2019 Asian Carnival Closing Ceremony
While students, teachers and parents in SUIS Qingpu were still on their magical exploration of Asia, the Discovering Amazing Asia Express was already arriving at its final destination. On December 6th, we ushered in the closing ceremony of our Asian carnival and class carnival fair.
Early winter morning, a group of lively children in their Kung Fu outfits appeared on the playground! All of a sudden, the crisp air was filled with the harmonious sound of traditional Chinese Kung Fu music. Can you believe it — in just four short weeks of the Carnival, our students had learned Kung Fu! Energetically bursting with chi-powered cries and spine-chilling moves, the cold winter air became much warmer. The youth is strong, the country is strong, through the activity children not only learned the splendid treasure of China — martial arts, but also had a deep feeling of the brave, powerful upward motion of youth!
CLASSROOM CARNIVAL
Wow! See the fascinating fruit of learning at the Grade 1 stations! Passing through the history of Shikumen in Class 1A, we felt like we were in old Shanghai. Parent volunteers from Class 1B came to the class to give children a detailed introduction of Beijing’s traditional culture, delicious food, characteristic buildings, and immersed them in the spirit and history of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Then we walked into Class 1C, whose theme was “A Taste of China”. The children learned about traditional Chinese food culture through the hand-painted “Chinese Food Atlas”. A few more steps and we were with North and South Dynasties and standing on the Great Wall. That was because we walked into Class 1D, whose theme was about the Chinese heroine Mulan. Look! The gorgeous face paintings of 1E were simply amazing! In Class 1F, the theme was “My Nation, My Country”. Children experienced the customs and greetings of various ethnic minorities. And we participated in fun games and the folk dancing and we enjoyed the ethnic snacks before leaving. Then, entering into Class 1G, recalling the past of Chang’an, our glorious ancient capital, we traced Chinese civilization and the famous city’s food. Led by the students of Class 1G, we embarked on a tour of Xi’an culture and cuisine.
As Grade 2 ventured on a journey into history, we crossed to the Song Dynasty. The first thing you can feel was the cultural gathering of the Song Dynasty. In class 2A, we experienced the fun of writing Song Ci with a brush, there was an intrinsic feeling of beauty and creation. Visitors experienced simple window paper cuttings, and the children took their delightful works home. The most exciting game was the “throwing pot”, which had many people wishing for another chance to play! Do not worry if you did not have enough fun and games — class 2B let you play “Memory map of the Forbidden City Beast”, “Where Did the Emperor Go?” and “Winding Water and Flowing Cup”– so much fun! “Winding Water and Flowing Cup” was a kind of elegant way for ancient Chinese literati to sing and pay for their poems and wine. Is it easy for class 2C to play the three little games of Tang Dynasty. All of the successful children poets got a “Mother of Flowers”. Take the “Mother of Flowers” to class 2D. Let’s play three games: Match the idioms of Qin and Han stories, arch building architecture and building Qin and Han games. We can play them in school anytime we like!
Grade 3 and Grade 4 extended our exploration trip to Japan and Thailand. The first stop was Kyoto: Ancient Capital of Thousands of Years and Thousands of Temples. Entering Class 3A, there was an intense feeling of entering into old Japan. The young guides led you to have a close look at the clothing, food and accommodation in Kyoto, and their class posters. Move your fingers and make a Japanese sun doll for blessings. The exquisite decoration of Class 3B had you easily engaged with a Japanese childhood. Here you harvested endless gains and surprises! ” Sawatdee Ka”, welcome to our beautiful Thailand! You learned soft Thai and cooked sweet mango rice. A wonderful Thai feast was underway, and it attracted crowds of tourists. Look! The classroom of Class 4A was like an acrobatics field, and the children were all struggling to jump, kicking their legs high. They watched the difficult Thai Sepak Takraw performance video, so they were excited to experience the joy of being a professional Sepak Takraw player!
During Asian Carnival Grade 6 learnt about four different countries. 6A focused on Singapore, 6B learnt about Nepal, 6C studied Laos while 6D found out about Bhutan. The students experienced the happiness of creating beads by themselves. They not only had great fun, but also understood the meaning of beads. In class 6B, the simple decoration conveys the peaceful atmosphere of Nepal. A picture of Sudoku game shortens the distance between sudents and the country of mountains. The clear lake Fawa and the mysterious Podahada Pagoda make people want to go to the field to find out more about this country.
Today we celebrated what the students learnt by having a quiz between the students and parents and also the students displaying posters that they made highlighting what they have learnt. Overall it has been a worthwhile learning experience for both the children and teachers.
We are reluctant to say goodbye to 2019 Asia Carnival. We would like to say a huge “Thank you” to whole staff and parents. And especially to our adorable students for their hard-work and participation during this month. Their excellent efforts brought us endless joy and surprises.
Carnival is a transdisciplinary learning activity in which different cultures can be understood and parents can cooperate more closely with teachers. It’s also a big celebration of happiness and harvest. We are looking forward to next year’s Carnival in SUIS Qingpu!