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Sparking curiosity through ‘purposeful play’

SINGAPORE — Brows furrowed in concentration, 10 six-year-olds in chef’s hats and aprons chopped broccoli, corn cobs and carrots, while five peeled cabbages. Then, they took turns to gingerly put the chopped vegetables into a large pot of boiling water, and watch them being simmered into fragrant-smelling vegetable soup.

Students adding vegetables to vegetable soup in a Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten at Riverside. A cooking class is just one of the creative ways used to help this Kindergarten 2 class with their “experiential class writing” exercise. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Students adding vegetables to vegetable soup in a Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten at Riverside. A cooking class is just one of the creative ways used to help this Kindergarten 2 class with their “experiential class writing” exercise. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Brows furrowed in concentration, 10 six-year-olds in chef’s hats and aprons chopped broccoli, corn cobs and carrots, while five peeled cabbages. Then, they took turns to gingerly put the chopped vegetables into a large pot of boiling water, and watch them being simmered into fragrant-smelling vegetable soup.

It was “Marvellous Monday” at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten at Riverside, located at 110 Woodlands Crescent, where a cooking class was part of an “experiential class writing” exercise for a class of Kindergarten 2 pupils after they finished reading Uncle Tang’s Cabbages.

Teacher Geetha d/o V Segar guiding students talking part in making vegetable soup. A cooking class is just one of the creative ways used to help this Kindergarten 2 class with their “experiential class writing” exercise. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY
MOE kindergarten @ Riverside centre head Serena Park, wants to bring joy and spark curiosity through “purposeful play”. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Centre head Serena Park told TODAY such activities capture the essence of what an MOE kindergarten stands for — bringing joy and sparking curiosity through “purposeful play”. 

With the number of MOE kindergartens increasing from the current 15 to 50 in the next five years, the Government is taking the lead in raising standards of pre-school education for those aged five to six years old.

The  MOE-developed curriculum focuses on purposeful play, quality interactions and activities with a distinctive Singapore flavour. So instead of overwhelming the children with spelling lists and homework to gear them up for Primary One, Ms Park said it is more crucial to “guard the children’s experiences” by instilling a love for learning, and giving them space to grow their social skills and confidence.

Hence all MOE Kindergartens have a  Weeks of Wonder (WoW) project each term, where the children have free rein to investigate topics that capture their imagination.

Teacher Geetha d/o V Segar conducting a mathematics lesson to a Kindergarten 2 class. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

For example, in July, English teacher Geetha V Segar said her K2 class was so fascinated by mudskippers after a field trip to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve that for their WoW project, the kids made their own mudskipper models out of plasticine, and designed invitations for another class to drop by for a “gallery walk”.

Another time, noticing that the children were piqued by insects in the school garden and wanting to encourage their learning, the teachers researched and grew plants  that attracted insects and caterpillars into the school garden. 

Their hard work paid off when the children got to observe 30 butterflies emerging from their cocoons at the same time. They were so excited that they started belting out Let It Go, the theme song from Disney animation Frozen. 

Saying that it was rewarding to see how the children’s eyes lit up, Ms Park added: “We want them to understand that learning is everywhere, and in the space here, we make sure whatever they touch, or see, it’s a matter of discovery.”

The centre went on to build  a butterfly enclosure, just so the children could continue observing the butterflies’ flight pattern and wings.

Bilingualism in early childhood is another key focus for MOE Kindergartens under its Starlight Literacy Programme. About two out of four hours in school every day are dedicated to honing the children’s skills in

English and one of three Mother Tongue languages — Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

For parent Jayashree Sathappan, it means not having to pay a bomb just so her six-year-old daughter can learn Tamil. 

Parent Jayashree d/o Sathappan with her daughter who attends MOE Kindergarten @ Riverside. She previously had trouble finding a pre school that offered Tamil language classes. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

It was so tough to find a pre-school in Woodlands that offers Tamil that 38-year-old financial planner used to pay S$1,000 a month for a private pre-school, as opposed to the monthly school fees of S$150 she now pays for the MOE Kindergarten.

Yet another perk of having the school co-located with Riverside Primary School meant there was “constant exposure” and interactions  with the older students through joint events, said Ms Park. 

For instance, the pre-schoolers got to join in the fun at the primary school’s activities, such as checking out the police cars and fire extinguishers that were brought into the primary school for Total Defence Day in the last two years.

Teachers Rachel Beulah Reuben and Ju Shiying getting getting massaged and their nails painted simultaneously at MOE Kindergarten @ Riverside. Teachers and children from K1 and K2 celebrated Teachers’ Day by taking part in the hour-long pampering session where teachers got massages, their nails painted and were served food by students. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Dismissing concerns that “all play no work” might make her daughter less equipped for the rigours of Primary One, housewife Hoon Chua, said as long as her daughter is happy about learning, she does not see the lack of homework as an issue.

“I think Kaye Kay has learnt more even (outside) of the books ... Through interactive play, they don’t realise they are learning, but actually they have learnt a lot,” said Madam Chua.

In fact, the 41-year-old said her 5½-year-old has become more knowledgeable about Singapore culture, National Education and environmental issues. 

“I cry when I don’t get to go school,” quipped Kaye Kay, whose favourite lessons are  music and drama.

“If the school has more learning through play, I’ll let her do more writing at home, so it balances out … I can’t give the same kind of environment at home, so I appreciate what’s done here,” Mdm Chua added.

Acknowledging the “less pressure approach” and pace of learning as ideal, Mdm Sathappan also said: “They are emphasising on fun learning, which I think even Primary One and Two kids should have in their curriculum, rather than being completely academic-based.”

Students in a Malay language class talking about their artwork in a show and tell exercise. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY
Students at MOE kindergarten @ Riverside examining butterfly pupae. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

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