Today we crafted!

Today was a huge success - we did our first craft.

I was finally able to bust open the treasure chest (my suitcase) of crafts that a very accomplished teacher (my mother) sent with me. For a warm up, we started with tissue paper flowers. These beloved flowers were a staple craft of my childhood, so it was particularly exciting to share them with the kids. When I gathered my supplies this morning, I also had thought that these would be a realtively easy project to start the kids with.

To do the craft, we start with few (4) sheets of tissue paper, scissors, and half a pipe cleaner.

My Setswana is still quite poor, so Kalilego helped me communicate with the kids. We had to set some rules:
1. no talking
2. you have to stay sitting in your seat

If the kids followed these rules, they could do the craft. If they didn't, then... After days of hearing the kids run around laughing, screaming, and making a general little kid ruckus, it was a incredible to experience the room being completely silent for an entire hour. It was fantastic to have a quiet room not only so that I could think, but because it should just how badly they really really really wanted to do the craft.

For further crowd control, we had to split the class into two groups, the first went before morning break and the second after.

When we started, I lead the craft and Kalilego translated for me. I'm not sure if she realized that I slowly faded away and by the end she was leading the second group by herself. The teacher for the little kids and one of the mothers (who is volunteering) slowly driffted over to our tables. At first curiousity may have been what drew them, but it quickly became clear that they were enjoying the craft as much as the little kids!
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It was really interesting to watch the different abilities of the children. Some had to wait for others to catch up, while others struggled a bit. I must admit that I had not realized how hard it is to like up 16 corners of tissue paper and keep them lined up through 3 folds! (Seriously, it sounds easier than it is).
Take a look at our group photo and tell me who you think is more proud of their flowers, the teachers or the little kids? It's hard to tell, eh?