Our Renovated Clay Town!

Thursday (21/01/2010)

a) The letter
* The class was excited about yesterday’s Firefighters again.
Devin: Teacher, have you written to the Fire Station? Don’t bluff us?
Teacher: Let’s talk in a good manner. Everything needs step by step.
* We need to discuss with the Principal first and get the Fire Station’s permission.
Teacher : Do you think the Fire Station would be busier during Chinese New Year?
Foo Soon : Yes, teacher. Everyone plays with fire works. I know somebody who sells the fire works.
Teacher : Hmm….that might be something against the law……if he sells dangerous fire crackers.
* We discussed about the fire crackers. The simpler ones such as “Pop! Pop!” and stick fire works are allowed to be sold in the market. They are safer compare to the others. Yet, we have to be careful when playing.
* The kids kept talking about the Fire Truck such as it has 2 ladders.
* For a long truck, it has 2 drivers; in front and at the back to control the long truck body. It has a machine operated long ladder at the top and a short one at the back. It has a compartment to keep the emergency tools such as axes, ropes, saws, chains and etc. The Rescue Dog would be sitting near the front driver.

b) Recap: The duties.
* These included: saving injured people, putting out fire, catching snakes plus doing charities.
* Qian Joe: What is charity?
* Charity involves helping the needed society such as the poor ones, the orphans or even the handicapped ones. Foo Soon assisted at explaining the meaning. Firefighters sometimes collect money by having car wash or some performances. I got the kids to ask more information from their parents for our future discussion.

c) Reconstruction.
* Gee…..this would be our second construction as we didn’t do well at the first round.
* Zhe Qing did mention 2 days ago that we could add some water on the hard stone clay to make the town look better. Thus, I soaked a piece of it and after a while it became mud. Nobody likes the touch or look. Thus, different clay would be better.
* I sketched the map on the whiteboard to reinforce the vocabulary. The kids chose what they wanted to construct. Older Xing Tong constructed the roads using straws. Foo Soon, Jun Hong, Jing Kai wanted to continue with their Fire Truck and burnt building which they finally completed yesterday.
* Xing Tong made the bakery, Kwong Yong constructed the hospital, Zheng Yuan made the park while Jun Yu the zoo. Yun Xin added animals to the zoo. Joe made the mountains and also the Fire Station. Devin made the Police Station. Zhe Qing made a house, Chun Kit made a Pizza Hut shop and etc.The kids actually requested to use some tools like the plastic knives and moulds.

d) Can we recycle?
* Just before we went home, Jing Kai came to me.
Jing Kai: Teacher, what about the hardened stone clay? Can we recycle them
Teacher: Oh, sure! Let’s discuss with the class tomorrow.
* Well, the kids thought that our clay town looked much organized and colourful!