In our efforts to make learning fun we offer more than educational games, toys and materials. We also do specific improvement projects and they can be pretty diverse. Here’s a description of some of the projects we did:
World Hope International, Mondulkiri
The NGO World Hope International (WHI) hired us to create an afterschool program for children ages 8 – 12, focusing on the world around them. WHI is supporting seven schools in areas where Bunong people live. The Bunong are a minority – living in the border area of Cambodia and Vietnam -; they have their own culture and beliefs, but they are more and more integrating in Khmer society.
We have written 80 lessons (in English and Khmer) and provided all the associated materials. It is a two- year program that concludes with setting up an exhibition to inform the rest of the school and the village as well.
Pannasastra International School, Battambang
The school director asked us how they could improve on their play-based learning methods with the early learners. We offered to start with an analysis. After one week of observations and interviews, we submitted a report to show what was going well and where improvements would be necessary or desirable.
The analysis concluded that the teachers needed more background knowledge on child development. They could also do with more practical ideas on how to apply playful activities in their daily lessons and provide free play time on a regular basis. There was also the need for appropriate play materials in the classroom.
We now offer a monthly training session with the teachers, and every month we bring some nice materials. We use these in the training, teaching the teachers to use the materials resourcefully. Then the materials stay in the school for regular use. Naturally we brought some of our own games and materials – every school should at least have a bag of cap bags – but we also purchased educational materials for this specific purpose. The bottom line is that you can implement play-based learning with limited resources.
Public Kindergarten, Siem Reap
Sometimes we find allies in improving specific situations. Public Kindergarten is not that common yet in Cambodia, but there are a few in Siem Reap. We are now involved with one of them, where the teachers do an amazing job with the few resources they have.
With the financial help of our ally, we are working on improving the small play ground in front of the school and training the teachers on general child development.
