One of the memorable activities we've had was the diorama making of animal habitats, where the children were all too eager to participate. I asked them to bring their own materials and I showed them sample works prior to giving instructions. I gave them the liberty to choose their own groups, thinking that they could work more efficiently. It was nice to see how they managed to plan and agree on what to put and how it should look like before executing it. I also found some groups being generous of their materials to those who have forgotten to bring. Some groups were able to finish way ahead of time because all the group members share a sense of urgency.
I realized that the timeliness of these group activities are also important. Had I given them this task at the start of the year, they might not be well-equipped to handle planning and conflicts within their groups as efficiently as they had done. Also, the camaraderie between the students have already been established, where one child has a pretty good idea of how his or her classmates work.
This activity also gave me a bit of room to breathe and look at each student in a clearer perspective. I was given an opportunity to get to know the personality behind the face, the way they behave with other people, the way they communicate, the things that can annoy them, through grouping them with other interesting personalities.
It proved to be a successful endeavor, where the children were able to showcase what they have learned in a very creative way. If only we can be allowed to do this all the time :)
