The short duration Summer English course for 7 to 9 year old children (Days 1 and 2) - The 3rd and 4th of August 2015

The new group of children I have welcomed yesterday largely exceeds what I consider the ideal number to work with and the first day has proved I was right. Not only wasn't I able to clearly control the overexcitement of some of them, which ended up destabilising the group but also incapable  of supervising the artistic works we complement the English classes with for half an hour a day, despite having the support of the colleague who works with me.  

 

 

I had already had many of the children in previous groups of mine and the four newcomers did easily get integrated ... but what I feel is that the Friday theatrical performance will most probably be "affected" by the high number of  young "actors" on a single stage ...    

João, Eric, Maria, João, Ricardo, Tomaz (front row from left to right). Duarte, Tomas, Inês, Alexandra, Gabriel, Marta, Filipe and Duarte (in the back row from left to right).

The artistic endeavours were highly dependant on their capability to be able to do them without supervised "guidance" and if the first day proved to be rather organised, the second day turned out to be rather "disastrous" in regards to certain works, particularly the "difficult" ones using coloured sand and scrapers.

Colouring "mandalas"

Doing some scrapping artistic pieces

Using stickers following pre-defined schemes to make artistic "canvases"

Using coloured sand and glitter following pre-defined schemes

Building up 3D wood constructions

I started my second day fairly early so as to be with the twin siblings who get to the Centre by six every morning because of their mother being the guardian.

We finally managed to have a "decent" photo taken for the ceremony of the handing out of the certificates  and by decent I mean one where every child's face can be seen (which proved to be quite impossible the day before).

We also decided to have two different photos taken so as to organize the "Theatre" brochure contemplating those who will be playing the role of narrators of the story (to be seen on the left underneath) and the "actors" on the right - the girl and the various birds -the swan, the pheasant, the peacock, the kingfisher, the wagtail, the moorhen and the seagull.

Four finished artistic pieces

(To be continued)