2018-04-11  Lao Niu Foundation

 “Going to Anderson’s Fairy Tale World[A1]  - Lao Niu Kindergarten Teachers Development Project”, having our Foundation’s donation of 2 million yuan, plans to carry out 3 phases of training from 2017 to 2018. This project will select more than 60 excellent teachers selected nationwide to go to International Kindergarten College in Denmark for training, aiming to learn Danish advanced methods and ideas for preschool education so as to gradually influence and enhance the teaching philosophy and methods of our preschool teachers to further benefit more Chinese children.

So far, this project has been successfully implemented in two phases. More than 40 outstanding kindergarten teachers from 12 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Fujian and Xi’an have been to Andersen’s fairy tale world to explore the sources of Danish happiness.

This article is the sharing of preschool education inspiration of Sun Qing, a teacher of Beijing Normal University participating Phase II of this project, after training.

There was no snow in Beijing during the winter, so it was a pleasant surprise to have a sleet day today. Suddenly I recalled the special furnishings that I saw while visiting a local kindergarten during my study in Denmark - glass house. It was a glass house set up on the outdoor land of the kindergarten, about 15 square meters, with big and small flower pots inside holding flowers and herbs as well as tools for weeding, ripping, and watering.

I wondered what this glass house is for. The principal of the kindergarten told me “this glass room is for children to experience various weather changes. No matter how the weather changes – wind, rain, or snow, children can stay in this small glass room to observe, listen to the sound of rain, watch the snow, and feel everything. Of course, they can also play inside, taking care of potted plants...”

What a wonderful design it is!

At the moment, it was still raining and snowing outside, so I had an idea: to take my baby downstairs to feel the sleet. After putting on her thick clothes and taking a big umbrella, we went downstairs happily.

After coming downstairs, I took my baby to a sheltered place in front of the building and told her, “baby, do you see it? This is the sleet, there are rain drops and little snowflakes. Stretch out a hand and feel it.” Then I squatted beside her and stretched out my hand to have the rain and snow fall on my hand. The baby was very exciting. She immediately stretched out her “little claw” to feel these.

So close to rainwater for the first time, she was very excited and maybe vigilant as she did not move forward. I asked her “baby, do you want to go down and have fun?” She immediately gave a “hum” response. I opened the umbrella and took her to the yard downstairs, and the rain fell on the umbrella. I asked her “Beibei, do you hear the rain?”, and I pointed to the umbrella and said, “see, this is an umbrella, people use an umbrella when it rains”.

With excitement, she danced and ran around, and I held the umbrella behind her. Sometimes she went to the places where there was a little deeper water, and I immediately pulled her out (I did not prepare enough outfit); except that, I did not restrict her movement. Later, I felt that the rain became light, so I simply closed my umbrella and let the baby play directly in the rain. She walked and ran very happily.

When all these happened, another mother was taking a four-year-old boy. The boy saw it raining and wanted to play for a while, but his mother did not let him play. When seeing my baby playing so “recklessly” downstairs, he said to his mother, “see, that little girl is not going home”, so his mother also let him play for a while.

To sum up, what I would like to say is:

1. Life lies in feeling. When a smart little life comes to the world, everything is so rare and fun in his or her eyes; however, when parents restrict children for fear of reasons like catching a cold, cold weather, and wet shoes in the rain, etc., they force the children miss many opportunities to perceive the world, thus miss many beautiful moments. This also seriously kills children’s curiosity and creativity.

When he or she grows up with curiosity on the existing world gradually worn away, a numb life will begin. I think that what adults should do at this time is to join their children to re-inquire about the world and discover its fun and beauty.

2. Workers must first sharpen their tools to do work well. Many children in kindergartens in Denmark and Germany wear rainproof fabric jumpsuits and a pair of rain boots – this can be called a standard outfit. Wearing this, they can play on the grass or in the forest at will. Such outfit gives great convenience for children, teachers, and parents as it is windproof, rainproof, and easy for laundry!

There are many forest kindergartens in Denmark. Children in forest kindergartens spend most of their time outdoor, and children in ordinary kindergartens also have plenty of time for outdoor activities. Raining or snowing will not restrict their activities. They do not care about the weather. They agree with the phrase “there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothes”.

Finally, I would like to give my blessings that every baby’s feeling about the world can be nurtured and extended.

My special thanks to International Kindergarten College, Reader’s Original[A1] , and Lao Niu Foundation for this opportunity of studying in Denmark!