34: Enduring Lessons

Storytelling is the oldest form of education.

-Terry Tempest Williams

Stories are powerful. Apart from taking us on different adventures from the comfort our home, stories also have the capacity to captivate us, change the way we see the world, and teach us to become better human beings. We learn best through our experiences, but sometimes, we can also learn from the experiences of others. 

This week in Kinder 2, we looked into the enduring lessons that we learn from stories, such as kindness, gratitude, empathy, forgiveness, and making friends, through the lens of a 5-year old. We explored different stories in class and we reflected on how these narratives relate to some of our best traits. Here are what the children shared:

As a whole class, we picked one essential lesson that is close to our heart:

BE KIND.

The children collaborated on one story that shows kindness, 

and here is what they came up with:

(It seems like my hedgehog, Piper, had a lasting effect on the children. 

Up to now, she always comes up in their conversations, illustrations, and stories! 🦔)

Of course, the children had a chance to write their own stories with life lessons, too. We used some of our recycled binder fillers for the children's drawings, and made them more vibrant through our light table:

Jinnosuke

This is Ren, Chacha, and Kiki. They are friends. One day, the sun came out. Chacha went out to buy something but he is tired. He cannot carry heavy things. Ren said, "I will help you!" Ren carried Chacha's food up to his house. On the way home, Ren also saw Kiki carrying heavy things. Kiki needed help. Ren helped him carry his things up to his car. Kiki said, "Thank you!" Kiki gave Ren a ride home in his car.

Lesson: It's good to be helpful.

Atsuharu

One fine day, there was chameleon. It has a purple and yellow balloon. The balloon flew and hit the body of a hedgehog. The hedgehog's body is full of spikes so the balloon popped. The hedgehog felt sad. It cried. The chameleon said, "It's okay. We can play with another game. That's what friends do." So they played.

adapted from the class' original story 

Lesson: It is good to make friends.

Haruto

Kitty and Bumbee are friends. Kitty has an airplane toy. Bumbee doesn't have a toy. He wants to play, too. Kitty shared the airplane toy with Bumbee. Bumbee was happy.

Lesson: Be nice to others.

Michel

One morning, Michel went to the playground. He played happily. Malin came. She has two ice creams on a cone. Michel saw Mlin. Michel also likes ice cream. Michel asked Malin if she can share her ice cream to him. Malin gave him one ice cream. Michel ate the ice cream. He was very happy. 

Lesson: Sharing is caring.

Ren

Ren is a boy who has a dog. The dog's name is Ray-chan. Rey-chan wants to go outside but it was snowing. Ren gave Rey-chan a balloon so he can play inside instead. Rey-chan was happy. After playing, they got tired. Rey-chan wanted to eat. Ren cooked food for him. Rey-chan liked the food. He was happy. Ren is a kind boy. 

Lesson: Be kind to others, even to your pet.

Jae Hee

One day, there was a hedgehog and a chameleon playing outside. They found a box. The hedgehog was curious about what's inside the box. The hedgehog tried to open the box. He opened it but there was nothing inside. They searched for more boxes and found one behind the tree. The hedgehog and the chameleon went home. They opened the box and found a toy. There was only one toy. They shared it. Sharing is caring. They were happy to share.

inspired by the class' original story

Lesson: Sharing is caring.

Sophia

There was a princess. She lives in a palace. She saw a big flying star. She made a wish: to meet a prince. One day, the princess saw a man. The man was sad. He didn't have any clean clothes. The princess helped him. She gave him clothes to wear. The man said, "Thank you!" They became friends. After a while, they got married. The man became a prince and they lived in the palace. The wish of the princess came true. 

Lesson: Be loving to others.

Eimi

The frog was sad. He didn't have any friends. One day, a bunny came. She said, "Why are you sad?" "I don't have friends," the frog said. The bunny said, "We can be friends." The frog felt happy. The bunny and frog played. They were both happy to have a friend. 

Lesson: Caring for others is good.

Diego

It was a sunny day outside. Woodstock had to go to a concert to play the violin. Woodstock went to the concert area but he forgot his instrument. The conductor said, "No, you can't join without your violin with you. You have to go home and get it." Woodstock went home, but it was a very long walk. He was tired and sweaty. On his walk, there were many trees -- one very tiny one, one a bit bigger, one was high, and one was really gigantic. Woodstock went under the tree to get some shade. Woodstock said to the tree, "Can I rest under you?" The tree said, "Yes!" While Woodstock was resting, some Woodstock Helpers passed by and saw him. They were carrying his violin. They went to his home to get it for him. They said, "Mi, mi, mi!" (Which means: "We brought your violin here!") Woodstock was so happy. He went to the concert and played his violin. He was thankful to the tree and the Woodstock Helpers for their kindness. 

Lesson: It is good to care for others.

Emi

Emi has a dog and a rabbit. Emi said, "Go play!" The dog and rabbit played. Emi also played with them. Emi has a balloon, but it's only one. The dog and rabbit wanted to play with the balloon. Emi shared her balloon with her animal friends. They were all happy playing with the balloon. 

Lesson: Sharing is caring.

Mana

Mana and Miri have a dog and a rabbit. They also have balloons. The dog and the rabbit also want their own balloons. Mana and Miri shared their balloons with the dog and rabbit. They were all happy. 

Lesson: Sharing is caring.

Arisa

Piper the hedgehog is very dirty. She never had the chance to take a bath even if she wanted to. One day, Arisa saw Piper in the garden. She let Piper go in her house. She gave Piper a bath so that Piper will be clean. After the bath, they went out and played with a soccer ball. Then they saw a chameleon who was about to fall from a tree. Arisa caught and saved the chameleon. Just like Piper, the chameleon was also dirty. Arisa invited the chameleon to her house. She gave the chameleon a bath, too. Then they went out to play with Piper. When they were playing, Arisa got surprised and scared because there was water coming from the sea! This time, Piper and the chameleon helped Arisa to go up to a tree so that she will not get wet. Arisa was happy. They became good friends. 

inspired by the class' original story

Lesson: It is good to be helpful.

Yanchen

One school day, Ren and Yanchen were in the school. They were playing with toys. Then it was time for outside play. Ren was excited to go so he went out without tidying up. Yanchen saw Ren's messy table. He called Ren to tidy up. Yanchen helped Ren. Ren was very happy. They went home together. 

Lesson: It is good to be helpful.

What do you think of the stories of Kinder 2? 

I've always believed that there's much to learn from the wisdom of children.

Experience also teaches us many lessons. Here are some of the lessons we learned from the other fun things we did this week:

Lesson: There is happiness in growing your own food.

The children planted sweet potato sprouts to get them ready for the next harvest season. 

Do you remember the sweet potatoes that the children harvested a few months ago? Now it's their turn to plant for the next batch of Kinder 2 kids!

Lesson: Teamwork makes the dream work.

We played some number games together to strenghten our number sense and learn how to count and decompose number conceptually. 

Lesson: Our hard work pays off. 

The children were awarded with medals and certificates for their Sports Day participation, which they did during their PE class. You can also watch what they did through the videos posted in Seesaw. 

Lesson: Learn to have fun and enjoy the simple joys around you.

We visited the newly renovated play area in the Fashion Museum. The children had so much fun bouncing around and laughing together. 

 Last but certainly not the least,

Make the most of the time that you spend with those who matter to you.

This is our first complete class picture, and I hope not the last. 

3 1/2 more weeks in Kinder 2. We will continue to make it count, as always, and create meaningful stories together that have enduring lessons that we will keep with us for a very long time.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam