It's been 3 months since our last newsletter and I liken it to the first trimester of a new born baby. The first couple of weeks was hectic with lots of preparation and stuff to buy for the club, followed by the Full Moon (Welcome party), and other milestones and events. Now that the baby's 3 months old, we've sort of settled down to routine, only to realize to our horror that we｡ｯve got MASSES to do in preparation for our two large events ｨC the Bon Odori in July and the Tokio Festival in November.
"A club is as good as its members", or so the saying should go, and as a young club we are no different in trying to enlarge our group with nice, outgoing and sporting members who share the same vision, goals and sense of fun. True to our club's philosophy, we are pleased to introduce our newest members of the group Christine Tan-Kawatani and her children Shiina & Yurika, French Dame Martina Colloredo-Mannsfeld and Clement Liang!
Our Japanese Playgroup is now coming along prettily, with regular members and many non-Japanese friends also coming to observe and join the group's art and craft activities, songs and imaginative story-telling. Location for the playgroup has always posed a problem for us and we're now looking to change it to a place where we can introduce the Japanese culture to more members of the public. For details of the new location, schedule and on how to join the Playgroup, please call 012-5345196.
And speaking of children, our resident educationalist has written an article on "Educating your Child for Global Competitiveness" a topic close to many of our member's hearts which will be discussed at our 1st Potluck party on July 1st on a beach!
We keep getting requests to organize classes etc, but before we start them, we would like to ensure there is sufficient support. So please contact the organizer to register your interest in the classes!
*Japanese Casual Conversation Class - Have always wanted to learn practical Japanese but without the grammar and text-books? Try this class and you'd be hooked!
*English REAL Conversation Class for Japanese Speakers - The same as above but specially designed for Japanese who want to learn how to carry on a meaningful conversation and practical phrases for life in Malaysia
*Cooking Club for local delicacies - you've eaten them and have always wondered how it's made learn the cooking tips from guest cooks!
*Para Para Dance lessons - not quite line-dancing but you will be taught dance steps to popular dance-floor music. Imagine being able to dance the entire song with moves so cool and practiced that your friends will see you in a different light! Great for exercise too!
*Hip Hop Dance lessons - More for the young and mobile, it's uber-coolness!
*Penang Food & Fruits Festival July 1 - 31st @ PESTA
*MATTA Fair June 30 - July 2nd @ PISA
*St Anne Festival July 29th @ St Anne's Church
*Megamall Shopping Carnival Aug 1- 30th @ all shops!
*Penang Biathlon Aug 5 & 6th @ Penang Municipal Park
*National Day Eve Celebrations Aug 30th @ Esplanade
*Merdeka Eve Classic Film Festival Aug 25-31st @ Paradise Sandy Beach Resort
Children's education has become important in our lives as every parent strives to get the best from their children. A properly planned education system for children is therefore very important to ensure that children discover their potential and gain confidence in this early learning process. In short, the plan must be holistic enough to enable children to develop a sense of pride in their own work and find learning an experience, which is fun and inspiring.
Children are born with different personalities and therefore have their own ways of expression. Unique and individual expression is clearly seen in every child and this diversity should be encouraged. Allowing expression among children without adult interfering is a good way to allow them to explore as well as to encourage free flow of ideas, which can enhance the mental development of children. Creativity develops not only a variety of ideas but also helps to guide children into solving whatever problems they may face.
As we recognize the importance of creativity and expression among children, we should also emphasise on the understanding of the self-expression. Self-expression is also a way of communicating with others. Good communication skills are therefore also essential to not only allow children to convey their thoughts, but also allow adults to understand them better and vise-versa. Communication skills can be nurtured in play group sessions or even in learning processes in which children take part in group work. This kind of interaction helps them to learn how to work with each other more harmoniously and efficiently through proper ways of communication (important in a plural society like Malaysia).
Expression also can be enhanced through proper integration of children｡ｯs minds with what they can learn from their environment. They should be encouraged to glance, see, look, watch, gaze, squint, peep, observe and etc (which involve using different level of mental energy) and subsequently touch, feel, press, and so forth. Through mental thinking involving visual images or visualization (involving the above methods), children learn to capture information "live" and digest it from within, and as a result, they develop various necessary skills which involve linking of ideas, imagination, analytical skills, logic and even sensitivity to light, colour and space. Such qualities eventually help them to be more ｡ｮaware｡ｯ of many elements surrounding them, and develop a sense of belonging, love, respect for people (community service) and nature (appreciation of nature). They will also be more responsible for their own actions, starts with activities at home. Through this, they learn to become better.
With the above exposure, children learn to develop self-confidence, assertiveness and awareness. In time, they will develop creative thinking, which eventually will contribute to their ability to think openly, be more flexible and adaptable. These are essential, given the fast changing and dynamic environment waiting ahead of them.
The Play group is coordinated with a lot of movement to benefit children in terms of developing their kinetic skills, seen here in the picture as they tried to imitate a prawn sushi (haha!).
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