The Kandy Esala Perehara
It is an annual Pageant that takes place in Sri Lanka every July / August depending on the full moon.
Naomi Booth :: Monday 26th August 2024 :: This Story
It is also known as the festival of the tooth. The procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha which is housed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. The procession consists of traditional local dances such as fire dances and performances in whip-dance garments. Over hundred majestic elephants parade through the streets of Kandy followed by dancers adorned in elaborate costumes. The Perehara is watched by thousands of people who start queueing early to get a good view.
Nursery Rhymes
Loved all over the world...
Naomi Booth :: Friday 23rd August 2024 :: This Story
Our Ocean Stars preschools love singing Nursery Rhymes like children all over the world. At our recent teacher training our teachers attended a session on nursery rhymes and increased their knowledge and repertoire of nursery rhymes. By repeating the rhymes the teachers increased their own confidence to go back to their preschools and pass on their new knowledge. The repetition of rhymes is good for Cognitive Development, teaching how language works, improving memory, concentration, spatial intelligence and thinking skills. Our students at our Colombo preschool enjoyed acting out and singing Five Little Ducks and Row Row Row Your Boat.
Listening to Stories
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 21st August 2024 :: This Story
Like children everywhere our Ocean Stars preschool children love listening to stories. When volunteers visit and read stories to our students, we read in English which is often their second or third language. Teachers help us to translate the story, and the children love looking at the pictures. The children at our Colombo preschool enjoyed listening to a story recently and one of them came up to the front and related the story in her own words! Listening to stories helps to develop children's listening and attention skills as well as assists with their hearing language sounds, which will help them to learn to read in the future.
Coloured Scarves
At the preschools
Naomi Booth :: Monday 19th August 2024 :: This Story
The children at our preschools have enjoyed playing with coloured scarves following our flagship Teacher Training event in July 2024. From dancing and twirling to tossing and catching, movement scarves spark the student's imagination and encourage their Creative Development. The students were able to develop their skills whilst having fun. For example, their hand-eye coordination improves during catching and fine motor skills are enhanced when grabbing, tossing and holding onto the scarves. They also gain gross motor balance and coordination during active play-based learning.
Storytelling
During our recent Teacher Training event our teachers attended a session on storytelling as part of the Creative Development Tool.
Naomi Booth :: Friday 16th August 2024 :: This Story
The teachers were divided into groups and given an image. They had to imagine they were preschool students and create a story using the image as base. At the end of the session they had to come to perform the story to the rest of the group. Lots of laughter was had as the
teachers used their child imagination and came up with some funny stories. The teachers learnt how to encourage children to tell stories using an image or an everyday object.
Fund-raising walk today
Good luck to Ayesha and Megan who are walking 20 kilometres today along the Basingstoke Canal to raise funds for the work of Ocean Stars Trust empowering children through education in Sri Lanka.
Naomi Booth :: Friday 9th August 2024 :: This Story
They are both part of a Team of 15 students from Calthorpe Park School in Fleet travelling out to Sri Lanka in October 2024. They set off at 8.30 am from the Fox and Hounds in Fleet are hoping to walk 10 kilometres to the
Water witch Pub in Odiham and back to the Fox and Hounds.
If you would like to support them then please visit their fundraising page. https://gofund.me/fee0caba
They hope to raise £700 so please help them reach their target! Thank you.
Workshop on Creative Development
at the teachers training conference
Naomi Booth :: Monday 5th August 2024 :: This Story
During our flagship Teacher Training event in July, the teachers attended a workshop on Creative Development. The teachers were encouraged to use their imagination in a variety of ways. During one workshop they had
great fun working with scarves. Playing with sensory scarves can help develop skills like hand-eye coordination, tracking, and concentration.
Lots of laughter was had as they worked out imaginative ways to work with their students and develop their creative skills.
More communication skills and games
Naomi Booth :: Friday 2nd August 2024 :: This Story
During our flagship Teacher Training event the Communication and Language workshop covered areas such as making time to talk, modelling listening, encouraging listening during group conversations and using simple language and repeating words.
To develop children's attention and listening skills the teachers enjoyed doing activities to music such as musical statues and getting into number groups when the music stopped. Some of these activities turned out to be very competitive. When doing these practical sessions the teachers were always told to imagine they were preschool children.
Communication back at the preschools
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 31st July 2024 :: This Story
Our teachers took their learning from the Communication and Language workshop back to their preschools last week.
Our students had great fun and laughter talking to each other using plastic cups as telephones.
Our preschool students also learnt the value of listening through doing this activity. This activity reinforced to the children that Speaking, listening and understanding are central to every aspect of our lives.
Communication training
Naomi Booth :: Monday 29th July 2024 :: This Story
During our flagship Teacher Training event our teachers attended a workshop on Communication and Language.
Communication plays a vital role in social and emotional development as children need words to express their needs and thoughts. As well as some theory the teachers were given practical ideas on how to help our preschool children to communicate better. One of the activities was simulating a traditional telephone with cups and strong string.
The teachers had great fun making the phones and then talking to each other.
