Last week Village Progress ran an art and English program for students at Yanhuang Elementary School, a private school in Kunming that serves students from a broad range of the socioeconomic spectrum. Yanhuang, a private school, is academically rigorous with high-performing students, but its approach to education emphasizes character-building, compassion and a broad scope of vision.
We had a lot of fun interacting with kids from grades one through six. After a short English lesson, local artists took the reins and taught the students how to explore their creative side making hand puppets with only a few strips of paper and a brown paper bag. As the volunteers (gap-year students, foreigners, and local artists) went from student to student offering feedback we were amazed by the creativity the students showed. Some grades had kids whose bodies had been partly burned, but these disabilities did not discourage them in the least.
Taking advantage of these new creations, we used the puppets to study the colors, shapes, and animals in English through role-playing activities. At the end some students named their puppets and then introduced themselves and their puppets to the class. We have more funding available from a generous supporter who instructed that it be used specifically to provide art and creative education to needy students. Anybody with ideas about deserving schools and/or projects should feel free to contact us to discuss further.
We had a lot of fun interacting with kids from grades one through six. After a short English lesson, local artists took the reins and taught the students how to explore their creative side making hand puppets with only a few strips of paper and a brown paper bag. As the volunteers (gap-year students, foreigners, and local artists) went from student to student offering feedback we were amazed by the creativity the students showed. Some grades had kids whose bodies had been partly burned, but these disabilities did not discourage them in the least.
Taking advantage of these new creations, we used the puppets to study the colors, shapes, and animals in English through role-playing activities. At the end some students named their puppets and then introduced themselves and their puppets to the class. We have more funding available from a generous supporter who instructed that it be used specifically to provide art and creative education to needy students. Anybody with ideas about deserving schools and/or projects should feel free to contact us to discuss further.
