THINKING HATS

Thinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better." Edward de Bono

In conjunction with the 2^nd Line of Inquiry ‘Similarities and differences’ of our unit under the Transdisciplinary Theme 'Who we are', I read out the book ‘The Patchwork Quilt’ to students. To analyse the book I used the 6 Thinking Hats. It is just an effective way to become a better thinker. "Putting on" a hat focuses thinking. With the different parts of the thinking process clearly defined, discussions were much better focussed and more productive. We looked at the book through six distinct modes:

•  facts, figures, and objective information
•  emotions and feelings
•  negative thoughts
• positive thoughts
• creativity and new ideas
•  thinking steps

Personally I love using the hats very often in my lessons. It is one of the best thinking tool ever  J

WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU DO WITH YOUR TOOTH

Traditions in families can be so powerful for both parents and children as we strive to make beautiful deliberate motions that string together our days and give memories that last our whole lives. Parents everywhere choose tradition to enrich their family’s lives. We find the ceremony of everyday through religious and cultural traditions. Ritual binds us together as parents and makes us keenly aware that we are all more alike than different. Today in D.E.A.R. Time I read out a book ‘Throw your tooth on the roof’ to children. It had tooth traditions from around the world. What fun it was to get to know what children do with their teeth across the globe. Some of the funniest were:

Yupik

My mother wraps my tooth in a food, like meat or bread. Then I feed it to a female dog and say, “Replace this tooth with a better one.”

Yellowknife Dene

My mother or grandmother takes my tooth and puts it in a tree and then my family dances around it. This makes certain that my tooth will grow in as straight as tree.

Costa Rica

My mother takes my tooth and has it plated with gold and made into an earring for me to wear.

Jamaica

At night, after my tooth falls out, the Rolling Calf comes rattling chains to take me and my tooth away. I put my tooth in a tin can and shake it hard. The noise keeps the Rolling Calf away.

Argentina

I put my tooth in a glass of water. During the night a little mouse called EI Ratoncito will come and drink all the water, take my tooth, and leave me some coins or candy in the empty glass.

Turkey

If my parents want me to grow up to graduate from school, they might bury my tooth in the garden of the university. If they hope I will become a doctor, they bury it in the garden of a hospital, or they could bury it in a soccer field so I will be a good soccer player.

SUNDIALS AREN'T HISTORY

Sundials are fantastic things to have. Children and nature, what better classroom can there be than the world outside. Today kids created a sundial and learnt how to tell time. Learning through hands on approach is fun and a great way to learn. You may be surprised but most of our kids today can only tell time by looking at a digital clock. So a great activity to do with the child was to follow the sun. It was a great way to teach kids how the suns path changes every day. This lesson was one that once they learn it will be with them forever.

And I can assure you it will be something for many weeks that will be open for discussion!

ORIGAMI FUN

Folding paper and doing origami gives children a chance to sit down and interact while creating something, and all without video games and television. Pritha Anand, a Japanese girl was our facilitator of the day. J She is from Japan and got origami paper for the whole class. We started off by making a duck….but somewhere we lost the instructions and then changed to make a Ninja blade. Transforming a piece of plain paper into something else is an experience which children truly appreciated. And best of all they will remember the joy of doing Origami!!!  I will surely do J

 "Be patient. If you are just learning how to make origami, you have to realize that it is a contemplative and relaxed activity, that is, you can't go rushing through the instructions as fast as you can!"

NAME GAME

Children have more need of models than of critics’- Anonymous

Children were given a sheet of paper with two oblong circles. Each student wrote his first and last name in the first oblong. Then I asked children to come up with a word that expresses one of their positive traits for each letter of their first and last names. In the second shape, tell children had to write the first and last name of someone who has influenced them or what do they want to become when they grow up and come up with words for each letter that expresses how that person has influenced the child's life.

WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL

Every child is a unique individual with their own characteristics and temperament. Children were to recognise their own unique qualities and characteristics and shared it with other children.

BIRTHDAYS AROUND THE WORLD

Why do we celebrate birthdays and why is it so important to us? Birthdays are celebrated every day and everywhere.

Satyakam shared some amazing facts on how birthdays are celebrated in different ways around the world. Theyare milestones that are celebrated in everyone’s life. While the festivities are different, the events and reasons to celebrate them are the same across all cultures. Birthdays make us think, who are we? and where are we in our lives?

GOOGLING FOR PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

  In groups children shortlisted few countries about which they wanted to know and find out how people are different from each other in different parts of the world. Researching about world cultures helped them appreciate the differences in people and their traditions. Today they could travel around the globe without even needing a suitcase. They learnt about Turkey, Australia, Japan and Dubai. Lovely information they had to share!!!

VOLUNTEERS- A GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY

As we reach the first stretch of the school year, the time is very exciting, but also comes with new challenges. One of the challenges is how to engage parents. Very successfully we had an overwhelming response from the parents who volunteered for the talk session about physical, social and emotional characteristics. It is always nice to have an extra pair of hands and feet. It was an excellent effort to help us in enriching students’ experience.

It’s been such a treat to have you as a volunteer……THANKS Mallika, Ami, Joyce and Sharmila it was really nice to know so much about Gujratis, Russians, Punjabis and Anglo-Indians.

I'D LOVE TO HELP

We all grew up with diversity and that our neighbourhood is as varied as a jar of jellybeans. Yet in many ways, we were all very similar. We had a great session by teachers on the 1^st Line of Inquiry for the unit i.e. Physical, social and emotional characteristics. Ms Judith, Ms Sabeena and Mr Abhimanyu had a talk with the whole group regarding the same. However, we are also noticeably diverse. People try to distinguish themselves from one another with clothing, make-up, hair styles and jewellery. It is just the personality and ethics that are different mainly due to where a person is from their background and nurture. It was a very exciting session indeed as a lot of learning happened…..students could extend their horizons of thinking. 

SAVE THE LAST WORD

Today we played a game ‘Save the last word’ where the child shared the artefact with the class and the other students guessed that how does it represent the child. At the end of the whole discussion the child himself/herself  saved the last word and shared his/her own thoughts. The artefact symbolized physical, social, emotional characteristics of the child. 
what amazing thoughts children had to share!!!! WOW :)