The new year in Cambodia this year is the middle of April. It seems people here don’t have a custom to send greetings according to the season, while the countries of the foster parents such as the US and Japan have it. We introduced such cultural differences to children and we made a new year greeting card.
In developed counties, children may have an opportunity to experience easy paper crafts from pre-school ages, which is not common at all here especially in rural areas. There are many children who are totally new to hold colored papers, cut it into a curve with scissors, and paste things together with glue. Crafting can provide a lot of learning. This time children made a card with flowers popping out when opened. We incorporated the concept that what is folded in layers becomes a symmetrical figure depending on how it is cut, and that of creating a three-dimensional figure from a plane.
The children got excited in front of colorful papers and scissors that they don't usually see at home. Some children didn't understand how to make the certain shape or how to paste figures, even by looking at the sample, but it’s natural if there had been little experience of seeing things from such a perspective until then. For instance, spatial cognition grows through practice and experience. Nonetheless, while making errors, the children worked carefully and eagerly with the desire to complete - complete their works beautifully. The program took longer than planned, but everyone didn't seem to get bored or tired. I was happy to see them enjoying, learning with joy.
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