Winter is the season full of magic, beauty, and the joy of exploration and discovery. In order to allow children to feel the charm of winter better, we have specially planned the “Winter Magic World” theme activity to lead K2 students to understand winter in a wholesome way and feel the joy and warmth of winter.

Winter Scenes: The Charm of Nature

The climate in winter has distinctive characteristics, with temperatures plummeting and heavy snowfall. When children see the leaves outside their windows turning yellow and falling, they will understand that this is the transition to winter. We explained these natural changes to children in class to appreciate the unique charm of winter, and the children experienced the changes for themselves.

Winter is a time of change and new hope. Children learnt about the habits of animals during the wintertime. One example is birds migrating to warmer climates. The teacher led the students to discover why the birds fly south and their challenges, such as having no food to eat. The students and the teacher then thought about ways to help the birds on their journey.

To this end, they created bird feeders using bread, peanut butter and birdseed. The bird feeders were then hung on the trees surrounding the kindergarten.

Winter: Endless fun of outdoor activities

Although we are in the South and cannot build snowmen and have snowball fights, the fun of winter is still everywhere. We organised outdoor activities for the children to explore the footprints of winter, such as observing insects, collecting fallen leaves, etc. Children can feel the breath of winter and experience the joy of adventure in the embrace of nature. We also let children try different physical activities such as spinning tops and playing “snowballs”, allowing them to play in the winter sunshine and experience the fun of winter. These activities exercise children’s physical fitness and cultivate their teamwork skills.

One winter morning, the wet play area in the kindergarten playground was covered with a thin layer of ice. The children were attracted by this beautiful sight and gathered curiously at the pond’s edge.

Teachers took the opportunity to allow the children to experience the fun of winter and explore the mysteries of ice while ensuring their safety, making the morning more fulfilling with this rare hands-on learning opportunity.

Back in the classroom, the teacher led the children to complete a unique ice cube experiment. With a sprinkle of a handful of salt, a clear hole instantly appeared in the ice cube, and the ice cube next to it allowed the water to re-condensate into ice. Through this experiment, the children learned that salt can lower the melting point of ice and witnessed the transition between the solid and liquid states of water. This science experiment piqued children’s interest in exploring more mysteries of science.

Winter Traditions: Chinese Cultural Celebrations

As the New Year gets closer, the children use their little hands to make a series of New Year’s handicrafts full of traditional charm and unlimited creativity. Today, let us appreciate the masterpieces of these children!

The first thing is the colourful lanterns with different shapes. Under the teacher’s guidance, the children skillfully used paper cutting, pasting and other techniques to transform coloured papers into exquisite lanterns. Some lanterns are round, symbolising reunion; others are rectangular, showing children’s unique aesthetics. Various auspicious patterns are also drawn on the lanterns, such as the word “Fu”, magpies, plum blossoms, etc., which symbolise the children’s best wishes for the New Year.

You may also see a majestic flying dragon made by the children using various materials such as cardboard, coloured paper, and wool. The scales of the flying dragon are sparkling, and its eyes are bright, which makes it look more realistic.

Lastly, the children also made auspicious red packets and firecrackers. Various images, such as bears, rabbits and kittens, were drawn on the red packets. The firecrackers were made of red and yellow paper and looked lifelike as if they could make a “cracking” sound. During the production process, the children exercised their hands-on skills and deeply experienced the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Winter Heritage: Taste of Warmth in Cold Time

Winter is an excellent time to take nourishments for the body and many mouth-watering delicacies. We introduced special winter foods to the children, such as hot pots, roasted sweet potatoes, stir-fried chestnuts, etc. By making these delicacies, children can not only understand how food is made but also understand their nutritional value and develop good eating habits. We let the children make traditional winter foods such as hot pots and dumplings to understand the food production process and appreciate the fruits of their labour. At the same time, we also introduced them to the nutritional value of these foods and cultivated their good eating habits.

Nothing is more inviting when the weather cools down than a lovely hot pot meal surrounded by friends and family. In King’s Kindergarten, the students shared a hearty vegetable hot pot to share and create winter memories.

As the students listened to stories told by the teacher about the history of this auspicious dish, the hot pot was bubbling away, waiting to be enjoyed by all. The students carefully cut their vegetables and watched as they were added to the pot. Then, once ready, the students savoured their meal together, surrounded by warmth and happiness.

The teachers planned a unique dumpling-making activity so the children would get hands-on experience making a beloved traditional Chinese food.

During class, the children participated in a discussion and voted on the ingredients used in the dumplings. Then, they watched the teacher’s demonstration closely, learning how to flatten the dough, wrap the fillings into the dumpling wrappers, and shape the dumplings into unique forms. The classroom was filled with the sound of children’s laughter and excitement while the aroma of the dumplings filled the air.

Finally, it was time to taste. The children couldn’t wait to taste the dumplings made by themselves. The fillings were delicious, and the dumpling wrappers were soft and chewy. Each dumpling embodied the hard work and teamwork of the children.

This activity not only allowed the children to taste the delicious food but also gave them a deep understanding of the unique charm of traditional culture and the importance of teamwork. In the joyful atmosphere, the children gained skills and beautiful memories of growth and happiness.

Everyone is excited to welcome the Year of the Dragon as it is fast approaching. The children participated in a peanut-peeling competition and used the peanut shells as precious creative materials. After washing and drying the shells, the children skillfully created a collage using them as the dragon scales. This dragon made by the children’s skilful hands is a good wish for the New Year and a perfect display of their creativity and team spirit.

Through the different activities suited for winter in the southern part of China, the students in King’s Kindergarten have explored the endless mysteries of winter with their innocent hearts and curious eyes. They actively participated in various winter games and felt the unique cold and refreshing winter, touching the cold snowflakes and ice with their hands. The children were curious and wanted to explore questions such as why winter is cold and snowflakes have different shapes.

Through the different activities, we are pleased to see that the children not only learned knowledge but also developed the ability to solve problems independently in their thinking. They understand the world in their way, making this winter more colourful because of their thinking and discovery.

As their teachers, we are deeply gratified and proud of our students. We believe that through themed activities, children can grow up in happiness and open the door to wisdom in thinking. We hope that in the coming days, children can maintain this curiosity and spirit of exploration, move forward bravely, and explore a wider world!