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1) i learnt that not all children are the same and that their level of understanding may differ although they are in the same class(age group) hence some might be faster than others or more proactive than others

2) i also learnt that their upbringing is important and that they learn from the people around them. Their language and manners also reflects on how their teachers/family/guardian nurture them. Hence I could spot that sometimes children use certain lingos that can only be learnt through interactions.

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hings that i have learnt:
1) Not all centres have the same opportunities. The centre we went to did not have the best facilities but they had to make do with what they had. 
2) Teacher play a big role. Not only academically but with the child’s mental and physical health as well. The teachers at the centre work everyday with the child’s needs as the main priority. 
3) Children are all innocent. No matter the background they come from, they are all so full of life and are excited to learn and meet new people. 

Positive Experience:
The most memorable thing that happened was when a child called me out as i hadn’t finished my vegetables. It’s really true, we as educators have to be good role models and i got to experience that first hand. 

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 learned to be patient and animated when interacting with children. A positive memory would be the children pulling at my sleeve to explain about what they were going to draw and why they liked a certain animal. They were expressive, excited and engaging as they held a conversation with me.

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1) i learnt that not all children are the same and that their level of understanding may differ although they are in the same class(age group)
2) i also learnt that children up bringing is important and they learn from the people around them. Their language and manners also reflects on how their teachers/family/guardian nurture them
3) Children also may have their own preference and therefore us as educators should not force them to like or do something that they dislike

The positive memory that i obtain from this outreach programme is the drama i was involved in. I like how the children participated. The most favourite part of the drama was when a child “protect” me because a tiger was going to eat me. I enjoy mixing around with them and getting to know them especially with the fact that they have interesting background stories.

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3 things I learnt
1)  Different centres offers different range of materials for the children's education. However,  the centre that we visited, shows that the income of the families isnt a barrier to a child's learning and provides for the children with equal learning and educational opportunities.
2) It is important to plan beforehand as well as being able to think on your feet as an early childhood educator as there would always be circumstances or scenarios that we may not have forseen but regardless would still need to keep it under control. Planning ahead would ensure that activities would carry out smoothly as well as knowing which classroom management strategy to use.
3) Children would take some time before they can trust you and thus, interact or communicate with you. We are not to expect them to be open and comfortable with us in less than a day as they would need to trust us first.

Positive memory:
The children that my group was assigned to were very respectful eventhough the principal had shared the various types of family backgrounds the children has, that were quite shocking. They were the most loving children that I have ever got to know.

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3 things i learnt:
1) Different children comes from different family background. Therefore, it is important to take note of their different needs and capabilities because it contributes to their growth and learning.
2) Taking care and educating children is not as easy as ABC. It takes patience, responsibility and commitment when taking care of children.
3) Class management is very important as it will help us handle the children better and lessons/activities will go on more smoothly.

positive memory:
as the organizer itself, i realized that managing this program is not easy because there will be obstacles along the way that you will have to overcome. There will be ups and downs but at the end of the day, you will get through it and everything will work out just fine.

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1) 3 things I learnt:
- every children have different family background, hence the way we approached each of them are different.
- i also tried to ask open ended questions so they can give longer answers.
- i also learnt that how to be more engaging to the younger age group especially when reading.
2) a positive memory i had was the interaction with one of the N2s. We went outdoors to play bubbles and watching them chasing bubbles warmed my heart because its little things like that that makes them contented and i felt that i should be grateful with what i have in life now.

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3 things I learnt:
1. I learnt that we require a lot of patience and commitment in dealing with such children from this community engagement programme. The children were not as responsive as we expected normally from a child. To allow them to be involved in the activities planned, we had to explain several times for them to understand and carry out the activity.
2. I also learnt that to have a smooth-going programme to happen, we need to plan a few other back-up activities. The children were not as engaged in the activities we had, hence, a few more activities as back-up would probably help in easy transitions.
3. I learnt that we needed to be more enthusiastic when we are with children. We need to animate more of our actions to capture their attention and let them participate in our activities.

Positive memory:
I got to experience showering time for the K1s. It was a very special moment for me to have that bond with a few of the children. They were able to feel comfortable with my presence even if it was just a few hours.

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1. I learnt that it was necessary to get the children hyped up for an activity, so to speak; when we did the drama-storytelling for the first time, the children simple looked up in awe and did not respond, and we were disheartened by that. We did it again later on the madam's advice and the response was much better, thankfully. All this showed that it's not always a question of getting a class to calm down, which had been my assumption.

I also learnt that children take time to warm up to new people, which may have also contributed to our first attempt at drama-storytelling receiving a deadpan response. After the arts & crafts time though, during which we interacted with them, it was if we had always been with them.

Lastly, I learnt that children should not be treated differently just because of their circumstances. We don't know how difficult their lives at home are, but they didn't show it while we were there; during a transition period as they came out one by one from the shower, they happily sat among us, taking out the blocks and showing them to us as they fiddled with them. They also took books out and brought them to us, to read to them. They showed us that they were the same as other children regardless, and as such we shouldn't treat them any differently.

2. A deeply heartwarming memory for me was walking hand in hand with a little boy outdoors, and how happy it made him. We were on the way to a pavillion for a bubble-blowing activity.

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I've learned that we needed to have alot of patience when handling a child. I also learned that We also have to be very engaged towards them or they will lose interest. Other than that i have also learn that children will may take alot of time to actually have them talk to me. They will also need to have fun when they want to get closer with me.
A positive memory i have from this experience is when i played bubbles with the children. It was truly fulfilling looking at them laughing and enjoying their time. Even though when they were not comfortable with us, they still had fun and played with us. It was very enjoyable:)

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1) I have learnt to be spontaneous when we are handling children, to have patience when handling children and to have fun in what ever we do.
2)A positive memory that I had is that when i get to observe and feel how it is like to manage children in doing activities and things such as routine care.

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1) 3 things i learnt:
-learning how to interact with children, because every child reacts in different ways.
-knowing more about what shower time is and having a chance to experience it.
-i  learnt that the actions we do should be more captivating and loud. for example, during storytelling. Else, children will get restless and might not continue listening.
2) Spending time with the children, having mini chat sessions and doing art was them was a memorable ting thta i would cherish for log.

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1) 3 things I've learnt: children's interaction and the way they interact with people vary from child to child, not everyone is born into/with the same privileges and to always be proactive in any given situation.
2) I was given the chance to help out in the showering routine care and it was quite an experience and it is not as easy as it seems as it may be hard to manage when there is only one teacher available, but overall a good experience!

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3 things i’ve learnt;
1. i’ve learnt that not all children can be participative and that we as trainee teachers should learn more to improve ourselves when conducting such activities or events like being fun and open up towards them.
2. i’ve managed to observe how the centre conduct its shower routine and i also helped them a little bit with handling the children after showering.
3. i’ve also learnt that every child has different backgrounds and that everything at home affects them like a few of them are not able to speak out or communicate. It takes a lot of patience to interact with them and get them to talk or respond in some ways.

Positive Memory
A positive one was when i tried to interact with a child that does not talk while doing the art’s n craft activity. I thought that the child would remain quiet and would only reply me back with hand gestures but when we went outdoors to play bubbles, the child became energetic and started saying words. The others were also very happy and it made me smile too seeing them enjoying playing bubbles. At the end of the event, i was happy i get to interact with a few of the children.

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3 things I have learnt:
1) I learnt that not all children grow up in good family conditions as I had heard from the principal that some of the children’s parents are still in jail or they share their houses with many other relatives.
2) I learnt that what we learned about early childhood in school may not be applied to real life situations. I had the experience of helping a child shower, and it was quite challenging for me as I had to take note of a lot of things like the temperature of the water.
3) I learnt that I need to have patience with the kids, I noticed that some children when prompted would still not talk or they would not listen to instructions.
Positive experience:
My positive experience is that when I was conducting the art lessons during the event, I enjoyed my spending my time with the kids, especially when one of the kids complimented me!

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3 things that i have learnt:
1) Not all centres have the same opportunities. The centre we went to did not have the best facilities but they had to make do with what they had.
2) Teacher play a big role. Not only academically but with the child’s mental and physical health as well. The teachers at the centre work everyday with the child’s needs as the main priority.
3) Children are all innocent. No matter the background they come from, they are all so full of life and are excited to learn and meet new people.

Positive Experience:
The most memorable thing that happened was when a child called me out as i hadn’t finished my vegetables. It’s really true, we as educators have to be good role models and i got to experience that first hand.

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1. I learnt that children vary from each other in terms of interaction and participation. Some were very participative & easy to mingle around with, However, some barely spoke till the end of the programme.
2. It takes time for them bond with new people. It also took me a lot of patience to instruct them as some of them were very reluctant in wanting to listen.
3. I also learnt that sometimes i have to be stern with my instructions and that its fine to do so.

The most memorable experience of all was the fact that i was handling a special need child. I honestly gained a fair experience in handling a special need child, through him. He was tough to handle however a very jovial kid. I was really glad that i was given that opportunity.

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1. I learnt that to have more patience and not rushing things through when delivering instructions and when interacting with children.

2. To be more enthusiastic and dramatise our words when speaking to children as they need to feel the excitement in order for us to capture their attention.

3. I also learnt to take a step back when children are not comfortable with our presence, if not they will end up feeling frustrated or even end up crying.

A positive memory I have taken away from participating in this community engagement activity the outdoor walk session. As I get to hold hands with the children and I get to blow bubbles with them, it was a real fun time seeing smiles on their faces made me realised how the little things in life is actually a form of happiness to the little ones.

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3 Things I've learnt:
1) I've learnt that being patient in a childcare centre is an essential. As much as we know patient is needed in a centre, i believe it is not the easiest thing for some of us.
2) Being around the children made me realize that I need to improve my listening skills. As much as the children's speech still developing, i should have try harder to hear and understand them instead of shrugging the conversation just because I couldn't hear well/understand.
3)  I've learnt that the way we show ourselves to the children affects their impression of us and the trust . It was scary at first to bring the children out for a walk around the neighbourhood. I was worried that none of the children would want to hold my hand and walk with me. But the moment i attempted to be friendly and welcoming, two of the children held my hand straight away.

Positive Experience
I really enjoyed the shower routine and lunch time experience i had with the children. I did felt a mini bond built between the a few of the children and I. It made realize that it was an opportunity to know more or built trust with children outside of lesson time.

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1. i learnt that the interaction children have at home affect them a lot. As the children at the centre were really quiet compared to the children i normally see and i learnt it’s because they have little interaction at home
2. i learnt that children understands us more than we think. The children at the centre don’t really reply or talk much but they are still able to follow our instructions
3. eventually the children will open up/ like us as long as we are sincere and patient with them
positive memory
1. towards the end of the day , the children really opened up to us and started to hug and initiate physical affection towards us which made me felt that my hard work really paid off . seeing them enjoy themselves playing with the bubbles also made me happy

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On the day of the Outreach Programme, I was with the Playgroup and N1 children. One of the three takeaways for me is that, no matter the background of a child, every child deserves the best in their early years of developing. Secondly, I learnt that every second is precious. In the sense where, for every second that a child comes to the Centre, we as educators should interact with the child even if the child is not responsive. Because we might not know that, although the child does not respond to us immediately, the child still learns something, even if its a little. Lastly, I learnt that, not every child in Singapore is blessed financially which in turns to why such children deserve the education in the early years. The least we could do as an educator is to instil knowledge, even a little to the children so that in years to come, without us knowing, they might be able to break the cycle of poverty, through the foundation and guidance we've given them.

Moving forward, I have a lot of wonderful and positive memories during the programme. My most memorable memory was during the storytelling session. It was because I had 2 children sitting on me. And another two resting on my calves area. What happened is that, during the storytelling session, one of my coursemate's character was being a dog. When she approached one of the child that was sitting on me, he got scared and almost wanted to cry. It became a positive memory for me because I managed to calm the child who is only 19 months, which eventually did not cry. Although it seem like a little, but I felt as if I achieved something because some children would just cry even in the midst of people who they are not familiar with calming them down. Therefore, that was a one of my positive and meaningful experience for me.

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1. I've learnt that sometimes children do not open up to you easily, especially when they have not seen or interacted with you on a regular basis.
2. I've realized that for the younger age group, they tend to be more intimidated when our actions are more dramatic and obvious, thus, we should always keep a safe distance from them to prevent scaring them.
3. We also need to learn how to be more patient with the children as sometimes they will take a longer time to warm up to us.

One positive memory was when the children were having their outdoor time, playing bubbles in the open hall. That was when you could really see their pure enjoyment in the simple things. It reminded me how children will never be judgmental towards your actions and you should just be yourself in their presence.

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1. I've learnt that if we are dealing with the younger children, we have to be more active even if they are not.
2. I've also learnt that it is not easy to deal with younger children
3. Last thing that I've learnt is that all children are different and you have to treat them accordingly

Positive memory: I enjoyed bringing the children out to play with bubbles, seeing the smiles on their face makes me light up. Hearing their laughter makes me very happy.

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1. I learnt that I have to be more animated and expressive when talking to children.
2. We were also given the opportunity to observe the centre's shower time routine.
3. I learnt that I have to be patient when dealing with children. They might be unresponsive at first but as time goes by, they start to be comfortable with us and they will open up to us.

Positive memory:
When children were playing with  the bubbles outdoors, I get to interact with the children and play with them.

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1) 1a. I learnt to encourage a child to participate in an activity by giving them time to watch their friends doing the activities.
1b. I learnt that children will be more participative and responsive when we are more enthusiastic but firm.
1c. we need to be more imaginative and interactive when guiding them through the arts and craft activity.
2. A positive memory I've taken away is when a child told me that they've enjoyed the activities.

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1) 1. I learnt how difficult it can be to settle down the children before starting certain activities.
2. The children were also exposed to real things in the centre by allowing the cats in from time to time and they are not afraid to pet and touch the animals.
3. I could see that the centre was privileged enough to be provided school shoes and water bottles for the children as they were not as well off as other families.
2) My favourite memory was when we as a class went for a neighbourhood walk with the children. I was walking alongside with a sweet little girl named Lisa (not real name). We talked while we walked and we even had time to play the "ABC" game in malay. Ms. Stephanie managed to document that moment we shared while we jumped over "lava". I've actually grown attached to her.

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1) From this outreach programme , I learnt and experience how it is to be a nursery teacher . Some of the children are rather unresponsive and I learnt that it might be due to their parents . As the child might be left alone at home and to have no one to interact with , causing them to not learn how to interact well and therefore sometimes they are unresponsive .   I have also learnt to be more patience and slowly let the child be much more comfortable with us .
2) Looking at the children enjoying the activities that we held and looking at them playing happily with us is a positive memory that I have that I hold dearly.

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3 Things I've Learnt
I truly enjoyed the process of preparing and participating in this Outreach Programme! There are a lot of things I've learnt through this programme, the top 3 being; teamwork, being proactive and having fun!

I was delegated to join the Art group for this programme, where we prepared the materials for the activity we'll be carrying out and the props for the Actor's group! We split ourselves into a few groups to prepare different materials/props. Whenever a group is complete with their role, they'll split into the other groups and help! Because of this, we were all able to complete preparing everything on time! This taught me how important teamwork is.

During the programme itself, my class was seperated into two groups; One group taking the N1 children whereas the other took the K2 children. I was placed with the N1 children!

When we first stepped into the N1 classroom, the first thing we were instructed to do was to wash our hands and legs, which taught me how hygiene is obligated to practice in a preschool centre. My classmates and I started preparing the tables for Art session and props for the Storytelling and Drama session.

While the Storytelling and Drama session was ongoing, I was surprised to see how non-responsive the children were, except for one. I assumed they needed more time to get comfortable with us.

During Art session, a little girl I was guiding to carry out the activity was very quiet. She only pointed at materials she wanted to include in her artwork, which were mostly blue. A classmate of mine showed her how to perform the activity, but when we told her to try doing so herself, she didn't want to. However, when we went outdoors and played bubbles, I was really surprised to see her running around and screaming while popping the bubbles!

The Art session ended earlier than planned, so we used the time to carry out the storytelling again! This time, we gave out animal masks to the children so they can be involved as well! When the story ended, a classmate of mine initiated to sing a song about an aquatic animal, Baby Shark. This taught me how being proactive allows us to enjoy and use the free time wisely! (:

We went outdoors with the children afterwards and pointed out some birds we see along the way! When we reached a Multi-purpose Hall, the teachers have out bubbles for us to play with the children! This was my favourite part of the programme, which wasn't even planned, because it allowed me to have fun and bond with the children :D The children were more vocal and expressive when they saw the bubbles! And that made me really happy.

When we went back to class, the teachers showered the children and we were given the chance to observe their shower routine.

I observed how the children had the same water bottles and shoes and this as well, taught me to be grateful for all the little things I have in life.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I would love to come back and create more events for these little ones <3

A Positive Memory
BUBBLES!! >< Not only were the children having fun popping the bubbles, I was also having fun blowing them! I've always loved playing bubbles when I was younger but never had the time to anymore when I started secondary school. Now I have a reason to play bubbles at work hahah. I also noticed how the children were more vocal and active when popping the bubbles. Compared to when they were in the classroom, they were running around and screaming with joy! And that made me happy too! :D So precious❤️

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3 things I’ve learnt from the participating in the community engagement activity:
1. I was able to experience how it feels like to actually teach the children and get them to do the activity we had planned for them during the arts & craft time.
2.  I was also given the opportunity to experience how it is during shower time and how we have to make sure that the children are not playful when they’re bathing.
3. Lastly, I’ve learnt that, not all children would participate in the activities and that we would have to slowly give them time to open up to us.

What was a positive memory you have taken away from participating from this community engagement activity:
A positive memory would be that i was able to communicate with a child when we were having a walk around the neighbourhood and i was able to learn more about him. :-)

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1) I have learnt that it is necessary to lend a listening ear and listen to the voices of children. I have also learnt about the routine care in the centre. I have learnt to be patient with the children when they were doing the shaving foam art.
2)A positive memory was reading books to them during free play and they were listening attentively to me.

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From the outreach programme itself i’ve learnt how to communicate with children and I learnt how to be more expressive when telling stories to children. I’ve also gained knowledge about how a children’s normal routine care is like,i managed to observe how it’s being done as well

A positive memory i have from this programme is that although the children were unresponsive at the start, after their outdoor play, i saw how energetic they are. They were smilling and laughing just from playing bubbles. those children made me realise that actually the simplest thing in life can actually bring so much joy to them. Towards the end, i managed to get close to those few who were unresponsive.

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1) ive learnt how it takes time for some children to get used to you because theyre not familiar with new faces.
2) ive learnt how to be firm with them if they are too playful in the showers and also to look oit for sny bruises and such. As one of the child had a blister at his side due to his pampers so its important to look out for it.
3) ive learnt that we need to guide the children because even after explaining, they will still be abit lost. It always takes time.

2 positive things are it is very wholesome to have experienced what we did because the closure the children gave us. The children also thought me patience. Patience will bring about satisfaction of finally being able to let the child to trust me.

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I learnt more on how to interact with children, and that they're more responsive when we're expressive. I learnt everyone should communicate better in order to allow an event to move smoothly. A positive memory from the centre was that the children were selfless, they kept asking me whether I wanted to try play with their toys and they were able to share with one another. They also kept exchanging their masks so they each had a turn being different animals.

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Q1) 1. I learnt how this particular centre went about their shower routine.
2. I gained knowledge on how to better interact with the children from the teachers.
3. I learnt and experienced how to help out with the shower routine.
Q2) The teacher offered me to dry the children's hair after their shower with a blowdryer. They also taught me some tips on how to blowdry their hair properly without hurting them. That was a very positive memory from the day for me.

- Siti

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I learned to be patient and animated when interacting with children. A positive memory would be the children pulling at my sleeve to explain about what they were going to draw and why they liked a certain animal. They were expressive, excited and engaging as they held a conversation with me.

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1.  I’ve learnt to be expressive and dramatic when reading stories to children. I’ve learnt about the routine care in the centre. That every child has a specific routine that needs to be met. I also learnt about how each child has different developmental skills and how we have to help them each in a different way.
2. A positive memory i got from this event is being able to experience outdoor play with the children. I was able to play and be active with them!

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QUESTION 1
1) I've learnt to be much more spontaneous when conducting activities for the children as things usually do not go as planned. This is where we have to come up with something to keep them interested.
2) I got to observe and learn a few pointers when doing shower routines with children like how we should encourage them to throw their own diapers as well as placing a tub filled with toys to keep them occupied while we shower them.
3) In addition, I've learn that everyone plays a role in making the event work :)

QUESTION 2
The children were very unresponsive and quiet at first and it was quite sad to not receive any responses from the N1 children. But when we went outdoors to play bubbles, the children slowly opened up and begin running around to play with their friends and us. It was so wholesome and also something I will treasure forever.