Teachable Moments...

This morning the children were riding their little cars and motorcycles in the front yard, when they all suddenly stopped. For a while there was quiet. Hmm… what could the children be up to? It turned out to be a 5 cm colorful caterpillar crawling on the cemented lawn. Teacher took this wonderful opportunity to get the kids to discuss about caterpillars.

Teacher: kira-kira mau kemana ya ulatnya? (where do you think the caterpillar is going?)

Zara : mau cari makan (looking for food)

Candra: mau makan daun (its going to eat the leaf – referring to the dried leaves scattered on the lawn

Apta: Ngga, dia ga bisa makan daun kering. Dia cari daun yang lembut. (No, it can’t eat dried leaves. It’s looking for fresh soft leaf)

Teacher: Coba lihat ada warna apa saja? (What colors do you see on its body?)

Children: Red, yellow, black, green

Teacher: Yes, lots of pretty colors. It’s going to be a beautiful butterfly!

Zara: Lihat! ulatnya ke rumput.. (Look, it’s crawling away to the grass)

All the children watched the caterpillar crawl away to the grass. Just then, the children’s attention drifted to Rayn who had just arrived. They called out to him excitedly and asked him to come quick to see the caterpillar. Suddenly, they couldn’t find it anymore! The children looked but it was gone!

Apta: Nanti kita cari lagi ya pasti dia sudah jadi kepompong! (We’ll find it later, it must have become a cocoon)

Teacher: Besok kita baca mengenai ulat, mau? (Well, do you all want to read more about caterpillars in class?). It was a unanimous 'Yes' from the children.