SCC - Connect YMCA SCC @ St Hilda’s (Jan to Jun 2016) Newsletter June 2016
Get sporty and be amazed. By: Roseann Heng
Inside this Issue
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Get Sporty and Be amazed Be an Explorer Kid
Fun without digital gadgets
Creative play enhances learning
Learning about the Olympics
Classic Chocolate time
Make way! For fire fighters are coming your way!
and children are more often going about their daily activities within the boundaries of four walls. The mind set of children is becoming rigid so that creativity in children is scarce. The outing to KidzAmaze was to develop creativity in the students. The moment the children and teachers stepped in, they were all amazed. Boasted as the largest indoor playground in Singapore, the boundaries of four walls sure would not be an issue with a large play space indoor. During the outing, the children imagined fighting their own war, as Olympians jumping hurdles or sliding down the long slide and pretended they were flying.
Lisa (P1), Jobelle ( P1) , Kayden(P2), Sherilyn (P2) and Tricia (P3) safekeeping their “treasures” at KidsAmaze@Safra , one of the largest indoor playground in Singapore.
Playing is sports
Who knew that playing could be a sport? “All about sports”, was the theme for the March holidays. Children learnt about the various kinds of sports and about the Olympics. Sports come in many forms, but the basis of sports is to get active. Sports; an activity involving
Lessons regarding the Olympics were taught to the children. Lessons like the history of Olympics and the various sporting events were taught. Videos of Olympic sportsmen breaking records were shown and the children were amazed at the ability of Olympians. Some children even aspire to be an Olympian!
physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
It’s innate for a child to desire to play. However, children these days are more likely to sit in front of the television, computer or on the couch with a handheld device. Creativity is limited
Children warm up for sports Javethon(P1) mimicks a torch bearer.
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June 2016
Fun with no digital gadgets? Benefits of Cup Stacking
By: Rachel Tan What is classroom teaching without iPads? Boring? Innovative play trains teamwork and motor skills by using Cups
Xuan Yu & Nathanael (both P1) - Demonstrate Brotherhood (^-*) - Teamwork
With advancement of technology you see most children cannot avoid the use of digital gadgets in their daily routines. This adds on to straining of their eyes and hence the age of kids getting myopia (short-sightedness) is getting younger. What if I tell you we can train different skills without any digital gadgets? Possible? Yes! Let me introduce you to Cup –Stacking� Back to Basic – using Cups. What is Cup Stacking?
Sport stacking (also known as cup stacking or speed stacking) is an individual and team sport that involves stacking plastic cups in specific sequences in as little time as possible. The cups are specially designed to make for faster times. Participants of sport stacking stack cups in pre-determined sequences, by aligning the inside left lateral adjunct of each cup with that of the next. Sequences are usually pyramids of 3, 6, or 10 cups. Players compete against the clock or another player
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Cup Stacking or Sport Stack is a fitness based sport that kids from all backgrounds and abilities can do. For the athlete and non-athlete alike, regardless of whether you are instructing pre-teens or, primary 1 children, sport stacking can be a great enhancement for your fitness routine. With over 70 fitness based activities, sport stacking helps to motivate kids to be active and fit. Teachers and parents also like sport stacking because it can be done at home. Much like a Scholastic book order which encourages kids to read at home, a Group Order through Speed Stacks encourages fitness at home. Self-esteem
Sport Stack also builds self-esteem for non-Athletic kids. As this is part of competitive sports, non-athletic children can now compete head to head with their more athletic counterparts. This significantly raises their self-esteem, motivating them to work harder in PE and be excited to participate. Academics
Sport stacking not only promotes physical fitness, but also academic learning. Students that sport stack on a regular basis have shown increases in test scores and levels of concentration. This is achieved by students using both their right and left sides of their brain. When students sport stack they are crossing the "midline" of their bodies and developing new connections in their brains. These new connections help to spur brain growth which in turn promotes greater academic achievement.
Chloe Lee (P1) practising cupstack while Asher(P1) observes & waits for his turn
When the children play, we set ground rules like :1) Pay Attention: all eyes must be on the trainer. This further taught the children to give the necessary attention to teachers and speakers during normal lesson time. 2) All cups down : all children must put their hands away from cups. Children are prepared to following instructions. 3) To continue from the game even if cups drop halfway and do not attempt to restart. This teaches children to be resilient.
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NEWSLETTER
Getting to know the Stamp Story
Back to Old School Days Game...
By Rachel Tan
By: Rachel Tan If you were to ask children today what sort of games they play during their free time, the answers will invariably be the names of computer games. The teachers at our centre wanted to let the children experience the different games the older generations played in the early 1980s. Some of these games included Zero point, Five-stones, Pickup sticks, Hopscotch, marbles and Capteh
Choral Beats By: Rachel Tan We introduced the use of cups to teach rhythm to the “Cup Song”. Children learned to tap on a cup each to create rhythm and beats .
Danelle (P1) trying out a wig people wear during the Era of Shakespeare.
In the past before internet was created, writing letters was the main means of communication with friends and family residing overseas as it was more affordable compared to making phone calls.
Ms Roseann demonstrating how the rhythm works by using a Ukulele to play choral beats.
So we took the children to the Philatelic Museum to find out about the stories behind the postage stamps. In the Orange Room, the children took a glimpse of the postage heritage and history. The Penny Black was the first adhesive stamp used in a public postal system.
’ Huixuan and Nathania (both P1) checking out the Animals stamps
The children having fun with playing pick-up sticks.
Zero point - The process included making the zero-point ‘rope’ out of rubber bands and then challenging teams to jump across the ‘rope’. Marbles or goli - The marbles or goli was a popular kampung game amongst the boys who would challenge each other. The aim of the game is usually to knock your opponent’s marble out of a circle drawn on the ground. This game required great aim and dexterity and was a stepping stone for adult games such as snooker and pool which uses the same kinds of dynamics. Capteh This traditional game revolves around a feathered shuttlecock that is bounced around on the heel of your foot. The aim is to keep the chapteh from falling to the ground.
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June 2016
Classic Chocolate Time...
Ice-cream,anyone?
By: Rachel Tan
Singapore does not have the four seasons. Hence it is a big treat when you know somewhere in Singapore, you get to feel snow!
The children had a chocolaty time when we taught them how to make Truffles out of all-time favourite cookies – Oreo Sandwich Cookies
By: Rachel Tan
In snow city, using nitrogen is more than science! It is food and happiness. Combining basic ingredients such as cream, sugar and flavouring with liquid nitrogen as a coolant, the children made a tasty cool treat of ice cream.
The photo on the left shows the children wearing gloves, getting ready to crush the cookies into crumbs. The photo on the right is where they have finished their creations – Oreo Truffles ball and excitedly waiting for the final touch – decorating their truffles.
By: Roseann Heng We had an enriching trip to the National Civil Defence heritage gallery
Hsin Yi (P2) takes the mug to make ice cream while her group of friends watches.
Getting their hands dirty to create their perfect chocolate truffle!
Make way! Fire fighters are coming your way!
Upon arriving at the gallery, the children were so excited! They were greeted by their friendly guide. The guide showed them the various different fire engines that were used and how in the very beginning, people fought fire. Besides firefighting, the children were also taught how to be prepared in case of an emergency.
After an amazing session of ice cream making, it was time to experience freezing temperatures. Everybody headed into the snow chamber where snow was everywhere. The children had fun playing with snow, creating their own snowball, having their own snow wars as well as sliding down a threestorey high snow slope on an inflated buoy! P1 students listening attentively.
Now they have learnt how to make truffles, probably they can contribute some chocolaty efforts on desserts during party time and Christmas.
After the tour and after learning about the work of the SCDF, the children took on different roles in the museum. They got to “fight fire”, dress up as firefighters and many other activities.
(Photo from Google Images)
Vivienne (P2) dressed up as a firefighter!
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NEWSLETTER
Now this is only the first half of 2016; there will be more fun and adventure for us to look forward to! The children will definitely be looking forward to more delights. The learning journey will not end here. Be prepared for more in our next newsletter!
YMCA St Hilda’s Student Care Centre C/o St Hilda’s Primary School 2 Tampines Avenue 3 Singapore 529706 Tel: 6694 8662 Email: shscc@ymca.edu.sg
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