LED’s Adventure Through Asia
Since the beginning of this term, students in LED have been engrossed in our continent study of Asia! As well as using the materials on the shelves for a general understanding of the flags, animals, foods and landscapes of Asia’s many diverse countries, each Tuesday we have taken the opportunity to have an in-depth look at some notable elements of Asia and Asian culture.
The LED students were excited to learn that the Chinese New Year began on February 1st. With 2022 we welcome the Year of the Tiger, an animal that embodies courage and bravery. This could mean that the upcoming year will symbolize resilience, strength, and a pivot towards refreshingly good change. Students were eager to learn about what animal represented their birth year, and we found out that LED is a vibrant blend of horses, snakes, goats, pigs, dogs and even a dragon!
To celebrate the end of Chinese New Year, students made lanterns to adorn our classroom. We learned that lanterns are a symbol of national pride in China and used to decorate homes and public places.
We continued our study of Asia with an in-depth look into the magnificent Great Wall of China. The children learnt all about when the Great Wall began to be built, who designed it, and for what purpose. They marveled at a Virtual Reality tour of the Great Wall, through which we got to really see the magnitude of this great wonder from many angles. The children were full of curiosity and questions about this amazing wonder of the world.
We also delved into Japanese culture. The Japanese have a festival each year called Hanami, where they come together to view and show respect for the beautiful Sakura trees found all over Japan. In Japan, it is thought that the souls of ancestors who have passed on live in the cherry blossoms and can be visited by their loved ones when admiring the cherry blossoms. In turn, the ancestors will grant prosperity and health. The students enjoyed creating their own unique cherry blossom paintings, complete with a poem.
The children were fascinated to learn about the “Ring of Fire”, a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. This week, we delved into the heights of the Himalayas with a visit to Mount Everest. We watched a video all about the world’s highest peak and the students demonstrated an impressive recall of facts about Mount Everest, which they were able to apply to their follow-up work shortly after.
