Fun at Summer School!

Summer school doesn't necessarily sound fun. But the month-long summer school in this Romany village in Romania will be. 

Last year children who did not normally go to school enjoyed making, listening, and learning through games like this one (Darts Without Darts, Davar Math Game 19). These children also learned that they could successfully learn. For example, by the end of last year's summer school, the younger children succeeded in writing their first names; the oldest children succeeded in writing both their first and last names. (More photos and details on the site of Stichting Aria, the Dutch non-profit which organizes these summer schools.)

Pray with us for this year's summer school. It will begin this coming Monday, July 29. Pray for encouraging results, unity within the team, God-given strength and energy for the leaders. And praise God for each child who comes and learns!

P.S. Leave a comment if you would like to see the outline for last year's summer school. It might stimulate you or someone you know to do the same.

4 WORDS: FLEXIBLE BIBLE LESSONS/EDUCATIONAL LESSONS

People who work with Romany children need to be flexible. Sometimes 30 children come; sometimes only 3.
Sometimes most of them are preschool-age; sometimes half of them are preteens. These suggestions are also flexible.

Four concrete words have been chosen from each Bible story. These words aid in remembering the story.

There are suggested activities to go with each of the 4 words. These Davar: Bridging to Literacy activities also practice school-related skills and help people of any age be more ready to read and write.

Each leader chooses how to tell the Bible story. Perhaps existing Bible lessons are used. Perhaps the leader has to make up their own Bible lessons. Perhaps the leader simply tells the Bible story. Every leader will change and choose from these suggestions for their own club.

Here is one example. Feel free to contact us for more information or more suggestions!

Esau and Jacob are born – Genesis 25:19-28

Nothing  - Rebecca had no baby, nothing happened (prayer)

Twins  -  Rebecca had twins, two babies (answer to prayer)

Different  - the boys were totally different, with different futures.

Tent - Jacob stayed home, in the tents, and helped his mother.

Suggested activities:

Nothing

FUNdament 11 Missing/Gone. Give everyone a folded paper, some have a little sweet in it, others have nothing.

Nothing, a bit, enough, much, too much. Explain the meaning of these words. Have each word written on a separate piece of paper. Put these at one end of the room. Also have smaller pieces of paper for everyone in the group with one of these words written on it. Hand the papers out, so that each person has one.
At a certain signal, everyone runs to the word on the floor that matches the word in their own piece of paper.

Nothing, something. Use words for amounts in both school language and home language. Everyone can increase their vocabulary.

Cook something together. Together, measure the right amount of ingredients. Or together feel/stir/taste and see if there is enough or too much.

Twins

FUNdament 9 Two - activities

Nice name? Parents choose names for their children. Discuss which names the group like. (This gives insight into the way the group thinks, and what they find important.)

Have each person make a paper hat with one of their favorite names written on it. Talk about a letter in that name.

Letter Game B8, variation 4. Everyone with an “A” in their name goes . . . (over by the window or stands by the red chair or . . . ). Everyone with a “J” in their name goes . . . .

Different and the same are words used in education, We need know these two ideas in order to do well in school. We play games to teach or practice both words in the school language and the home language.

Start Game B3 Mosaic, B5 Statues.  Are all the statues (or mosaics) the same?

FUNdament 10 The Same.  Make it fun, choose one person to do everything DIFFERENT while the others do the same

Draw differences. Everyone draws their own human figure. Then they draw another one which if very different than the first drawing.

Do a “see the differences” worksheet (Example with 2 houses, available via link).

Tent

Make a tent out of cloths or blankets. Eat a snack in the tent.

Take turns acting out some task that is done in the house (cooking, washing, etc.) The rest of the group has to guess what is being acted out. 

Connect the dots to draw a tent.

Marleen Schonthaler and Mary van Rheenen