Playschool and Kindie
In my previous post I mentioned life in playschool. Some of my most vivid memories of childhood have been the year I was at Methodist Kindergarten in PJ. My parents spoke Hokkien with my brothers and I, so when I first attended school I didn't understand a word of English. That didn't stop me from making friends and enjoying school very much from the very start. I remember very vividly my teacher, Mrs Goh and the principal, Mrs Violet Goh-Lim. I remember learning lots of songs in school such as Wheels on the bus, I am a satay man, If you're happy, The alphabet song. I remember doing this really amazing puzzle. Each one of us got a puzzle which we put together by answering questions. If we get all the answers right, we can flip over the puzzle and be rewarded with a picture on the other side. If any questions were answered wrongly, the picture would come out wrong.
One of the activities to learn to count was to sit out on the kindergarten lawn to count the cars passing by us on the Federal Highway. Imagine that! Counting the number of cars on the Federal Highway. We're going back 30+ years, so there weren't as many cars on the Federal Highway then. During the one year I was in kindie, a nurse was invited to give a talk to my class about being a nurse. We all got a cardboard hat which we needed to fold and staple. Then we all pretended to be nurses.
Near the entrance to my class was a playhouse (indoors) where my best friend, Patricia Chan, and I used to play. I even remember fighting with the boys who wanted to play house too.
Each Monday, we brought a handkerchief with a loop sewn onto one of the corners. The hanky was to be hung on the rack in front of the class to be used at break time. We all lined up to go to the washroom to wash our hands and then use the hanky to wipe our hands dry. Then we all sat down and said/sang Grace before we eat. It wasn't an issue if we were non-Christians and I enjoyed singing Grace. After our snack, we all lined up again, this time with our cup in our hand to wash the cup and wash our hands.
I remember singing a lot, running outside and I learnt to hold a pencil to draw, read the alphabets, washed cups and playing in kindie. It was fun!
I wonder if Methodist Kindergarten is still this much fun. Too bad it is too far away from my home now or I will definitely consider sending Adam there.
One of the activities to learn to count was to sit out on the kindergarten lawn to count the cars passing by us on the Federal Highway. Imagine that! Counting the number of cars on the Federal Highway. We're going back 30+ years, so there weren't as many cars on the Federal Highway then. During the one year I was in kindie, a nurse was invited to give a talk to my class about being a nurse. We all got a cardboard hat which we needed to fold and staple. Then we all pretended to be nurses.
Near the entrance to my class was a playhouse (indoors) where my best friend, Patricia Chan, and I used to play. I even remember fighting with the boys who wanted to play house too.
Each Monday, we brought a handkerchief with a loop sewn onto one of the corners. The hanky was to be hung on the rack in front of the class to be used at break time. We all lined up to go to the washroom to wash our hands and then use the hanky to wipe our hands dry. Then we all sat down and said/sang Grace before we eat. It wasn't an issue if we were non-Christians and I enjoyed singing Grace. After our snack, we all lined up again, this time with our cup in our hand to wash the cup and wash our hands.
I remember singing a lot, running outside and I learnt to hold a pencil to draw, read the alphabets, washed cups and playing in kindie. It was fun!
I wonder if Methodist Kindergarten is still this much fun. Too bad it is too far away from my home now or I will definitely consider sending Adam there.
posted by Min Chan at
1:20 pm
7 Comments:
erm......i hate to say this......erm......but you have just been tagged. sorry.
Hi there! First time visiting your blog. My, my you do have a lot of good memories about kindy and you remember all of that from way back when? Its almost time for kindy for my girl, next year. I hope to find one thats as memorable for her as it was for you. These days I hear horror stories of too much homework, stress etc even at playschool. Sigh.
mumsgather, play seems to be gone from playschool and kindie. My daughter, who will be 6 this year, has homework every day. She enjoys school and thinks that homework is the norm 'coz she doesn't know better. I don't remember having to deal with homework when in kindie.
Kindie was 32 years ago! Strange that I still remember my first day of school, getting down from my school bus to see my father waiting for me at the school gate. I told him I was ok and that he should go back to office or something. Hahaha!
Methodist Kindy near EPF?? Hahaha..we were from the same kindy!! Same kindy, same Sec School. Which Primary School did you go to? I went to Sri Petaling.
I don't recall kindy being religious..but then I guess I didn't know better. I'm sure it's different now. I would've sent HY there had it been nearer. The only thing I remember about kindy are the cute small-sized toilet bowls!
Kat, I don't remember the small-sized toilet bowls! Hehehe...
I remember driving by Sri Petaling with my parents and I told them I was going to that school. I ended up going to SRK Jalan Selangor. I think my father wanted to enrol me into Assunta Primary but no vacancy, so ended up in the school behind Assunta. I loved Sek Jalan Selangor! Sekolah Jamie Sommers! (Errr... for those who are too young to remember. That was Bionic Woman's name. Who is Bionic Woman? Errr... never mind!)
Methodist Kindy is our second choice to send our girls next year, it is near my hubby office, so he can be the driver, otherwise I will walk my girls to the kindy few doors next to my house.
very funny about counting the car on Federal Highway, guess now a bit tough to count it compare with last time.
maria @ twinsmom, have you checked out Methodist Kindergarten? Is it still as relaxed or has it also succumbed to pressure by parents to provide more writing and workbooks?
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