I just love the book, “All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten” and during my recent trip to China, I really understood why this is so true. My daughter is in Kindergarten. She and her 14 classmates followed my trip. I sent them emails as often as I could and they checked the blog daily. I would be so excited to check emails to see if they had responded.
This wonderful group of kids made cards & letters for us to bring to China. Each child in China that received one of these letters also received a picture of the author. The kids in her class also collected stickers for us to bring to China. These were a big hit. I probably had over 10,000 stickers in my suitcase. There were 3 gallon Ziploc bags full of them in my luggage. Wonder what TSA thought when they came upon them.
This wonderful group of kids made cards & letters for us to bring to China. Each child in China that received one of these letters also received a picture of the author. The kids in her class also collected stickers for us to bring to China. These were a big hit. I probably had over 10,000 stickers in my suitcase. There were 3 gallon Ziploc bags full of them in my luggage. Wonder what TSA thought when they came upon them.
Children ask wonderful questions and I just love their thought process. Once day, they sent me a list of questions. Here is what they wanted to know and some of my responses (paraphrased a bit):
The food sounds different in some ways - what does it taste like (is it yucky or good)?
I had told them about our meal of Sea Worms, Squid & Eel which was very good but very unlike what we normally eat in the US. So they had lots of questions about how things tasted.
What do you do in the van for 3 hours when you travel - do you have a TV to watch?
Every time we got in the van, it seemed like the trip was 3 hours. Mostly we chatted, looked at the sights and sometimes, we just slept. No TV.
Do the children have TVs or Video games in the orphanages?
I had to laugh when I saw this question. Yes, most of the orphanages that we visited did have a TV, but we didn’t see any video games.
How many children live in the orphanage?
This depends on the orphanage. The first few that we visited did not have many children. Most of them were less than 50 children, but the last one had close to 200 children.
When they start the school, will they do morning message and circle time?
They love morning message and circle time. The children don’t call it by the same name, but it is the same action. Children in the Believe In Me Too School start their day very much like the kids in Upstate NY.
Do the children sit on mats or in chairs? What do the classrooms look like?
The children sat on chairs at a desk. Their classroom had many of the same items that we have in the US. There were books, toys & supplies.
What do the beds look like in the orphanage?
This one just made me giggle a little bit more. The beds looked just like the one’s that we sleep in, except that they didn’t have mattresses that were as squishy as ours. In China the beds are very firm & hard.
Do you eat at tables? Yes they eat at tables. And they use spoons & chop sticks.
What do people do there for jobs? Are there firefighters? Are there malls there?
People do the same things that they do in the US. There are teachers, doctors, nurses, retail workers, factory workers and everything in between. Yes, there are fire fighters. And yes, there are malls.
Love,The KB Kindergarten (There are 2 kindergarten classes, so there is KA & KB at my daughter’s school)
Pam Moore, LWB Education
