My SLP-Chuseok celebration...

Chuseok is the Korean Thanksgiving celebration.  It is a huge deal in Korea.  Many of my older children told me they have off for a whole week from their regular schools, SLP only gives 2 days (but I’ll take what I can get right!?).  Koreans travel far and wide to visit with their families on this day, they eat and “pay worship to their ancestors” (at least that’s what Wikipedia told me). 

SLP Kindergarteners had a whole day of celebration for this holiday.  Every student came into school wearing their traditional Chuseok outfits known as Hanbok (HAN-BO).  The Korean teachers even bring in Hanbok for all the foreign teachers to wear.  It was a really fun day, and a learning experience for me to learn a little about the traditional celebration.

First, we made songpyeon.  Basically it’s a rice cake outside (rice cake is very soft and can be molded like play-dough).  You flatten it into a circle to symbolize the moon, fill it with sugar and sesame seeds, and then fold it in half and pinch it closed (this symbolized a half moon).  All the kids made a bunch to take home to their families, very fun but very messy- sugar was everywhere!

Then we played traditional games.  One was a board game called yutnori.  I didn’t really understand the rules, but you throw these sticks that are marked and they tell how many spaces you can move forward.  Another game, jegichagi, is where you kick a shuttlecock like a hackie-sack… just trying to keep it up.  We also threw these colorful sticks into the garbage can.  * I can’t remember the name of this game, I’ll have to get back to you all on this one * The sticks were pointed at the end almost like arrows.  We had “chicken fights” where the kids stood on one leg and tried to push each other over (a little dangerous and violent for 5 year olds don’t you think).  And we did some arm wrestling (again, slightly inappropriate for 5 year olds).

This is Sunny... my partner teacher, we share the two classes of 5 year old kindergarteners! 

 

I hope these videos work… one is just of my kids being silly and one is of the “chicken fighting”.

It was a really fun day for everyone!! Hope you enjoy the pictures of me and my kids, the Hanbok were are really beautiful!  Check back soon for a post about my 4 day weekend (I LOVE CHUSEOK FOR GIVING ME TIME OFF!!)

My trip to the swimming pool...

During the summer the kindergarteners at SLP go to the every once in a while.  Children here LOVE to swim. My kids talked about it for weeks and weeks they couldn’t wait.  Now I had heard the swimming pool was not just an ordinary swimming pool, but more of a mini water park.  There were a bunch of small pools each with something special in them.  One pool had a pretty big water slide, one had pretty small lazy river, there were sections in the pools for sprinklers, etc.  Overall, a very fun place for kids to play. 

I was pretty excited about the adventure.  I knew it was going to be a great chance for me to really get to know the kids on another level.  There was no education involved at the swimming pool, so we could just play and have fun.  Also, as a swim instructor for the past 8 years, playing in the pool with kids is totally up my alley.

What I was not prepared for was the following: each child had their own huge blow up floatie.  Not just your average around the waist tube, these kids had blow up cars that literally had horns to beep.  I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the first kid bring one in at the beginning of school, but then they all had them and I realized it was just normal.  Luckily, parents had blown up these devices pre-school because that would’ve been hell.

Anyway, here are some pictures to share. Oh yeah, the boys all cover up their whole bodies and everyone wears swim caps (I mean everyone- I had to borrow one).  Oh! And the water only went up to about my waste… so the kids could all stand… floatation devices unnecessary.  Enjoy!