The second week
of Session 5 started with our Eagles setting their weekly SMART goals with the
MS Buddies. Many of them are definitely getting better at setting and keeping
track of their goals now. They are even challenging each other to achieve more
during Core Skills. Of course, there are also days when nothing gets done
because everyone is too distracted by one another! This experience sparked multiple
discussions throughout the week about “How do we keep our focus? What motivates
us? What can we do together as a community to help?” and at the end of every
day, we revisited our commitment to focus. Moving forward, we will be
introducing an online platform to help Eagles track their SMART goals and progress
in a more systematic manner. Watch out for that!
Goals for Week 2!
Out in the garden, we started Project Time on
Monday learning about composting from Auntie Nisha, Kak Ain & Kak Anisa from
Ecocentric Transitions. Eagles cut up vegetable scraps, collected dried leaves,
crushed egg shells and sprinkled cow dung to set up our first compost heap. Over
the week, we went to the park to collect more dried leaves to add to our
compost heap. Some Eagles are eagerly waiting for Day 5 to stick their hands
into the heap to feel the heat energy produced by microorganisms inside. (Please
join me in convincing our little ones that getting dirty is fun!! :))
Eagles shredding dried leaves as food for microorganisms
On Tuesday, using
the Grow Tong game developed by the Ecocentric Transitions team, our Eagles
learned about designing garden beds based on the different needs of plants such
as sunlight, water, height and type. Each Eagle planned his/ her own garden bed
and shared the designs at the end of the lesson. We will be putting these knowledge
to use next week when we set up our garden bed! 🙂 From this lesson, we also
learned that like in our community, everyone has different needs. In order to
grow healthily, we need the right environment, support and maintenance.
Eagles busy designing their vegetable beds
The following
day, we mixed some soil, researched about some local vegetable and planted some
seeds. I found this activity interesting because it was the first time for many
of our Eagles learning about local produce in Malay such as terung, kacang
bendi, kacang buncis, sawi and bayam etc. Hopefully after this session, our Eagles
will be able to go to markets with all the mummies and enjoy the experience! 🙂
Little farmers hard at work
On Friday, we
had the opportunity to learn from a visiting Hero, Mr. Goh, who is an avid
gardener and local plant store/ nursery owner. Through the session, he shared
his experience and love for plants with our young Eagles and planted succulents
with them too. Some Eagles also shared their knowledge with the rest of us on
ways to help our plants grow. All in all, it was a lot of fun for everyone. Thank
you so much, Mr. Goh! Do visit his shop, Pasu, at The Starling Mall, Uptown, if
you are in the area. 🙂
Fun fact – Did
you know that moss is one of the oldest plants on Earth?
“We can talk to our plants to help them grow better”, shared by an Eagle
During Writers’
Workshop this week, we went through the first step of the 5-Step Writing
Process: Pre-Writing. We learned about the importance of determining our
audience and purpose before brainstorming for ideas. Eagles went on and worked
on their outlines before taking part in a Peer Critique with their partners to
give each other feedback. Next week, we will be moving on to Drafting and
Revising. Our Eagles are still getting used to sitting down and intentionally
penning down their thoughts in an organized manner. Slowly but surely (fingers
crossed). Can’t wait
to see their final pieces in three weeks’ time!
Peer Critique time
After Character Call-outs, everyone left with a happy heart and a cute pot of succulent. 🙂
That’s all for
this week. See you in Week 3!
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