Amy Walter is an education consultant based in Antananarivo. She has been helping the pre-school section of Akany Fitahiana for the past few weeks. Read about her experiences...
In the
preschool classroom at Akany Fitahiana, the excitement of 29 two-to-five-year-olds
is contagious. From the moment I walk into the classroom each week and am
greeted by a resounding chorus of “Bon-JOUR, Madame A-MEEE!” continuing through
the two hours that follow, the children read, draw, sing, create, play, and
participate with enthusiasm.
Thanks
to an introduction from Susanne, I met with Alex and Lalaina, the preschool
teacher at Akany Fitahiana, last November. As an early childhood educator, I asked
what they needed and expressed my interest in getting involved. They identified
the dire need for basic materials – books, educational toys, and art supplies–
and support for incorporating them into the classroom. Since Lalaina teaches
the foundational maternelle subjects
of literacy and numeracy, the idea of our work together is to build on her instruction
by providing materials and implementing activities that extend the children’s
learning and play. This is the first in a series of blog posts and photos on our
collaboration.
Block turning into cameras
Block
play enables the children to develop their math sense and creativity. From the
first day I brought them in, the children began building and naming their
creations: “Madame Amy! Trano!” “Charrette!”
“Camion!” (House! Cart! Truck!). With my limited Malagasy, a lot of
gesturing, and help from Lalaina, we improvise and pretend that the blocks are
cameras, windows, and other objects. The children see how high they can stack
the blocks and experiment with balancing them in different positions. We also
use them to talk about quantities (counting and comparing), colors, and shapes.A
group of children work together to see how long a chain they can make.
Through
books, the children connect their letter reading and writing skills to the
written page, build their vocabulary, and expand their imagination. Each time
we read aloud (translating from English or French to Malagasy), the children
sit rapt and respond eagerly to our questions. On my most recent visit, I
brought enough books for the children to look at on their own or in pairs. They
looked intensively and turned the pages, shared what they observed, and
exchanged books with one another.
Right
now, we use borrowed books and toys, games that I make out of recycled
materials, and basic supplies. I will be creating more games (ex. puzzles,
bingo, sorting cards).
Help wanted
If you are interested in supporting this work, we would
welcome donations, monetary and in-kind, for the items listed below. We seek
materials that are open-ended (i.e., have many uses), child-safe (non-toxic and
not too small), and easy to transport, clean, and store. If you have any ideas
on activities to try or materials to incorporate, we would love to hear from
you!
* Blocks
of different shapes and colors, no more than 20 cm long each
* Large Legos
(ex.Duplos or Mega Blocks)
* Plain
or colored paper for drawing
* Thick
colored crayons
* Old
picture calendars to make into puzzles
* Board
books with large pages, vivid drawings or photos, and simple language,
preferably in Malagasy or French
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Amy L.
Walter is an independent education consultant based in Antananarivo.
