Latest Updates on Mentari Project

This is the 5th year Mentari Project has been up and running and thankfully, with the generosity of our donors and the everlasting support from our fellow volunteers, Mentari Project is still going strong packed with classes and fun activities! We currently have 50 active students ranging from 7 - 17 years old. 

This school holidays, the classes are going to be a little different because the theme this year end is "Respect and Responsibility". It is quite interesting to explore the many aspects of respect and responsibility and teaching it to these kids. We will learn together with the kids the true meaning of these values and the importance of applying it in our every day life. 

We hope to have more volunteers joining us too this year end! Please do inform us if you are interested in coming to the weekend classes. 

On another note, we realise that this blog has not been updated for quite some time. However, you can find all the latest updates of Mentari Project from 2011 on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/mentariproject4kids

In the next entry, we will give a quick re-cap of all the activities Mentari Project has conducted for the kids since 2010. 

Thank you for support and remember, Let's Do It For The Kids! 

God bless. 

Mural Painting with Phil Yeah

On the 27th of February, Phil Yeh along with his lovely wife Linda and a few of his KL based friends Glen and Jill paid the Mentari Project a wonderful and artful visit. They came with the intentions of painting a Mural on the shutters of the new Mentari Project Center and also 4 canvas painting for the kids to paint.

Before we start on the event, here is a small introductions to the artist, Phil Yeh.

Phil Yeh is and american cartoonist that travels the world promoting arts and literacy for over 20 years. He does Murals at schools, museums and other locations and talks to the kids about the importance of reading. He has many books under his years of illustrations wheree his main character is the Winged Tiger. you can check it out at http://www.facebook.com/l/270b8;www.wingedtiger.com

The day started of wih Phil creating the drawings on the canvas for the kids to paint.

As Phil was drawing on the canvas, the other volunteers helped to apply the varnish on the shutters.

Above are Glen and Jill who along with Afif was the architect of this event.

A few volunteers from CIMB hard at work painting a sun on the fully varnished shutter.

As the volunteers busied themselves with the Mural outside, the kids are busy with their own pieces of art inside the center.

On your marks, get set, Start Painting!

Every kid has a turn at the brush. Its all about teamwork by taking turns.

Phil donating to the our modest library with his wonderful book featuring his favourite character the Winged Tiger.

Phil teaches the kids how to become a cartoonist by drawing

Phil took time off to tell the kids where he came from with the help of a world map.

Phil teaching the kids to add more detail to the work.

The girls very happy with their work of art.

We even had the time to teach the kids a song. above is Paulyn trying to teach the kids "Heal The world" by the late Micheal Jackson.

Group photo ending an amazing day with the one and only Phil Yeh.

Thank you to all the Volunteers, the kids, Glen, Jill, Afif, Linda and Phil for making this day a wonderful memory.

The Mentari Project Center

Salam and hello everyone.

We've moved from the 10th floor; sharing premises with a kindergarten to our own place still at Block 8 but now on the ground floor in a shop lot. We remain true to our vision of providing a place where the Mentari kids can have a fun learning experience while becoming independent learners. we were very lucky to find a place that had tiled floors and walls with a dream location that was right in front of a drink stall owned by a parent of a Mentari Project pioneer student.

Here are some pictures of the Mentari Project Learning Activity Centre. 

Shelves courtesy of Mr KS Lau who donated them.

Our picture wall of past activities as arranged by the kids themselves

 (Yes, we need stronger adhesive!) 

Our main classroom where we will conduct our weekly classes. 

Finally our mini library / reading corner. 

Sadly the weather took its toll on our banner. Therefore there aren't any pictures from the front of the center. 

It is still a work in progress but at least it's a good start. Anyone who would like to contribute to make this place a better place for kids to come and study and hangout can just come over at No. 3 Block 8, Ground floor (B8-G-03) PJS 5/4 Desa Mentari or contact us at mentariproject@gmail.com. 

 We had our first class on Saturday 16 Jan for the Year 4, 5 and 6.  We started with a short BM Comprehension Mini Test and English Quiz for baseline and diagnostic measures and continued with an ice-breaking cum grammar session with the 'Tall, Taller, Tallest" game. Next time we'll follow up with exercises on comparatives and written sentences using the comparatives. 

We want to kids to listen actively and check their vocab in both BM and English so we played the Echo game which had the kids give the name of an animal. The child next to them will translate it into BM and then name another animal. The most unique animals named were "hyena aka dubuk (Irwan checked the dictionary for all of us for that one), dolphin,owl and kangaroo". Next time, we'll have categories and sentences. 

The main activity for the kids was one that combined a written task (writing a thank you note )  with creative thinking (designing a card) using both BM and English. The kids worked in groups and came up with different cards to thank our benefactors - those who donated furniture and materials and sponsored the centre and all our activities. 

The kids who finished early then gravitated naturally to playing board word games or reading the books at the mini-library. All in all in was a fun first session. Here's hoping that today's Sunday class with the older kids be an even better one. 

Special Thanks to Paulynn and Fei Yi for entering the fray with great enthusiam and gusto! Aidil, Syafiqah, Nad and even Hanif were the seniors who came to help out their juniors and they did a great job. Thanks kids!

Mentari Project Open Day 2010

Salam and hello everyone, 

We now have come into our third year since the Mentari Project started. We sure had some ups and downs over the past couple of years and now it is time for the Mentari Project to encounter a new chapter. 

As some of you know, the Mentari Project has finally acquired our own premises for our weekly activities. This sunday on January 10th, 2010 at 2pm, we will be organizing our Open Day 2010. We will be registering new kids, introduce what we do to new volunteers as well as commemorating our new premises. 

Therefore, we invite everyone to come and join us and meet the kids of Desa Mentari. Also, we would really appreciate any suggestion that would make the Mentari Project a sustainable success. 

Below are the basic details of Mentari Project's Open Day:

The location : Taman Desaria, Desa Mentari, PJS 5/4 Block 8 B8-G-03.

The date      : Sunday (10/1) 

The time      : 2 pm until 5 pm

here is a link to a map of our place:

http://maps.google.com.my/maps/mm?ie=UTF8&moduleurl=http:%2F%2Fmaps.google.com.my%2Fhelp%2Fmaps%

(look for PJS 5/4) 

p.s we do need a few volunteers to help us out during the registration of the new kids as well as the preparations before the Open Day. Anyone who are willing to help can contact me at mentariproject@gmail.com thank you. 

Warm regards,

Yasir Osman.

A trip to Aquaria

Salam and Hello to everyone.

The Mentari Project is planning to have a trip to Aquaria for the kids and inviting everyone to come and join in.  We plan to have the trip on the 14th of November 2009 (Saturday) since all of the kid's exams will be finished and before their school holidays starts. Usually the kids will be going of to their respective Kampungs during their holidays. 

For those who are unfamiliar to Aquaria, it is a world class next-generation commercial aquarium situated in KLCC Convention Center (as said in the brochure). It houses many aquatic and land-bound creatures, it is highly interactive and educational, and also conducts feeding sessions where the kids will get to see them feed the sharks and other animals.  

Basic details:

The tickets will be paid for by us and all we need are volunteers to guide and keep the kids safe during the trip. Tentatively, we will bring about 30 kids to the trip therefore would need at least 8-10 volunteers (the more the merrier). The food will be taken care of by Dayana from CIMB and we will sort the transportation for the kids. We will use the buddy system and have 2 volunteers for a each group of 4-6 kids. We will also prepare a question paper for each kid to solve based on what they will see and learn in Aquaria.

We will like have the final tally of the number of participants by the middle of next week. Anyone who are free and would like to join us just confirm through email mentariproject@gmail.com or call me at 017-6362047 (Yasir). Hope to hear from all of you soon. 

Warm regards, 

Yasir 

JUST Children update

Our apologies for the lack of updates this past year. This entry will have to suffice as a summary of the Mentari Voluntary Tution Project this past 11 months.

2009 has been a challenging year for JUST Children, the new entity for the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project. JUST stands for Join Us to Serve and Teach Children, a non-profit organisation that is bound by the Company Act. However the kids of Mentari have chosen to retain the original name of the project. As the main aim behind the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project was to provide learning opportunities for under-privileged kids so that they develop self-confidence and self-esteem, keeping the original name seemed only fitting.

Our aim is to generate enough funds from regular donations to rent a flat or a shop lot as permanent premises for an after-school self-access learning centre with books, educational materials , games and laptops and pay a teacher aide or tutor to attend to the students. We are still sharing facilities with a kindergarten as the owner of a shoplot we were eyeing backed out. We are currently looking for a flat in Block 8 that we can rent.

In the beginning of this year, we had an influx of students that exceeded our capacity to handle. We had a small number of loyal facilitators (esp Yasir, Afif, Zahidi, Imran, Yasmin, Aedi, Fadhia, Murni and friends) and opened two classes that ran simultaneously every Saturday to cope with the increased number of students. In June, the kids participated in Fiesta Femina by presenting a recital cum sketch of a poem by Usman Awang on unity from a child's point of view. We also had visitors from Turkey and USA who chatted with the children. Hopefully these visitors and sharing of experiences with Dr Iman who studied in UK and worked with children in Africa and Afif who travelled to Spain helped to open windows to the world for the children and inspire them to work hard at their studies.

Due to extra classes on Saturdays at their schools , exams and the festive break, the number of students eventually dwindled. We now have about 20 students coming on Saturdays with classes for a small group of Form 1 students starting at 12.30pm - 2pm and classes for Yr 4,5 and 6 starting from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. We are currently tutoring the Form 1 kids in specific weak spots as their final exams are still on. The Mentari class is the only tuition class they can afford to go to.

On the evening of 22 Oct, we talked to a group of bright young people from CIMB about the Mentari Project. We would like to thank Tarmimi for organising the talk and and TCBs who came and those who spread the word about the kids of Mentari. Since then, the past two Saturday classes have been stimulating ones for the kids with new facilitators (Erlina, Safwan, Kam Loong, Kuo Wei, Ah Seng, Nicholas , sorry if I've missed some names!)) coming in to spend time with them. It's great to see new faces and the energy and enthusiasm they brought with them and a relief for the kids as well. I'm sure they were getting tired of us! We hope to upload the pix onto our Facebook before the end of the week.

Thanks to the generosity of our donor, we used the funds to buy educational games and books for the kids and had them work in small groups with the facilitators. By rotating the different games/ cards, the kids were able to provide a variety of learning experiences. Without enough facilitators, we have to resort to 'chalk and talk' or classroom style teaching. At the same time. we've had to attract kids back to the Mentari Project especially as holidays are around the corner. The carrot we're using is a trip to Aquaria on the 15 or 22 Nov. Kids have to attend classes and qualify for the trip by completing a project or participating in a group activity like a 'Spelling Bee' or tell a story. We hope to have a 5 kids to 1 Faci ratio for the trip so if any one would like to volunteer, please register on Mentari Project's Facebook Group or email us.

The other activities we are planning before the end of the year are:
1. A Language Camp ( in collaboration with the Atmah Group)
2. An Appreciation Day ( our 'Speech Day')
3. A Leadership Camp
4. 'Donate Old Laptops' Campaign
5. A new website with time tabling features for our facis to register and book their slots

We ask for a basic fee of RM10 per child with a cap of RM 20 per family with more than two kids in our classes. In this way, it's not charity, more of a commitment fee for both sides. It keeps us honest - this small fee that represents a bond of trust between us, the volunteers and the children we hope we have inspired in some small way to work hard towards a better and brighter future.

Thanks to all our facis who have kept the light burning even though at times it felt like the wind was going to blow it out amid their hectic schedules, unexpected challenges , exams, assignments and travels. Thanks to our patron YB Nik Nazmi for his ideas, networking and writings. Thanks to our generous donor who have given us the opportunity to provide stimulating learning materials and experiences for our kids. May Allah swt Bless our efforts and all those who have helped to sustain this project.

mawarni
2 November 2009

Mini Projects

We asked the after UPSR year 6 kids to create a mini project. It was left entirely up to them on what type of project they wanted to create. Here are some of the things that they did. 

A group created a model volcano and also created a model cave. The volcano even erupted in red lava ( created by a combination of household items). They even had the time to create some paintings and a model of the twin towers of KLCC made out of straws. 

Another group made a presentation on the malay wedding tradition of " Hantaran". They researched the tradition of the "Hantaran" and presented to the class of its origins, the practise and the meaning behind it. 

 

It was a well written and informative presentation by both groups.  Congratulations and well done to Syarina, Aini, Syafinaz, Rashidah, Athirah, and Fareisha.  

 

The Multiplication League

Here is an interesting way to have fun with multiplication. It is a simple game played in groups. The best number of group to have is 4. All that is needed is a blackboard/whiteboard, chalks/marker and a stopwatch. The contest is simple, one group will compete with another group on who can list down a multiplication of a number the fastest. Each student of a group must participate whereby they will take turns listing down the multiplication of the number on the board. For example, if the multiplication number is 6,  student A will write down 6 x 1 = 6 on the board, and the student B will write 6 x 2 = 12 and the next will write 6 x 3 = 18 and so on until  6 x 12 = 72. 

Whichever group finishes faster than the other will be rewarded with 3 points while the loser will gain 1 point. Continue on with the next groups and give them a different number each time. After all the groups has finished competing with each other, tally up the points to find out which group wins. A league table is also necessary so the kids can see which positions they are in after each round. 

We found that the kids likes to compete with one another and this way they gain something when they remember their multiplication table. It also helps to give them a minute or so after telling them the number for them to strategize and remember their multiplication table before beginning each round. The game teaches them teamwork, communication, competitive spirit, and of course multiplication in a fun way.

It is recommended to start the lesson with the kids creating their own personal multiplication table. Make sure that they do not bring the multiplication table with them to the board. 

Have fun.

Update on Mentari

we were hoping to see the same children again after a brief hiatus at the end of the year. However, registration day on 17 Jan and subsequent Saturdays saw new children coming in to be a part of the Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project. We now have three classes - 10  Form 1 and Fm 2 students, 30 Yr 6 and 30 Yr 4-5 children. These are the numbers who normally attend. The registered number of students have reached 112. The numbers fluctuate due to school's  extra-curricular activities and Saturday classes. in order to cope with the greater numbers, we have split the the children into three groups and two locations.

Fm 1  - 12 noon to 2.00pm ( Ground Floor, Block 8,  Community Hall)

Yr 6 - 2.30pm to 5.00 pm  (Ground Floor, Block 8 Community Hall)

Yr 4 & 5 - 2.30pm to 5pm (10th Flr, Kindergarten, Block 8)

We try the best we can to cope with the greater numbers by limiting classes to mainly English and BM with Math for variety. As the number of facilitators are still small - normally 2 per class, we are quite limited in the activities that we can offer the kids. We have started a routine of written exercises, math and language written activities and a game or a song to round off the session. We maintain a translation mode to get children used to speaking in both languages. 

The main problem for the  kids especially those in Yr 4 nd 5 is still limited vocab and an inability to understand spoken English. we started off with basic greetings, introductions and to have the kids answer English questions in BM and BM q's in English. We also brought in books, magazines and other reading materials plus fun activity sheets to keep them occupied  -especially the those who finish  early. There are quite a number of bright kids too.

Trying to balance the fun element and the solid knowledge or skills that parents and kids expect to get out of the classes is the constant challenge plus the small number of facilitators. Thanks to our loyal facilitators from last year, the classes are continuing. But it's difficult to maintain the classes without more facilitators. We are limited in what we can offer the kids. At the same time we also need to provide the facilitators specific lists of activities that they can do with the kids.

We would like to build the Mentari Kids' learning experiences   around the following:

1- Know Yourself

2.  Know Your Family

3. Know Your Community

4. Know Your Country

5. Know Your World

Any volunteer can come in with stories, materials and activities related to any of the above. 

We welcome any volunteer to come in for at least 2 hours for any of the sessions if not for the whole session. Feel free to email or call.  The kids and their parents have hope in this project and in us.  We really need help to sustain it.

Post-Language Camp Report

Just a brief report about our Language Camp - our maiden joint effort between the Mentari Volunteer Tuition Project and the Atmah Foundation on 6th December 2008 at the 3C Complex. we were part sponsored by YB Nik Nazmi (food for all kids) and MPSJ (folders, hampers, facilities and room). Things went smoothly the first half of the day which centred around team dynamics activities ( Team name, Cheer and Motto) and a Trivia quiz - video Math Q from Afif - mind-boggling for facis but kids lapped it up, English the Tim way, Malaysiana Yasir style and Optical Illusions courtesy of Ema and Yasir that intrigued the kids and facis alike.

Things were going well and we had both old and new facis who came to lend a hand and it was good to see the new faci dynamics between the Atmah facis and our Mentari kids and vice versa. The Atmah kids had to handle Malay when interacting with our Mentari facis and our Mentari kids had to use English more when working with or Atmah facis. The kids were beginning to see each other beyond the labels of race and colour when something happened to test our resolve. In order to deal with this incident effectively, all the facis decided that it was more important that this incident be a learning point that all of them will then use as part of their moral compass. We cut short the camp and postponed the Scavenger Hunt ( an Atmah activity - artful and stimulating) to another day, kept all hampers and folders donated by MPSJ and individual presents for another day. 

The next language camp will be held as soon as we can find a suitable date for both Mentari and Atmah plus 3C. We hope to include awards and certificates for our Mentari kids at the same time as part of the Camp's closing activities. We will be having a faci retreat on the 3rd of Jan at the BAKA resort in Morib. More details will be given later and it's self financing ( we go Dutch) and open to all volunteers - past, present and future.

To all facis , old and new who donated their time and energy to the camp (especially Imran who came back just in time) and Mentari all this while,  thank you will; always be an understatement. 

To our newly adopted siblings at Atmah, it was great working with you and this is just a glitch in a relationship that will continue as we work together for a better future for our kids and country.

To our patron, the patient and always supportive  Cikgu YB - thank you for starting this journey and for working with us to make it sustainable and meaningful for all.

Salam Aidil Adha everyone and Seasons' Greetings . We pray for peace , serenity and clarity in these last days of 2008 and safety for those on the road and living on/near the hill slopes of Klang Valley. Our prayers go out to all those unfortunate souls..

mh

Going The Distance

Hi everyone,

The Mentari Voluntary Tuition Project is almost a year old. In human years, the MVTP would be a toddler, just learning to walk and stumbling along excitedly, clutching at objects and people for balance. This weekend was one of finding balance between an extraordinary tuition class, a bbq party and a conference for volunteers. The common thread binding all three activities was the Mentari Kids. 

The Saturday morning session with the children was the first after the UPSR results were announced. We were  torn between wanting to ask their results straight away or listening to their project presentations. In the end we played games, listened to the project presentations by two different groups and finally asked about their results. 

The project presentation by Aini, assisted by Shafinaz and Syarina was arresting (model volcano and cave), artistic (paintings, poems , pantun and pretty detailed family trees) and articulately delivered in style by the spokesperson - Aini. While she may not have obtained the results she hoped for, her confidence and poise showed great potential and the documentation her team mates came up with were neat  and attractive. The second group  -Rashidah, Farisha and Athira, turned up with 5 'hantaran' that they made themselves and a presentation of the custom of giving and receiving gifts in Malay weddings. These girls have come a long way from the quiet, shy, withdrawn kids in the beginning of the year.

The BBQ party was a get together hosted by the founder and patron of the MVTP - YB Nik or fondly known as Cikgu YB by the kids. Mentari facis' and old friends feasted on delicately marinated chicken and lamb and Imaan's incredibly addictive potato salad. Our contribution to the mainly Gen Z crowd was dessert of mini-cornettoes and magnums. The Mentari facis formed a group, preferring to each others' company, bonded by months of Saturdays and Sundays spent together - Afif, Hazira, Ema, Yasir, Yasmin and I. To our stalwarts who could not make it  : Jaja, Fadiah, Farhana, Imran, Amalina, Aedi, Shafiq, Tarmizi, Murni (see what pathetic dessert replaced her divine banoffee), Huda, Lili, Wai Shen, Leong, Alex, Peter, Fadh, Mrs Lina  and all those who helped the Mentari Project while it was in diapers and learning to crawl especially Super Safa , WE MISS YOU! Thanks so much and Yasir is planning more get togethers for old and new Facis.

The icing on the cake this weekend was speaking at the ATMAH Conference to a dedicated group of volunteers and hopeful volunteers about the Mentari Kids as part of a joint volunteer drive. As the sounds of the Frog theme echoed through the small auditorium, accompanying the faces of the Mentari Kids on the presentation video ( crafted by Hazira), we shared with strangers, the Saturdays and Sundays of this past year, the Petrosains visit, the Open day, the night classes for UPSR , Buka Puasa and raya Do's- snapshots of all our efforts in helping the Mentari Kids look through other windows, see different viewpoints and grow as we have grown with them.

This coming year we hope to not only walk more steadily, perhaps even run briskly. The many flaws and shortcomings, may not be ironed out but hopefully reduced as we learn from our newly acquired siblings at ATMAH who have been doing this for the past seven years.

So let's go the distance, expand our horizons and work to help MVTP grow up responsibly and make new friends who will walk together on this journey of intangible rewards.

Update on Mentari Project so far

HI there everyone.

 I just thought it would be nice to update everyone on our current and future plans for the Mentari Project. 



We are still having the Weekly Tuition class every Saturday at 10.30 am. We are in the midst of planning for a language camp for the kids this December. We also would like to take the year 6 kids to a University, most probably UIA. There will also be a "Hari Keanugerahan" or something of the sort at the end of the year.

We do have plans to open up a bigger place for the weekly tuitions by next year. 



I would also like to suggest something fun just for the volunteers one of these days, like White-water rafting or Jungle tracking or something.

If anyone like to contribute in any way for anything, just email me. 



Take care.

Word map

Word map


 


The word map game introduces new words
and help kids learn to spell them. It would also help in preparing to write an
essay on a subject.


 


How to play is very simple, all you need
is either a blackboard/ whiteboard for a class, or just a piece of paper for a
small group. First think of a category (preferably something simple that has
many things in it like a hospital or a school).


Write the category in the middle of the
paper and ask the kids to think of the first thing that comes to their minds
when thinking of the category.


 


Then link the word to the category and
ask again what do they think about the new word. Then link the next new word as
to create a web of words (similar to a mind map).


 


Example:         Hospital
– doctor – patients – sick – medicine


School – teacher – lesson – classroom – blackboard – chalk – duster


 


You can also test their
spelling by asking them to write the word on the board or by playing hangman.
Try to fill up the board with as many words as possible.


 


Lastly, the kids can even
write a simple essay on using the words about the selected category. 

SILENCE game

In Silence, silence is the name of the game. Students must arrange themselves in order without uttering a peep! For example, challenge students to silently sequence themselves according to height. The game can be adapted with very little preparation to fit almost any curriculum theme. For example, if the class is studying state capitals, count out enough sticky notes for each student. On each note, write the name of a state capital. Each student wears a "capital" tag on his or her shirt. The students must silently sequence themselves in alphabetical order. You might make the game even more challenging by asking them to line up according to the state for each capital!

Options: Students can create their own tags. They might write their birthdays on tags and arrange themselves in order from January 1 to December 31. They might write their seven-digit phone numbers as a seven-digit number and arrange themselves in numerical sequence.

Majlis Buka Puasa at Mentari

The Mentari Project is almost nine months old now. In human terms, the gestation period is over and now it's time for the birth of ... ? A better Mentari Project definitely! We have learnt so much from the kids and each other and I hope all are better for the experience.

We spent the whole of August conducting night classes for the Yr 6 kids on top of the weekend classes so our volunteers were really stretched. Thanks to all volunteers who came after work and ptiched in to give the Yr 6 students a boost in confidence and a chance to review. We have stopped all classes for Yr 6 since the Merdeka weekend and will only open for them to rejoin us in October. But as a way to wish them good luck, we are giving away stationery sets and a chance to break fasy with YB Cikgu Nik Nazmi..If you can make it, please join us at the surau of Block 8 - the same block as the tuition class.

Mentari Project Open Day

The Very First Open Day for the Mentari Project is going to be held on Sunday the 20th of July 2008 at balai raya pjs 6/1 Desa Mentari. it starts at 9 am and ends at 3pm. T

here will be performance for the kids, food and drinks, parent with teacher meets and also a module presentation to share what we have learned. 

I invite all to come and enjoy yourselves. There will be plenty of food, drinks and games for the kids as well as the parents. Hope to see you all there. 

Divide and Conquer

We recently discovered that by dividing the space that we have into sections works best to control the kids especially when there are a large group of kids. Each section will teach a different aspect of a topic. By dividing the kids into groups, each group can rotate through the sections. 

For example, we divided our lesson on the solar system into three sections. First was the main lesson where we talked about what exists in a solar system and how many planets are in our solar system. The next section or station was the eclipse experiment while the other was the worksheet about the eclipse. The worksheet would best cover the whole topic instead of just the eclipse. 

A way to keep the kids that ends early or is waiting for their turn through the sections, it is best to have an exercise like a math quiz. In our case, we had another worksheet where the kids had to fill out the lunar cycle on how the moon looked like from the Earth in a certain positions. It basically teaches the kids when does the moon is crescent, when it is full or when it is a new moon. 

The number of facis play a big part in making this method a success. First, there must be a faci for each group. Each section must have one core faci that best explains the lesson taught in that section. This way, the faci that leads the group only teaches the exercise as they wait their turn and would also add to what the kids learn after each section.  

 

Eclipses

Two weeks ago, we had an we experiment about the two types of eclipses which are the Solar eclipse and the Lunar eclipse. We used two different size balls to represent the Moon and the Earth and a flashlight to represent the Sun. We also prepared a work sheet that they have to fill up after the experiment. 

The experiment was done in a dark room with a group of four or five kids. The setting of the experiment was important so we used blankets to cover the windows to make the room dark. We first explained that the small ball is the moon, the larger ball is the Earth and the flashlight is the Sun. Then we moved on to make one kid be the Sun by holding the flashlight while two more became the moon and the earth. After that, we asked the kid who is the sun to shine the spotlight on the moon (small ball) while standing in front of the Earth (big ball) and ask the other kids to observe where the shadow of the Moon is on the Earth. This is the Solar Eclipse. The we asked the moon and the Earth to switch places and explained that this is known as the Lunar eclipse. 

After the experiment is done, the group is moved to the next room as the next group does the experiment. The finished group will then answer some simple question about the experiment that they has just done on a worksheet. For example, when does the solar eclipse happen? The worksheet is just a method to strengthen their understanding and memory about the experiment. 

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 :)