a butterfly party, in which they wore hats with the paper butterflies that they had made earlier in the week and drank "nectar" (orange juice) with their "proboscis" (drinking straw) from a "flower" (paper cup with flower-shaped lid). I can't claim credit for the idea - I came across it when searching the internet for butterfly resources. The children loved it, though, and I think it is something they are likely to remember!

I left the teacher with some broad suggestions that we had been illustrating during the week with the activities we were doing:

• A shift from whole class teaching to working with half the class or smaller groups when appropriate
• Using open questions and giving children many opportunities to talk about their ideas and activities
• Providing a wide range of activities that children can do independently
• Allowing children to make their own choices and decisions in creative activities
• Giving children the opportunity to act out their ideas and learning in a physical way

These are the same points that keep coming up for all the centres, so we will explore at least some of them again when we do our next workshop in January.

And to finish:

 The Welcome Committee

My arrival in the mornings seems still to be a cause for a certain degree of curiosity and amusement. Perhaps it is the outsize motorbike helmet!