Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived, and this year, we embarked on a week-long themed exploration of "Moonlit Fairytales & Starry Adventures." Children engaged with moon-themed picture books, uncovered the moon's secrets, explored the wonders of outer space, and experienced festive customs. It was a Mid-Autumn Festival filled with enchanting stories at Newton!
PN & N: A Whimsical Moonlit Fairytale
Exploring the Moon through Fairytales/Creative Moon Crafts/Moon-themed Games
Why does the moon sometimes appear full and sometimes not? With this curious question in mind, our PN & N class embarked on a magical fairytale journey inspired by the picture book "A Big Mooncake for Little Star" Through some vivid storytelling, they uncovered the secrets of the moon's phases alongside "Little Star" and gained a basic understanding of lunar cycles.
Inspired by the story, PN children engaged in a DIY moon-themed craft activity. With the teachers' assistance, they crafted their first-ever lanterns, their faces lighting up with delight as the lanterns glowed. Our Nursery children used their little hands to tear, paste, and mold, creating imaginative starry night artworks.
Through games like "Jumping Stars," "Crossing the Milky Way," and "Picking the Moon," children combined jumping, throwing, climbing, and other movements. These engaging moon-themed games not only provided a fun challenge but also further satisfied their curiosity about the moon, helping them uncover more lunar and space secrets.
K1 & K2: A Fantastic Lunar Journey
Exploring the Universe/Creative Space Exploration/Reaching for the Moon
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival week, we invited K1 and K2 families to participate in a parent-child creative craft project, setting the stage for a space exploration theme. K1 families used recycled materials to create unique DIY lanterns, while K2 children and parents transformed waste material into space-themed masterpieces. This collaborative effort, using diverse recycled resources and materials, transformed our campus with ingenuity and creativity.
We are grateful for the parents' participation, as each creative and loving piece added invaluable meaning to the activities.
To fuel the children's curiosity about the vast universe, we created a magical "Space Museum" using starry projections and various space-themed crafts. As the lights dimmed and the starry sky illuminated the room, space images were projected onto the ceiling. Children felt like they were traveling through space, immersed in a realistic cosmic environment. They learned about the eight planets in our solar system and observed the phases of the moon.
Inspired by their newfound knowledge, children expressed their aspirations for space travel through DIY crafts. K1 children painted acrylic spheres to create unique planet lanterns. K2 children, armed with knowledge of the solar system, boldly imagined and created their own "Galaxy Travel" scenes.
Children brainstormed ways to travel to space and land on the moon—some suggested spaceships, others rockets. Building on their discussions, K1 children, with guidance from teachers, constructed launch pads and experimented with launching rockets, competing to see whose could fly the furthest. K2 children engaged in a challenging "Fly to the Moon" physical game, navigating a "time tunnel" and climbing the "Milky Way." Our little superheroes bravely faced the challenges, ultimately planting their victory flags on the moon!
Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration: Embracing Ancient Customs
The day before the holiday was our Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Newton teachers and students dressed in traditional Chinese costume, embarking on a time-traveling journey to embrace the festive spirit and experience the true meaning and joy of this traditional festival.
It was a day filled with traditional cultural customs and experiences! Our campus became a bustling national-style market, featuring a dazzling array of seasonal festive items. A graceful lantern corridor, adorned with K1 parent-child DIY lanterns, exuded an elegant ambiance. A national-style handicraft workshop emanated a rich scholarly atmosphere, while the folk games area buzzed with laughter and joy. Children explored the market, admiring various elegant Mid-Autumn delicacies, revisiting traditional customs, appreciating lanterns and guessing riddles, and playing folk games, all in celebration of this special occasion.
Whether it was the "Braised Jade & Ruby Cod Fish Balls" dish inspired by Jiangnan water towns, the giant mooncake recreated from the picture book, or the sweet osmanthus-flavored water chestnut dessert, children savored Newton's exclusive festive treats. These sweet flavors of reunion, the most delicious tastes, lingered on their palates and in their hearts, becoming cherished memories of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On this full moon of Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions, we wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
May the moon and stars in every child's heart shine brightly, guiding them on their endless journey of pursuing dreams.
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