Over two weeks ago, we gathered with eight children aged between 5 and 12 years under the tree to read. Our first books were Mpumi’s Magical Beads and Mpumi and Jabu’s Magical Day, by South African author and poet Lebohang Masango and Professor Claudine Starbeck, illustrated by Masego Morulane.
The kids enjoyed both reads; and these are some of the insights from our fun-filled gathering.
Interesting Insights/ Findings
The kids loved both books.
They can’t wait for our next read.
They learnt new words such as: Chatting, Sawubona (hello in isiZulu)
They learnt new places: Joburg, Gold Reef City.
They learnt new names: Mpumi, Tshiamo, Asante, Lerato, Tsegho, Jabu.
They learnt about friendship, being yourself, having fun, exploration.
They learnt being kind and not judging others because they are not like you.
Key Teaching Moments
Some kids did not know how to pronounce certain words. Which was a key teaching moment.
Some kids are fast learners and can multitask by listening and following the story while playing, which others can’t - reminding them to be mindful of others who need more concentration to understand what’s going on, teaching them a lesson on mindfulness of others was an important teaching moment.
Kids making comments on characters about the book: To some of them, Mpumi was always up and about. Meaning, they understood what’s going on and are able to make remarks and interpretations of the stories, which was so sweet!
Visuals mean the world to them! Each time we would read, they would reference the pictures and also interpreted what was happening in the story by just looking at the pictures.
One of the key techniques to interpreting words that weren’t familiar was using mother tongue explanation, followed by using examples to drive the message home. A reminder of how according to, kids who learn in their mother tongue understand things better…
