Currently we are supporting children in 2 provinces and sometimes we do the same activities in both while some other times we conduct different programs from each other. Now the translation of the children's New Year cards was completed, and I had a sense of déjà vu in the content written by the children in one place... Many children in this place wrote that the most fun event they had last year was the Cambodian New Year holiday. We once have had these children write what they would plan to do during the Cambodian New Year. And this time, when explaining the details of the New Year holiday, they wrote about some special preparations at home, a custom of visiting temples, and traditional games, just like before.
There are 2 things I can recognize here. First of all, I once again feel that these children are good at applying previous experiences. They remember what they did once before, and on a next occasion they think, "Oh, I know! I should just write in the same way as I wrote at that time." It was the same when children drew. Even when they don't have to write or draw that particular things, they sometimes demonstrate what they've learned.
Another point is that they may be lazy to think new things. I have no objection that New Year's day was the most fun. However, although they explained the New Year's events, they didn’t mention what was the most enjoyable part of the event and why it was fun for each of them (that's the main aim of this time's program, though). So to speak, I got an impression that they just write what they remember as a formality.
Still, if we don't leave this matter as it is but give these children an opportunity to think again by asking questions like above, we believe they will surely learn something new.
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