Role Playing

Last Weekend, we asked the kids to do a little acting. We started by giving them a situation and also asking them what or who they wanted to act as. Then they themselves come up with the scenario, dialogue and story line. 

For example, one group simulated an accident by having roles such as the driver, accident victim, ambulance personal and a policeman. The kids made up the storyline with help from the Facis, and the dialogue which was translated into English by the Facis. The Facis role was mostly to encourage them and translate their malay dialogue into english. Then they acted out the scene in front of the whole class as a group.

We didnt preasure them into remembering their lines as they were allowed to bring thier script with them. With the amazing exception of two boys who memorize their whole script, the rest all used notes. It was just a short performance by all of them with a basic storyline and every person has a role.

The main point of the lesson is to improve their pronounciation, translation, confidence and creative thinking as well as having fun.

A Mentari Milestone - Petrosains 11 May 2008

After all the planning, countless emails and facebook announcements, we finally pulled off a great Mother's Day gift for the mums of Desa Mentari - the Petrosains trip for their children. Speaking as a mum, there's nothing more exciting than seeing our child light up for a treat that's both educational, enjoyable and safe. Both mums and children were lined up in force by the time all of us arrived.. Muaz woke up at six he was so excited!

Afif was worried that he was late - well, most of us were! After all it was a Sunday morning and Mother's Day to boot. We are grateful to all volunteers who made it to Desa Mentari and KLCC to help escort and shepard all 52 kids of all shapes, sizes and temperament through KLCC Park, Suria , Petrosains and the Skybridge and back to the bus and cars - a stupendous feat all!! And while we definitely lost sweat, patience and calories ( hopefully!), the kids' enthusiasm and energy in assimilating the novelty of KLCC ( for many kids it was their first time), Petrosains and the Skybridge experiences more than made up for it.

What was most rewarding for us was seeing how much the kids have changed from the mostly shy, apathetic children we met for the first time in January to the confident, curious crowd of kids of May 11. It was hard to believe for an instant that they are the same kids especially when I saw shy Syuhada going up to the tour guides of the Skybridge to ask them about Skybridge facts for the quiz. Aidil insisting that "ajarlah lagi Cikgu" and the kids actively seeking answers to the simple quiz Yasmin prepared were all signs that for the past five months - we must have done something right. They came out of their shell.

Of course Muiz still had to lose the specially prepared tag and Irwan was as competitive as always. I'm sure every cikgu /faci that day had special have their own stories about the children so do share with us your own story of that day on Facebook or on the blog. At least for that one day, their view of the world changed. Hopefully in ways that will give them the determination to work hard for a new, different future than their present.

There was no way we could have pulled this trip off without everyone's participation and hard work. Let's all salute Afif for planning whole trip step by step, Safa for the bright name tags and lanyards and letters, Hazira for the delicious lunch and dessert, ably assisted by Tarmimi and Co, Nik our YB for the crtical component - transport, Syafiq and Yasir too for being both chauffeurs and shepards. The rest of the Honor roll:

Group 1 - Fadiah, Afif*
Group 2 - Shafiq, Nik Nazmi*
Group 3 - Bahariah, Tini (TBC)
Group 4 - Lina Mydin, Safa*
Group 5 - Farhana, Elly*
Group 6 - Yasir, Hui Ru
Group 7 - Fazlin, Aida

Group 8 - Yasmin, Li Quan

Group 9 - Marya, Hazira*
Group 10 - Safiyyah, Tamimi
Group 11 - Farah, Amalina
Group 12 - Jolene, Cikgu Wani*

Great work everyone! Let's keep the momentum of this project going. Its strength lies in the sustainability.

This coming Saturday and Sunday will be a debriefing for the kids with their facis'. We'll talk about what they saw, felt and did - then pick an exhibit related to a specific concept that they have learnt and go deeper in breadth and depth. That's the first hour. They can be assigned an essay in Malay and/or English.

Give yourselves a pat on the back and get a leg massage! Next trip will be at least three months from now so everyone can recover :)

A Translation Game

An idea for a Translation game that would help kids remember English words in Science. By using plain cards or a4 paper cut in half, write a word or a phrase on one side, and on the other the meaning of it, either in Malay or English. Makes sure the translation are easy to understand. The game can be by group or individual where we test the kids on how many of the words they understand or know. each correct answer gets a point. whoever gets the highest wins. can be done as a filler in between lessons. should be done continously so the kids learn and remember the words. Can also be done the other way around where the kid challange the Faci instead. The important factor is that they are exposed to the words often.

Information for Petrosains Volunteers

These are the groups that have been delegated. Names in Bold are those responsible for each group.

Group 1 - Fadiah, Afif*
Group 2 - Shafiq, Nik Nazmi*
Group 3 - Bahariah, Tini (TBC)
Group 4 - Lina Mydin, Safa*
Group 5 - Farhana, Elly*
Group 6 - Yasir, Hui Ru

Group 7 - Fazlin, Aida

Group 8 - Yasmin, Li Quan

Group 9 - Marya, Hazira*
Group 10 - Safiyyah, Tamimi
Group 11 - Farah, Azrina*
Group 12 - Jolene, Cikgu Wani*

* Will be floating to sort out administrative tasks.

F&B team:

Hazira (person in charge), Tamimi, Li Quan & Hui Ru (& probably me if required)For your information, Azrina & Elly are current Petrosains Volunteers and myself and Aida are ex-Petrosains volunteers so if you get stuck on anything when yr inside Petrosains, give us a shout. We will have a brief ice-breaking session (or some people might call it breakfast) before we start On Sunday to get to know each other.

So a brief of what the Volunteers need to do:

1) Most importantly. Make sure the kids are SAFE. Never loose sight of them! also make sure they behave and adhere to the rules. I will hand out the rules on Sunday morning.

2) Make sure the groups adhere to the schedule as attached in the previous post. The effectiveness of our trip depends on how well we can stick to the program as we are really cramming it to make sure they get to see, touch and experience as much as possible during the visit. Therefore, please print and bring along the program with you on Sunday.

3) If you can explain stuff to them during the visit, then pls do so. If you are unable to do so, do not fret. All you have to do is to find one of us (Me, Aida, Elly & Azrina) or any of the Petrosains staff for assistance. Try to not leave any question unanswered. It'll encourage them to ask more questions if you can feed their qurosity. 

That's it! Very simple.

Remember, Saturday is the T-Shirt collection day. There will be no class on Saturday. A note on the T-Shirts. The T-shirts are all paid for already by the project but we encourage volunteers to contribute towards the project fund, no matter how small. One more thing, all the T-Shirts are short sleeve due to ordering constrictions so ladies, please bring a long sleeve T to wear inside.

PETROSAINS visit – volunteer’s itenery

8.00 – 8.30 a.m.          :           Volunteers meet for breakfast.

                                                -     Wisma central or KLCC food court.         

 

8.35 – 8.50                  :           Volunteers meet outside RHB/BCB bank.

-     Volunteer briefing

-     Distribution of Mentari Project T-Shirts (for those who haven’t collected from me yet.) and worksheets to volunteers.

 

9.00 a.m.                     :           Volunteers go down to rendezvous point to meet the kids.

-     Drop off point is the bus stop next to Tower 1, along jalan P.Ramlee - where the tourist buses stop.

-     meet up with the kids from your group. Get to know them and make sure they know who you are. You will be responsible for them until they get back on the bus.  

 

9.00 – 9.30 a.m           :           Assemble outside Petrosains

-     According to groups, 1 first, 11 last. 

 

9.30 - 9.45 a.m.           :           Entry to Petrosains

                                                -           10.00 – collect helicopter boarding pass.

-           Meet at Science station 1 at 10.15.

                                                -           Reach the Speed section by 11.00 - 11.15.

                                                -           Leave speed by 11.45.

                                                -           line up for dark ride by 11.45 – 12.00

 

12.00 – 12.15 p.m       :           Finish up visit.

 

            12.30 p.m.                   :           Assemble outside masjid Asshakirin for lunch.

-           Lunch packs to be collected at the wakaf opposite the masjid

-           Lunch to finish before 1.15 – to avoid disturbing the Zohor prayers.

 

1.00 – 1.15 p.m           :           Make way to Skybridge, KLCC

 

1.30 – 2.00 pm            :           Assemble at skybridge waiting lounge.

-           We will try to prepare some worksheets to keep kids busy while waiting for our turn to go up.

 

2.00 – 2.30 pm            :           Skybridge visit

 

2.45 pm                       :           meet up at rendezvous point to see off the kids.

 

3.00 p.m.                     :           Bus departs to Desa Mentari.