Life education for children, and parental workshop of spiritual environmentalisms, Malaysia

Date: 28th, Aug. 2016
Time: 2:00PM- 5:00 PM
On August 28, the fourth session of life education for children to nurture compassion was held as scheduled. All fifteen children started the day by paying respect to the Buddha; they then chose any one of the three themes designed for this session, namely, “Meditation Circle”, “Picture Storybooks” and “Creative Space”. They were also given the option to provide an update on their “Rainbow Mouse” project from previous session.
It was a fun day with many colourful materials such as paper, bottles filled with colourful powder, toothbrushes and straws.

The session began with the practice of Eight-form moving meditation, followed by a color comprehension game known as “mice squeeze”. Teacher Qiu-Yi then led the students on a tour of colours in nature, such as the different shades of colour in animals, vegetables and fruits. In addition, it was also explained that objects of the same kind could be different in colour; this was illustrated though the eye color of Westerners and Easterners as well as the different sky colour in different countries, locations and periods. Teacher Qiu-Yi also raised an interesting question: “how do we describe our moods in colours?” She then demonstrated the transformations of colours through combinations of different material.

Everyone paid full attention to the transformations of colours from mixing different material. The children were then encouraged to unleash their creativity by expressing their present mood on a big piece of paper using colors. Finally, the teacher covered the floor with a long roll of paper from one end of the Chan Hall to other; the children were encouraged to paint whatever captured their imagination on paper. It was as if a team of small horses galloping in the prairie – free, unrestrained and enthusiastic! This priceless painting captured the integration of different emotions and feelings of each moment, reflecting the simplicity and pureness of children.

The children showed great enthusiasm throughout the session; towards the end of the session, the teacher instructed the students to clear their props; after which they worked together to clean the Chan Hall. The teacher hoped that through these group activities, the children would be able to cultivate s sense of responsibility and accountability.

Senior volunteer, Shi, Ying-Qing, who is skilled at environmental handicrafts, was invited to conduct “Environmental Friendly Workshop for Parents”. She demonstrated ways to turn discarded waste into green products; for example, a used glass bottle, an old workbook cover, aluminum foil from milk cans, small sack of cloth, glue and scissors can be used to make a vase. A little modification and some wild flowers transformed these waste products into an environmentally friendly and elegant decorative item.

Would the next session be another lesson on colours? Or would the teacher lead us to reach the vast freedom of space? Let’s look forward to another fun exploration of the unknown.

Reporter: Chen Yanxing (陳研杏)
Photographer: Fu Xianglun (符祥倫)
Translator: Elenda Huang (黃儀娟)
Editor: Leefah Thong

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