At my crèche, the topic of the week was grocery shopping. On Tuesday my classroom’s lead teacher, Megan did an activity on explaining difference and value using the South African currency, the Rand. Teacher Megan also showed an example of how much things cost, such as apples, bread, and milk. After that the children made their own wallets and created their own money to put inside. I told them to save their money because they will need to grocery shop soon.
During the three week training that Lygia ran for the teachers and principals, they focused on active learning. Using some of the strategies we learned during the process, Teacher Megan and I decided to build our own Pick n Pay grocery store with the children. I got recycled materials such as old milk cartons, cereal boxes, and some use toiletry bottles. I then set up the store in the outside area. I then assigned a few kids to have jobs such as a cashier, a bagger, and one was a grocer security. It was amazing to see the children shop and talk about what they need for their house or for their families. They were really excited to use their own money and talk about the things they bought. The idea of creating child centered curriculum is new to many of the centers, and it has been great to watch this evolve. Below are some of the photos of the children engaged in play and learning.
EDvance 2019 Summer South Africa Service Program 