This week, the gym was filled with excitement and amazement this week as the children had the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular circus show! The performers entertained everyone with a variety of fascinating displays, including juggling tricks of different levels of difficulty, impressive bicycle riding, and beat-making using the soles of their heels. The accordion performance, together with the performers’ movements and the children’s enthusiastic clapping, created beautiful melodies with different rhythms and tempos. The excitement continued when some of the children were invited to participate in a ring-toss activity, trying to throw rings onto the performer’s neck. One of the most memorable moments was watching a performer balance on a long stick with his legs spread apart, creating an aisle for the children to walk through as they exited.
Beyond the entertainment, the experience provided a wonderful opportunity for the children to understand that the same situation can evoke different feelings in different people. As the performer balanced on the long stick, some children were filled with happiness and excitement, while others watched in awe. One child even commented that it was “scary and dangerous.” This gave the children an opportunity to appreciate that people can experience and express different emotions when faced with the same situation. It was truly a delightful experience that kept the children fascinated, entertained and full of wonder
During our UOI, we continued exploring the idea that a particular moment or experience can evoke different feelings. This time, we focused on how sounds and music influence our emotions. Six feeling flashcards were displayed on different tables: surprised, scared, happy, sad, calm and angry. The children listened to several tunes, and whenever the music stopped, they were invited to walk to the table displaying the emotion that best described how the music made them feel. It was interesting to observe both convergent and divergent responses, as some children shared the same feelings while others had different interpretations of the same tunes. Particularly fascinating was one child who consistently walked towards the same emotion for almost all the tunes. This provided a valuable opportunity to recognise that people can experience and express different feelings even when exposed to the same sounds.
Learning music has become more
Our weekly gym lesson took place at school this time. After a warm-up session, the children were introduced to two types of rolls and had the opportunity to practise rolling safely from one edge of the foam mat to the other. The first was the sideways roll, which required them to keep their arms and legs stretched out. While some children found this a little challenging and were tempted to bend their arms instead of keeping them extended, others managed to perform the movement with ease. The second was the forward roll, which brought lots of excitement and smiles. The children thoroughly enjoyed practising both movements showing lots of smiles and enthusiasm.
In the music lessons, we continued rehearsing the tunes we will be performing at the upcoming Winter Show. The children had more opportunities to practise playing the bells and castanets, gradually becoming more familiar with the instruments and their sounds. They also rehearsed the song Hey, Let’s Go (Totoro), putting their enthusiasm into singing along. It was lovely to see their growing confidence and excitement as they continue preparing for their special performance!
It was a week filled with exciting discoveries, meaningful conversations and opportunities to learn through experience. Whether exploring how different situations and sounds evoke emotions or challenging themselves with new physical movements, the children continued to develop their understanding of the world around
