Drawing development in children

Children love to draw. As teachers and parents, we encourage our children to express their feelings through aesthetic engagement like drawing. While children are enjoying themselves, adults may feel a bit lost. We may ask ourselves, "Should I draw with them and show them how they should draw a star properly?" "My daughter is 3 years old already, should she be able to draw a portrait?" "At 6

Summer Song #5 - Yellow Bird

What does the bird in this song look like?
Yellow Bird
Yellow Bird, up high in banana treeYellow Bird, you sit all alone like meDid your lady friend leave your nest again?This is very sad, makes me feel so badYou can fly away, in the sky awayYou're more lucky than me!
I also had a pretty girl, she's not with me todayThey're all the same, the pretty girlsTake tendernes, then they fly away
Yellow

"Why? Why? Why?" Children ask.

In my eyes, my dad knows everything. As a child, I always ask him "Why?" about anything that crossed my mind; and I don't remember a time when he didn't treat my questions seriously.  He's the first teacher who showed me how to treat little kids with respect.  I think I read a research somewhere saying that on average children ask at least 70 questions per day. (Although I doubt it...the number

Summer Song #4 - After you've gone

Can you name all the instruments you hear?


A little more about this song
The performer featured in this video is called Benny Goodman.  He is a famous American jazz musician, a.k.a. "King of Swing."  He is a fantastic clarinetist.
Do you like this particular style of music?  If you do, you may want to go to Jazz For Young People Website to find out more about this music genre!

Summer Song #3 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice

A little about this piece

The Sorcerer's Apprentice was originally a poem written by the great German poet, Goethe in 1797. 100 years later, in 1897, Paul Dukas decided to write an orchestral piece (a symphonic poem) with the same name. This piece became so famous that it is used to accompany a section of the Walk Disney film Fantasia. Mickey Mouse, obviously, plays the role of the apprentice!

The very hungry caterpillar and his friends

Eric Carle's picture books are so popular among playgroups and kindergartens.  We may not have befriended with all of Mr. Carle's creations, like the Mixed Up Chameleon or the Foolish Turtle; and not all of us has traveled to The Mountain that Loved a Bird; but most of us should be quite familiar with what happened to The Very Hungry Caterpillar!  (Find the complete list of book by visiting the

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Stick Man is a wonderful story about the adventure of a stick - certianly, he's no ordinary stick, but he is mistaken to be one!  After being swept away, his adventure begins...hm...I wonder what can Stick Man be?  Perhaps a snowman's arm?  Or a boy could have pick him up and turn him into part of a slingshot!  Oh, the worst thing is to become part of the firewood...he can, then, never return to

Summer Song #2 - Puff the Magic Dragon

Not only is Puff Magic Dragon a great song, the story it tells is very touching. If you read the lyrics of Puff the Magic Dragon carefully, you can see how similiar it is to Disney's Toy Story.

Puff the Magic Dragon
*Puff, the magic dragon lived by the seaAnd frolicked in the autumn mistIn a land called Honah Lee.
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,And brought him strings and sealing

Summer Song #1 - We are the Champion

Well, well, well~World Cup 2010 is over! Did you enjoy the game? In my eyes, there is no loser for all teams have won many matches to come this far.  They have all tried their best in every match! 
Today, summer holiday officially start. As promised, I will share with you a new song every Monday morning at 10:00a.m. for 7 weeks. I hope you will continue to discover different kinds of music during

What the future holds?

THE FUTURELAB is a UK-base non-profit organization which support research and projects that facilitate innovative teaching and learning in this digital age. 
This is a very useful site for teachers who are interested in enhancing the relevance of their teaching and students' learning outcome in this the age of 2.0, or very soon 3.0. 
I was attracted to this page by the latest version of its

Summertime is ice-cream time!!

Ice-cream treat @ Lyon, France
Flavours: Lavender + Raspberry

Gelatomania - the best gelato shop in Geneva, Switzerland
Flavours: Caramel + Yoghurt


Hello Children,

How are you?  Are you enjoying the sun?  Before the series of Summer Song 2010 starts, I thought I'd like to share a series of pictures with you all which will surely bring you to the mood of summer holiday!! 

This is the

Summer Songs 2010

HELLO CHILDREN,
Summer is finally here!  Are you ready for it?  I look forward to my summer holiday every year; I will eat lots of ice-cream, I will build sand castles on the beach, I will jump over the waves with my friends,  I will lie down under a tree with an ice-lolli when the sun gets too hot!  What do YOU plan to do this summer? 
Though I don't usually spend so much time on the computer

LEGO and creativity

LEGO is one of the most ingenious toy invented, isn't it? Children get very excited when they receive new toys; but they get tired of it after playing with it for a while. Strangely, have you noticed, children don't really grow out of LEGO bricks. They'd bring them out occasionally and start building new things as they age. Even with adults, when we are sitting in front of a pile of LEGO bricks,

World Cup 2010 - The Vuvuzela

NOISE or MUSIC?

While you watch World Cup 2010, an unfamiliar sound fills the stadium. A lot of people are cheering with the colourful VUVUZELA.  I can already imagine some of you asking me, "where does the vuvuzela come from?"
You know what, children, I am afraid I cannot give you a certain answer - neither can media around the world.  People around the world are talking about this horn-like

Cycle-of-life for Toddlers

Have you ever tried talking to your toddler about life? And you may say, "What? They're too young for that!" You think so? The more I interact with kids, the more I think they know something about life that I don't, or at least I've forgotten about. I'd like to share a cute little short film with you and your tots - yes, a film about life that I'm sure both of you would love.For more films for

World Cup 2010 - The Opening Ceremony

World Cup is a world-class event; it only happens every 4 years. Last time when it happened, some of you were still in kindergarten and next time when it is held again, you'll almost be teenagers!!
An event as big as the World Cup unites the world. It breaks boundaries among nations, it brings people together. Music always play a big part when such an event happens. I'd like to share the video of

World Cup 2010 - Let's do the WAKA WAKA dance!

World Cup happens only once every four years! Last time when it happened, some of you were still in kindergarten; next time when it happens again, you'll be hitting your teenage years! There's also a theme song when such world-class event happens. This year, the song is called This time for Africa (or Esto es Africa, the Spanish version). The song features Shakira and a Soutch African band called

IAC2010 FILM recommendation #2 - Two Asian Films

Children, do you have dreams? What are they? What would you do to follow your dream?
These two movies from this year's IAC Children's Film Carnival are about determination. 
Tahaan has sold his best friend, the donkey, to repay his debt.  He is destined to get the donkey back - no matter how difficult the journey may be.
The second movie takes place in the beautiful landscape of Shangri-la;

How teachers see creativity?

To continue my sharing on school and creativity, I'd like to share with you one of the most inspiring speech I've ever heard in years.  Sir Ken Robinson, in the 2006 TED conference, gave the speech titled Does School Kill Creativity?  
He justified my belief and teaching philosophy - 
Creativity in school is as important as literacy. 
I won't do a summary of the speech as I encourage every

From the Newspaper - Creativity and your children's education

I'd like to share with you two articles from the Herald Sun.  The first one is an exerpt from a to-be-published book How to prepare for kindergarten: a common sense guide to guiding your child and yourself ready for day one.  The author, Laura Whitfield Watts, is a kindergarten teacher.  She enjoys working with the 5 to 6 years old for their creativity.  The article also talks briefly about

IAC2010 FILM recommendation - Azur and Asmar (France)

Azur and Asmar is a magical film directed by Michel Ocelot. It is about the reunion of two boys, Azur and Asmar who have spent their childhood togehter, and their dangerous and unforgettable adventure to find and free the Djinn Fairy. (Please click to see its FULL SYNOPSIS by GKIDS TV)  The decorative art in the film is beautiful; full of colours from North Africa and the Middle East.
This film

IAC2010 show recommendation - Zic Zazou (from France)

The annual Hong Kong International Art Carnival will be held between 9 Jul to 15 Aug this year.  Have you picked a show yet?  I'd like to make a recommendation to my students to see a French music group, called Zic Zazou.  It is a creative group who makes extraordinary music out of ordinary objects, like a ping-pong bat, a brick or a garden hose! I'm sure children would love the creative way they

Can we measure creativity? How?

Although the topic of creativity is not recieving as much attention as it deserves in the academic field, it is nonetheless a very important issue in education and child development. While factual knowledge is just a click on the computer away, the notion of "teaching from textbooks" is becoming less appropriate in the era of 2.0. (or soon, 3.0) We are not merely "knowledge receivers," but active

Year 2 music: African Lullaby

My students have been doing a unit about Africa in their English class. The school arranged an African drumming session for them. I was there and it was lots of fun~~It's great to make music together. After the drumming, I thought it'd be nice to share some African music with them and I chose this lullaby from Africa.Children, do you hear any instrument? Is there African drumming?

Year 1 music - The Amazing HONDA CHOIR

Who says singing this the only thing choirs do?Check out the Honda choir, every single member of it is so good at voice making. They can make sounds ranging from the raindrop sound to the squeaking sound from a car while making a sharp turn.I play this in Year 1. Before showing the video, I let children only listen to the "piece" without the video and have them guess what's happening. Obviously,

Aesop, the great storyteller

There once lived in ancient Greece a slaves who was very good at telling story.  Not only were his stories entertaining, they always have morals behind them - each fable has a lesson to teach children.  This man's name is Aesop, his fables have educated many generations of children for....OVER 2000 years!!!
Aesop's Fables are short and fun to read; they serve as quick bedtime stories.  The

A beautiful Jewish Lullaby - By the Wayside stands a tree

The Jews have gone through a lot of tough times in history; it is not hard to find traces of bitterness in Jewish music. Listen to this lullaby and refer to the translation below, you would be able to empathize some of the deep emotions that mothers and children carry.

By the Wayside stands a tree
By the wayside stands a tree, bent against the storm. All the birds have deserted it, leaving it

Beautiful Barefoot Books

Their books are full of colour and culture; their books bring children into a whole new world of imagination. There books are BEAUTIFUL! Not only do I like Barefoot Books for the the above reasons, I also love the initial intention and core values behind this community of children literature. As quoted from the official website, this is how it all started, "Barefoot Books began with two mothers

If the World were a Village of 100 people by David J. Smith

A few years ago, I received an e-mail that read, "If the World were a village of 100 people, the village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific.
51 would be male, 49 would be female
67 would be unable to read
50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
33 would be without access to a safe water supply
24

Virtual music instruments

What are future composers like?"The Composer" - Jennifer Main (1999)We have left the era when composers created by writing music note by note on manuscript paper. Nowadays, composers with computer keyboards using computer softwares. Furthermore, many composers nowadays may not even know music theory. They compose with MIDI and audio programs; they write great music!Sometimes, as a classroom music

WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT

This book is an excellent opening to a creative movement unit in an early years music class. It is about a family of five going on a bear hunt; it is an adventurous journey. They go through long grass, sticky mud, deep river...before they finally reach the cave where the bear lives.
Children love this story because the adventure brings their imagination far far away from the classroom; yet the

Picasso Fun~

Three Musicians (1921) - Pablo PicassoEveryone knows about Picasso; he was the pioneer of the cubism movement in the early 20th century. Personally, I don't particularly fancy cubist artwork (because I find the paintings too "crazy."), but I can't deny that it is quite fun to look at them sometimes - objects are broken into pieces and re-assembled in an abstract form - which makes me feel like

Year 2 music: 爸媽小時候

音樂是一種文化產物﹐它承傳了上一代的智慧和歷史。音樂課便是一個令這些寶貴的產業世代相傳下去的渠道 - 這樣﹐好的歌才能活下去。孩子很少去認真研究父母孩童時代的喜好﹔但他們會很好奇去知道究竟爸爸十歲時玩什麼玩具﹖媽媽七歲那年聽過什麼歌﹖這兩首來自七十年代的歌正好給孩子機會去認識父母或祖父母的過去。我期待孩子跟我分享他們的新發現! 小時候作曲﹕顧家輝 作詞﹕鄭國江小小的宇宙 歡欣的宇宙蹦蹦跳 哈哈笑 是我小時候小小的宇宙 天真的宇宙真的我 真的你 唔係小木偶愛動腦筋 活潑天真 凡事好發問踢波跑步打韆鞦 不知天高地厚小小的宇宙 繽紛的宇宙像皮球 天天轉 奇妙事不斷有香蕉船 作曲﹕顧家輝 作詞﹕鄭國江香蕉變出香蕉船 船上面有一排歡笑面多可愛 多康健 齊齊共唱歌謠聽得見歌聲笑聲滿世上 快樂雲裡現滿載遊戲兼歡笑 它帶來溫暖開心見到香蕉船 齊齊伴住彩虹天際現彎彎掛於天空上 人人話那彩虹香蕉變

Year 1 music: Clapping music (Steve Reich)

Clapping music is a minimalist piece written by Steve Reich in 1972. Steve Reich is one of the greatest American composers living today; he was just awarded the Pulitzer Price in music in 2009.
Clapping music is one of his famous pieces which features two musicians clapping - as simple as that!
Here's an old video clip of Clapping Music:

Children like looking at animated version of musical

Year 1 music: Is clapping music?

We clap to show appreciation, respect, encouragment, etc...but little do we pay attention to how clapping can enhance rhythms and beats in a piece of music.Young children, around 6-8 years old, love watching "extremes" - biggest ant in the world, tallest building in Hong Kong, smallest dog, etc. That's why they're ecstatic when they watch this video of the fastest clapper in the world.Certainly,

Children, are your hearts aching?

Not so long ago, YuShu County was a colourful place in China.

Then earthquake happened.  The colours are buried under the rubbles and snow.

Children are sad.

Mothers cry.

My dear children
Are your hearts aching?  Are you praying?  Are you helping?

So that, these children can go back to school soon...

So that these children's world can be filled with colours again?

To my oversea readers, 

Cloud Dreamers

WHAT DO YOU SEE? 

I see a spaceship.  I see a the head of a dashing dinosaur opening his mouth.  I see a chubby bird.  I see a drowning sheep.  What do you see?
Cloud-watching is such a relaxing pastime, isn't it?  I can spend a whole afternoon watching clouds changing shapes as they calmly float by (usually I'd grudually fall asleep).  If you have children with you, such afternoon wouldn't be

Disney Song 2: I've Got No Strings (Pinocchio)

Why does the gay little dicky bird sing?What put the "zing" in a butterfly's wing?What's the reason for the smile of a troubadour?Why does a breeze have a barrel of fun?Even the bee who's a son-of-a-gun, it's all because they're free,and stringless the same as me.I've got no strings to hold me down,To make me fret or make me frown.I had strings but now I'm free,there are no strings on me.Hi-Oh

An Apple a Day

Not only is "apple" the first chapter in a traditional alphabet book, I believe it is possibly the first object of still life drawing to many children. People like drawing apples because they are cheap and handy. (and we can eat it when the drawing is finished. =p) Although I didn't have much talent in painting, I do remember myself drawing fruits as a child. I would always start with drawing

Children poetry starter - Dr. Seuss

When I was a child, my mom had borrowed me a library book called "Green Eggs and Ham." I remember very vividly my impression on this book after reading it - I didn't like it, for 2 reasons. 1) The look of the characters are really bizarre. 2) I had no idea what the book was about!  The first part of the book begins like this:
I am Sam
I am SamSam I am
That Sam-I-amThat Sam-I-am!I do not likethat

Degas and Dancers

Though I don't know much about Edgar Degas (1834-1917), I've always loved his series of paintings on (ballet) dancers. Apparently, he lived during the time when ballet was one of the most popular form of stage art in Paris; there's no wonder that he has developed such an obsession on this topic.Here's a few from the series which I find very intriguing; they represent the road to become successful

Year 1 & 2 music: I see music! (2)

The music animation machine has come up with some new animation for classical songs.

These versions of animation really suit the mood of the songs! I hope you'll like these 2 videos as much as I do.

1) Chopin and connecting lines



2) Debussy and sliding circles



Please visit the blog post Year 1 & 2 music: I see music (1) for another version of music animation.

Ear & Eye Candy

Human senses are amazing. I bet most of us would perceive these pictures of desert plants differently just by quickly glancing at them. What we see, hear, smell, taste and touch have the potential to cause immediate changes to our heartbeat rate, our breathing rhythm and our emotional state.Pregnant women tend to be more sensitive to these changes within as they always pay attention to the

POP ART artist #2- Andy Warhol

This is the series "Ice Cream Dessert" created by Andy Warhol in 1959. I hope children would like it as much as I do!


Red Pink and White



Red and Pink



Purple Fancy



Fancy Red



3 scoop


One of Warhol's famous work is the "mass-produced" images from photographs of celebrities.  You may be interested in playing the colour of Andy Warhol's Marilyn Prints.

Also, the official Warhol site

Year 2 music: Laugh and Learn

During a music history lecture in my first year undergraduate study, the professor said that he's gonna play us some "Jew's harp music." I though to myself, "ok, sure...but what's a Jew's harp??" Since nobody asked, I waited for the music to start. To my surprise, the sound of the instrument is neither "Jewish" nor "Harp-like," my gut feeling was "what the? This is an absurd sound! I want to

International Children Film Festivals

From North America
New York International Children's Film Festival
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival
Providence Children's Film Festival
Montreal International Children Film Festival (French only)

From Europe
European Children Film Association
Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Youth 
Athens Children Film

Homeschooling - Is it adequate?

I had an interesting discussion on homeschooling in Hong Kong with a parent. She is frustrated by Hong Kong's education policies and the policy changes in her daughters' school. So she wants to withdraw her children from school, at least for a while, so that she can homeschool them. Unfortunately, homeschooling is illegal in Hong Kong.Since it is not an alternative to formal education, Hong Kong

How Mother Goose helps Baby Massage

Baby massage has become quite popular. Even if parents do not know the massage techniques, they still enjoy touching their baby gently because they know that their babies like it. Baby massage is an intimate time between mommy/daddy and baby - baby lies down comfortably at a position where they can make eye contact with mommy/daddy (whoever's giving the massage), and they long for every touch.

The Fantastic World of ROALD DAHL

If I can creep into the mind of any author, Roald Dahl would be on the top of my list.  I haven't read all of his books, but many of the characters he created have brought me into a world of wonder.  Charlie, Matilda, James, Mr. Fox, the BFG, etc...Having met them were wonderful encounters in my childhood.  Roald Dahl is a legend; he has the ability to organize children's wild imagination into

音樂教育的價值

我常常對家長說﹐我們一定要對音樂教育有要求。
曾經有一位我不認識的家長認真地對我的文章回應說﹕“老師﹐不是嘛﹖孩子在中英數等學科已經很有壓力﹐音樂堂嘛﹐就讓他們輕鬆以下吧!我們小時候上的音樂堂﹐都只是跟同學唱唱歌﹐那些都是快樂的回憶。”
上了十多年的音樂堂後﹐學生的得著只是一些快樂的回憶 - 那不正正就是香港音樂教育的失敗嗎﹖如果音樂老師能做到的只有這些﹐我們應該覺得慚愧。
身為音樂老師﹐我對自己的教學有兩個小小的堅持。第一﹐我不介意當合唱指揮﹐但我不會選拔精英﹑更不會參加比賽。第二﹐我不用教科書。
唱歌是全世界每一個人都應該參與的活動﹔無論學生唱得好不好﹐他們都應該有機會和大家一起唱。再者﹐音樂老師的重要職責就是令所有學生都能發揮自己聲音的獨特性 - 身為唱歌老師多年﹐我從未遇過一個不能唱歌的學生。我們是認識音樂的人﹐在世上云云歌曲中﹐難到會找不到一首適合個別孩子的歌曲﹖小孩子都愛唱歌

Year 1 music: Yummy instruments

One of the highlights in a world music unit is learning about exotic instruments. We grow up in a once-colonized city; most of us are quite familiar with Western music instruments. It's almost children's common sense to know what a violin or a piano is. Therefore, introducing Western music instrument in a lower primary music class may not be the most attrative topic to children. Why not show

Arts curriculum around the world

Curriculum and policy is a major area in educational study. I happen to be very interested in comparing music curriculum of different countries. These curriculum have helped me a great deal as a music teacher when I do my year plan. Click here for HK's Arts curriculum documents.I'd like to share a few online sources where I usually go to when I'm looking for arts curriculum. Hopefully, later, I

TATE GALLERY UK sponsored by BT Group

Tate Gallery is a modern art gallery in the UK. Its four galleries are the home of British art from 1500 to present day. The galleries also hold frequent exhibition of modern British art; its website has been used as a plateform for internet arts exhibits.Tate Kids is part of the outstanding Tate Online project sponsored by the BT Group (British Telecommunication company). This online learning

Year 2 music: Disney Song 1 (Little April Shower from Bambi)

Drip, drip, drop,Little April shower, beating a tune as you fall all aroundDrip, drip, drop,Little April shower, what can compare with you beautiful sound.Drip, drip, drop,When the sky is cloudly, your pretty music can brighten the day.Drip, drip, drop,When the sun says, "Howdy", you say "Goodbye" right away.Drip, drip, drop,Little April Shower, beating a tune everywhere that you fall.Drip, drip,

Andy Goldsworthy: a brilliant environmental-artist/sculptor

I fell in love with Andy Goldsworthy's art work when I first saw it in a creativity class I attended some time ago. When he creates, he experiements with various natural materials, such as stone, grass, flower, feathers, snow and clay. Since his work is "mortal", he would use photography to capture them. In fact, the wearing away of the product is part of the projects.Many schools have included

High Art for children - is this too much?

This painting is by painter Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678). Its title is inspired by a Flemish proverb "As the Old Sang the Young Play Pipes." Do young children need to know about these facts when they look at this picture? - No. Then is this an appropriate painting to show young children? - Ya, why not? Sometimes, we are intimidated by fine art. We're afraid that we may not be in any position to

Year 1 music: The vegetable orchestra

In my school, every child plays a musical instrument. They're involved in different music groups like bands and orchestra. Most of them knows what does an orchestra looks like; they are familiar with Western instruments.Therefore in class, I feel no urge to introduce Western music yet; that's why I tend to teach more world music and I love looking for funny music videos so that their perception

Before they can write creatively...

When reading a story to toddlers or kindergarten children, we would always go through the whole book, over and over again. They enjoy it because children at this age are always fascinated by how an event happens - how it starts, what happens next and how it ends. They may not have the language skills to tell a complete story, but they are becoming aware of the pace and the progress of a plot.By

Easter Holiday Suggestion #2- The Adventures of Peter Rabbit

There is only so much that I can teach in a music lesson. In fact, I believe a big part of a child's musical expereience should happen out of music class. That's why I like making recommendation to children of what's suitable for them to see in Hong Kong.Since my Year 2 happens to be learning Peter and the Wolf in the Music and Drama unit, I strongly recommend them to see the HKPO performance of

The magical kaleidascope

Do you recall seeing these images when you were a child? The kaleidascope used to be one of my favorite toys. To me, as a child, looking into a kaleidascope was like looking into a magical world. The construction of this toy is so simple, yet the many images, which one kaleidascope can produce, are so complex and fascinating. During a visit to Bali last year, I saw a delicate kaleidascope which

Music in the first 3 years

"Getting in Tune" is my favorite publications by Zero to Three; I recommend it to ALL parents. It talks about the musical development of babies and how music and movement relate to bonding and creativity development.Please click here for the .pdf version of "Getting in Tune" (be patient, it takes a while to load)

Year 2 music: Peter and the Wolf (Part.1)

Peter and the wolf is a brilliant composition. No matter how many times I've taught this, I'm still impressed by Prokofiev's creativity. This is still the best work I've come across that gives children a perfect start to learn about instruments, orchestra and program music.Not only is the music wonderful, the story is simple yet so carefully writting to trigger children's imagination - the

Year 2 music: Peter and the Wolf (Part.2)

I know Year 2's are dying to see Part 2 of the movie. Here is it:Part 2/2:This is the 3-D version for your comparison. If you're interested in this version to watch the whole thing, it's uploaded to Youtube in 4 parts.One more resource that I'd like to share is a link where you can find the synopsis of the original story by Prokofiev, his profile and the sound clip for each character's theme.http

PANWAPA sponsored by Merrill Lynch

A while ago, I've introduced an interactive gallery sponsored by HSBC. As I've mentioned, I really appreciate big corporate's investment into online educational resources because the the cost of website maintenance is high and non-profitable educational institutes may not be able to bear it. Today, I'd like to introduce a site called Panwapa. (A word from an African language meaning "here on this

Let the children design their schools

Joined Up Design for School is a project that allows schools' most frequent users - the children - to participate in the (re)design process of their schools. It explores how good designs can improve the quality of life in school by listening to children's voices.I'm impressed by how the 4-7 years old voice out their demand for a new reception area through coversation, exhibition and voting. It

THE LITTLE BEAR series by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth

This series of book is written by one of the awarding-winning children book authors, Martin Waddell, who has also written "Owl Babies".I like Waddell's stories because there's something about the storylines that children love. Many of his books' hidden message is "no matter what happens, momm and daddy are always there for you; they would never leave you." Perhaps this is the reason why children

Does it matter?

When I interact with children, I always always keep this passage from The Little Prince in mind: When you tell them (the grown-ups) that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collec butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has

Creativity Development in Wales - a pilot program

In 2008, the Welsh Assembly Government introduced a brand new curriculum into schools called The Foundation Phase; it is a framework for children's learning for 3- to 7-year-old in Wales. The curriculum incluedes 7 areas of learning, which includes:- Personal and Social Development, Well-Being and Cultural Diversity- Knowledge and Understanding of the World- Mathematical Development- Language,

幼兒與藝術

我很鼓勵家長送小朋友上畫班或手工藝班。即使是未懂走路的小孩子﹐他們正出於一個觸角非常敏感的階段﹔父母可以開始讓他們碰碰顏料﹑膠水﹑泥膠等不同物料。

其實坊間很多幼兒藝術班正為孩子提供這接觸藝術的機會。但每當我看到街上那些剛剛懂走路的小孩一臉茫然捧著他們的“製成品”﹐我都會覺得奇怪。他們拿著的可能是一隻用紙碟製成的小雞﹑一架用“廁紙筒”造的私家車﹐甚至是一隻跟他們身高差不多的海洋生物。我們都知道﹐這些製成品只是滿足成年人的道具 - 兩三歲的小孩子需要的不是一件製成品.

藝術是一種反映人們對世界的認知的渠道﹐對小孩子亦然。幼兒的創作不需要原因﹑不需要結果﹑更不需要方法。紙碟和小雞﹑廁紙筒和車﹐在小孩子眼內可能根本沒有直接的關係﹔這些製成品只反映成年人的創意(而且是不高的創意)。你放一張白紙﹑一些顏色筆在孩子 面前﹐他們會認真地畫﹐他們要一筆一筆地證明顏色筆與白紙的關係﹔說到這裡﹐

The Creativity Checklist

1. Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often quiet and at rest.

2. Creative individuals tend to be smart and naive at the same time.
3. Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or responsiibility and irresponsibility.

4. Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy at one end and a rooted sense of reality at the

學琴=中產﹖

最近有家長問了以下兩條問題﹕1) 為何絕大部分家長選擇一門藝術給子女時，都會選擇音樂，而不是繪畫或其他？2) 為何學鋼琴比起學其他西洋樂器流行﹖答案可以很淺易﹕“音樂考試與比賽較繪畫比賽流行﹐指標比較容易定位。” “鋼琴老師容易找﹐琴行也梗有一間o係左近。”但我想嘗試換個新角度回答問題。如果我說﹐問題的根源與經濟與社會有關﹐你會否覺得我誇張﹖五﹑六十年代的香港普遍貧窮﹐生於那個年代的孩子﹐絕大部份都沒有機會學樂器。到了這班孩子投入社會的時間﹐剛好是香港經濟起飛的美好時代。他們組織家庭﹑生兒育女﹔雖然節儉﹐但他們有能力投放適當的資源在子女的教育上。除了基本的學費開支﹐中產家庭都能騰出金錢給子女參加課外活動﹐通常是體育和藝術。他們通常會選擇學西洋音樂﹐而且絕大部份都會選擇鋼琴。音樂教育的文獻有提及過這種用樂器來證明社會階級提昇的說法。從前﹐只有上等人才有能力買一部鋼琴放在家﹔到了今時今日﹐

The cost of being creative

有時候﹐成年人在小孩子 面前應該覺得慚愧。

Year 1 & 2 music: I see music! (1)

Young children needs alot of visual aids to help them learn; videos, pictures, patterns help them interpret.Children cannot stay focus in a classical concert especially when a long long piece is being performed - that is because they don't have enough information to interpret what's in the music.This make introducing classical music to young children extremely difficult:There are two rules I

Lullaby and "Motherese"

"Motherese" is the term used in child devlopment research which refers to the special inflection, tonality and language used when caregivers (usually, but not necessarily mothers) interact with babies. Usually, we call it "baby talk". It is an interesting topic because it seems like the characteristics of "motherese" are similar across many different cultures.Naturally, mothers talk and sing to

World Music - Putumayo Kids World Playground Series

I'm a big fan of bringing world music into the classroom; it makes teaching and learning fun. I can talk about things other than music and children are happy knowing about them. I have students studying GCSE and IB complaining about the world music component (although they don't mind this as much as the composition component). Well, if all they've been exposed to from primary school onward only

Year 2 World Music - Israel

In November 1990, Ethiopia and Israel reached an agreement that would allow Ethiopian Jews to move to Israel under the context of family reunification - Operation Solomon marked an end to a dark era in the history of Ethiopian Jews, when children have lived day to day separated from their parents, not knowing their fate.The book on the left is called On the Wings of Eagles, this book tells this

What do young children deserve? - Early years education in Sweden

I mourned while I watched this episode about the preschool education system in Sweden. It's so unfair - Why can some children learn in such a free and natural environment while others need to be stuck in concrete classrooms meeting adult expectations since an early age?I was deeply touched when I hear a few points made by the teacher, the narrator and the students:"We go outside and play every

孩子哭了

最近在Youtube找到一條片段﹐急不及待跟學生分享。片段來自一個烏克蘭的節目 (Ukraine's Got Talent)﹔一位擅長用沙粒作畫的藝術家在表演。在時而激昂﹑時而幽怨的音樂下﹐一盤平平無奇的沙粒在八分鐘的表演內變成一幅幅會說故事的連環圖。表演的尾聲﹐畫家在沙上寫了一句我不明白的烏克蘭語﹔亦寫了一句令我明白故事背景的四個亞拉伯數字 - 1945 - 她要說的是有關戰爭的故事﹔第二次世界大戰對烏克蘭來說﹐是黑暗的歲月。這一段歷史﹐別說對我的小一﹑二學生﹐對我來說﹐也完全陌生。雖然我在學生播放前有過一絲猶豫﹐怕話題太深奧﹐小孩子不能明白﹐但是我還是選擇播了- 第一個原因是我想告訴他們知道創意不應受環境限制﹔哪怕一無所有﹖剩下一雙手和一堆沙﹐人們都沒有停止創作。第二﹐背景音樂很出色﹐整個表演觀賞度極高。影片開始﹐孩子們凝望著熒光屏﹐看著那盤散沙慢慢變成一副漂亮的圖畫。

Year 2 music: Christmas songs!!

Christmas songs make up an important part of childhood.In Year 2, I selfishly picked two of my favorite Chritmas songs to share with my children. I love this old version of "Alvin and the Chipmunks", so do the children:Just to spice things up, I also play them the new REMIX version~The 2nd song I shared with them was "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." Year 2 is the perfect age to

颳風下雨又如何﹖

說來慚愧﹐我大半生人都不大喜歡戶外活動。到了上大學的一次遊學﹐我才第一次躺在草地上看天空﹔而且那次更是逼不得以 - 一班女孩子嘻嘻哈哈地嚷著要躺在草地上拍張照﹐我怎好意思推搪﹖還記得躺在草地上的十數分鐘內﹐我腦海裡想著的只有害怕小蟲及螞蟻會爬到我的頭髮裡﹑有怕濕漉漉的泥土會沾到手臂上。我在香港長大﹐“骯髒”的定義很廣 - 我從小便知道不能碰泥土裡的小蟲﹑石灘上的寄居貝殼或草地上的野花 - 因為它們都很骯髒。小孩子時代﹐有時候按不住自己的好奇心﹐會頑皮地跟這些大自然的朋友握個手。不出一分鐘﹐我便會被帶到廁所洗手。久而久之﹐我便連跟它們握手的衝動也沒了 - 大自然從此便是個陌路人。現在的孩子﹐兩歲的時候讓他們搓泥膠﹔不消半分鐘﹐他們便會看看自己沾滿麵粉的雙手﹐嚷著要媽媽帶他們去洗手。他們用顏料畫畫﹐有水彩不小心滴到衣物上和臉上﹔傭人看在眼內﹐立即會用最快的速度把小孩子帶離“現場”﹐

Volkswagon's contribution to creativity

I think Volkswagon hires the most talented Marketing team. They always produce creative TV commericals, like this one:



This is not necessarily the best commercial from a marketing point of view, but it's a delight to watch it - cool idea and amazing performance.

Another video is from a site called "The fun theory." It's a site sponsored by Volkswagon.

The site describes itself as "[a site

Classical music performances (Opera, symphony, choral work, etc.)

Think classical music is boring? ME TOO!!! haha...yes, even as a music teacher, I'm not that of a classical music lover. But at the same time, I think it's nice to tell kids about classical music. So I strive to make it as FUN as possible! (for both my students' benefit and MINE!)Creative Kids Central is a superb site for kids to learn more about different kinds of classical music on stage. There

Year 1 music: Teaching DO-RE-MI

"DO a deer a female deer...." = BORING! The song DO-RE-MI is such popular song that a lot of children have heard of it before primary school, which means it's not a good idea to introduce it in class. (And for some reason I'm NOT a Sound of Music fan at all.)I compare this song to DO-RE-MI (from Sound of Music), and see if they can use the right terms to describe the similarity and differences (

Year 2 World Music: Australia

I think we've listen to this song in class for at least 10 times (we designed a dance to it~) and children still haven't got fed up with it. They love the story behind the song and the melody was so easy to pick up. The only downside is that I can't use this song to introduce Aboriginal music. It'd be perfect if I can find a version with didgeridoo playing in the background.
WALTZING MATILDA

To my dear little friends

那次不辭而別﹐令我到今天仍然耿耿于懷。

小朋友﹐我們彼此認識一年多了 - 那即是你們的大半生。我看著你們成長﹔從爬行到蹦蹦跳跳﹑從呀呀學語到懂得主動跟我說早晨﹑從愛哭變成主動...有幾個甚至在媽媽的肚子裡面已經聽過我的聲音 - 大概這就是緣份罷﹖

沒有工作的星期六早上﹐感覺很清閒﹔對於一星期裡面﹐終於有一天可以睡晚一點﹑星期五晚上我終於可以晚點回家﹐我是感恩的 - 畢竟那是我過去兩年來都未享受過的生活啊!但是﹐到現在我仍然會在每個星期六早上想你們一遍﹕

Sabrina仍然像從前般害羞﹑常常躲在爸爸身後跟老師玩捉迷藏嗎﹖
Audrey依舊會一走進課室便大聲跟大家說聲哈囉嗎﹖
Jay還是一樣喜歡站在圈圈中間表演跳舞嗎﹖
Christopher還常常用那殺死人的眼神望著老師嗎﹖
Elena那“招牌”的扭屁股舞步有沒有進步啊﹖
Alby還是一樣愛跳跳跳﹐