Top 10 Activities for Scholastic Year 2024-2025

I know I am late for this year's Top 10 list of activities which were done in our previous scholastic year but believe me, this year was the hardest to narrow down. We explored various beautiful events that selecting these Top 10 was more challenging than I thought. So here we go!

• Number 10: The Toilet Roll Game

Probably like many, I have students who watch online viral challenges and as always these interests prop up someway or another. One game which I took on board while doing the project "Id-Dar" was the toilet roll game. This game was accidentally included in my schedule. Why? Because a day before I noticed the students trying out this activity on their desks and at first I thought nothing of it, however later I thought might as well investigate further. Students got the chance to play this viral toilet roll game while learning science, balance and fine motor stability. We challenged pairs to roll out the toilet roll back to safety without breaking it. Hence they had to be careful not to pull too hard nor drop any water from the bucket. The game opened up further discussions and explorations such as, "Will it still work if it is longer?" or debate if the game was fair for the playing duos. This activity marks the number 10 spot because it gave out more than what was expected, while proving that we can take student's interests and applying them in our schedules too, even if it is inspired by the social media videos that they watch.

• Number 9: Outdoor Work of Art

There is nothing better than ditching the classroom walls and head outdoors for some fresh inspirations. This activity was linked with our "L-Ajurplani" investigations, hence why the students paint brushes where conjoined in a symbolic aeroplane shape. I stepped back and let them explore the colours with their friends at their own pace. This was one of the earliest activities which we did that helped me observe closer the strengths each child had when it came to painting, creativity, social interactions and language development.

• Number 8: Aeroplane Prop

When one activity leads to another it is very hard not to place them back to back in this year's Top 10 listing of my favourite activities. Our classoom is limited on where to hang materials, so instead we turned our Outdoor Work of Art pieces into a playable fun Kindergarten size Aeroplane. This prop was used and loved by all students. We connected the colourful art pieces together, cut out windows, tied some strings and places empty boxes at the back of the giant prop. Then all was left for the imagination of Kindergartens to explore. From pilots to passengers, from Disneyland trips to Philippine Island tours, this prop served as a bridge between learning through play and spontaneous fun. What not to love about it right?

• Number 7: Shower Time

Speaking of Role Play, one can not forget the giggles and laughter we had while playing in our pretend DIY shower. Who can ever forget the long lines and cues of students waiting to eagerly get in the pretend shower and giggle away while learning about personal hygiene. Shower Time was fun time. No water was used but we did have bubbles to beat the long waiting line too. "Hand me the towel", "Throw some more soap", "Wash behind your back", "Scrubadubdub". Our Shower was always bustling with social interactions and let us not forget the way students linked home affairs through their play. No need to purchase real shower heads, we made our own cubical. Just the right FUN size for endless adventures to play.

• Number 6: Snowball Fight

As an educator, we may be expected to keep our students hush hush and regulate the students behaviors by keeping them quiet or sitting down. BUT.... Early Years Educators know that in order for our students to learn we must do the opposite. This is why this activity deserves a mention in this list. How many times do we hear about the importance of sitting tolerance right? Well before anyone can sit down we must MOVE and yep...we MOVED. Before this activity, students were encouraged to create their own pretend snowballs by scrunching recycled paper into balls. This improved their fine motor skills and teamwork communication. The more the teams made snowballs the higher chances of winning the game. Next up, the classroom was divided and presto, the snowball fight took place like a charm. There is no such thing as a quiet educator in our classroom, so of course the adults joined in too. Best part of it all, we trained our gross motor skills and core to later regulate our sitting tolerance as one expects. Movement is everything in Kindergarten and let us not forget this is how we learn.

• Number 5: Sewing our Pillow

From home I got a pillow which unfortunately tore during commute. So rather than scrapping away the activity another one was created during circle time. A needle, a thread and lots of patience were added in order to work as a team and fix our problem. Each child got an opportunity to thread with a prickly needle and help out the crew with this minor solution. Not only did this provide space for students to learn about sewing, but it also allowed them to explore other possibilities of how things can be fixed rather than thrown away. It also gave students a perspective of different skills which can assist in our life. Activities are not to reinforced around a paintbrush, glue stick and scissors only. YES they are great but let us NOT be afraid of the risky tools which also impose opportunities for learning what the outside world needs. This time a needle and a thread made it to the TOP 5 last time it was real woodcraft tools. Who knows what other risky tools we might introduce next to advance our skills?

• Number 4: Potato Fun

The most sought of area this year was without a shadow of a doubt our kitchen. Managed to rotate it into endless opportunities but the kitchen was always the go to play area this year. It was loved over and over again, even when it was turned to be used for different purposes, somehow cooking was too fascinating. Out of all the experiences we had in this little run down kitchenette, one stood out the most. The love of POTATOES. All it took was for me to get a sack of potatoes, throw it in the kitchen area and presto, the fun never stopped. We had potato fun everywhere and everyday until they rotted out. Inexpensive and ever so much fun. They loved washing them, peeling them, cutting them, chopping them, pretend cook with them, mash them, throw them, roll them, balance them, poke them....You named it they explored it and it was not short lived.

• Number 3: The Kantera Float

I can't believe I learnt how to write this song title fluently but after my students got fascinated with "Lalaratatakeke Lalaratakabum" during assembly, they couldn't stop singing it in class. My head was tuning these two words on and off constantly because of them singing, so the only way to tune it off was to investigate. Luckily enough we had a creative group and during our web discussions so many learning opportunities propped up. From the music aspect up to the Carnival too. The lights, the sounds, the colours, the fun! Linking our own cultures to the project was easy this time because Carnival was just around the corner and hence we were able to create our own float. Students names it "Kantera" and you guessed it, it played the song on repeat. This activity deserved a Top 3 spot because even the group Kantera themselves were amused about what Kindergartners can accomplish so why not celebrate such a milestone ourselves too.

• Number 2: DIY Doll House

Doll houses can be so expensive, especially the ones where you have the whole rooms. This is why instead of purchasing one we made our own with what we had. Here is a fun tip how we made the boxes stay put and not move. No it was not glue, no it was not tape. We used nuts and bolts to lock in the boxes securely without them tipping over while we played. This small world opportunity was a mighty one and beautiful set ups were arranged differently every time. Each student put in their unique flair on the rooms and above all their play. There were so many elements to incline emotional growth while not forgetting the importance of learning about different households too. YES this doll house got knocked out PLENTY times but only because our class is small compared to the amount of people in it. We move, we play, we touch and we rearrange. Not a problem if knocked out, it gets rearranged again and it is part of the fun too.

• Number 1: Pizza Delivery

I still can't believe we managed to pull this one off with so much learning opportunities. Seriously I was second guessing whether or not I should go through with it but when I plucked up the courage to do so, I was so glad I did. This is not just any PIZZA DELIVERY you see. While exploring the project "Pizza", students discussed the delivery man. I teach in a city full of restaurants, cafes, bars and many of which my students have easy access too within walking distance. Hence not many have encountered a Pizza Delivery in real life. We first looked up the menu, discussed which pizza is best to share and later I handed my phone to the students to order by courier. They were in absolute awe when they saw the GPS move. Eagerly with my phone in hand they gushed to the main door to witness if this was a hoax or not. To their surprise and full of excitement they were able to finally understand the true meaning of "Pizza Delivery". Many endless other learning opportunity took place and I am grateful for my superiors who have understood the main focus of this activity and accepted this opportunity to occur.

Yes, yes, yes unfortunately many other activities did not make the list and YES I know some projects neither. However it is not because they were not full of fun learning experiences, but because I strongly believe that these 10 varied in different elements of FUN. These were some of the most engaging opportunities our students had and hence why they are this year's Top 10 for scholastic year 2024-2025.