A Fun Class – and Then a Cultural Night Out

Mary Sue and I had prepared an outside scavenger hunt with a difference to start the day. We split the class into two groups and we each accompanied a group on the search for various things we had written on a list, such as something of a certain color, hard, soft, small, tall, rectangular, square, numbers 1-10, etc. When the group had found something, Mary Sue and I took a photo of it with the iPad.

After recess we completed the list and reconvened in the classroom to show our photos to the other team and the children had to say why it had been taken. This task prompted plenty of English speaking, observation, and imagination. One boy in particular in Mary Sue’s group showed great imagination when for the numbers he suggested the children lay on the ground and form their bodies into the shape of the numbers.

Later we had them create little booklets from a single A4 page and we asked them to draw themselves, their favorite holiday, what they would like to be when they grew up, their favorite game, how they get to school, and their favorite subject at school (recess wasn’t allowed). Again with this task, the children had plenty of opportunity to speak English with us as we went around the room asking them questions about their drawings. We kept the booklets and in the evening Mary Sue wrote a little review of them on the back cover to present them to the students in the morning.

In the evening Sam took us to the traditional Cretan mountain village of Arolithos where we saw houses as they would have been in years gone by. We had plenty of chances to apply our photographer’s eye and take some pictures. The little church was especially pretty and the interior was beautifully painted. The square was laid out as it would be for a Cretan wedding or Christening celebration and as we took our seats for dinner, the lira and bazouki struck up the distinctive music. Throughout the meal various dances were performed with the audience of various nationalities given a chance to join in. I think we all enjoyed the dance to Zorba the Greek music and the “manly” dances of the Cretan “shepherds.” There was much toe-tapping and hand clapping. Our wonderful evening was rounded off in the traditional way, with a raki nightcap. Another of our Global Volunteers Team Goals achieved: CULTURE.

Message of the Day: “Tell me something and I forget, teach me and I may remember, but involve me and I will learn.” – Chinese proverb

Entry submitted by: Lesley