P.E. is not fun? Think again!

This is my Class having PE!

I am having a great time in school because of the interesting lessons. I have always thought P.E. would be something I may not like as my cousins told me that that they have to do a lot of running. I was afraid that I would not be able to cope with the rigour of the lessons. However, I just realise PE is more than that, Yes, there is running but there are a lot more about PE than just running. In fact, PE is provong to be really fun and I am getting fit in the process. 

My dad  says that our school is unique because we are one of the very few schools in Singapore that has a playground.  My P.E. teacher says that a playground also teaches and develops important motor skills like balancing, climbing and jumping. I will never think of P.E. as boring and tiring again!

A playground is a great place to hangout with my friends!

Although you may think it is a piece of cake to use all the various stations in the playground, it is a different ball game when you have to share the playground with 29 other classmates! To prevent mishaps from happening, our P.E. teacher spent one assembly showing us how to use the various stations which most other playgrounds lack! You can be sure that we were all really excited about using the playground after the talk! But more importantly, we know how to use the playground safely.

In this station for example, we were told that this machine helps us build upper body strength. We also line up and take turns so everyone gets a chance!

This is how I build strength in my arms!

As balance is important in my development of motor skills, we have a balance beam that we nicknamed "The Snake". This is how we build our balancing abilities. 

Not easy, you know!

We did it!

What I find more exciting though is trying to keep my balance on these three blue steps! I have to use both my hands and legs to keep from falling off! However, even if I did fall in the playground, I will not get hurt. That is because the ground of the playground is coated with a thick layer of soft foam.

Me Tarzan... Are you sure?

Our favourite station is the monkey-bars! Here we have fun scrambling up and down the bars and the most interesting thing is that the monkey-bars are not the usual rectangular shape but looks like a giant letter 'M'! Sometimes when I get tired climbing the bars or am not careful, my friends look out for me and encourage me. That's what friends are for!

Now, if only every P.E. lesson was spent in the playground!

 

Lo and Behold! My Garden

Our first March vacation is nearing its end. While I am enjoying the one week break, I must say that I do miss school! I hope that does not mean that I am a strange kid! I am starting to get ready for school. I have finished all my homework. I had opportunities to play and bond with my family. However, I must admit I am eager to return to school where I can see my friends again! In fact, I just packed my school bag today. Everyone has a new time table for term 2. Looks like term 2 will be interesting as we would be going for a learning journey in the zoo. We are also being dismissed later (3pm) on Mondays in term 2. This is because the enrichment programmes are starting in term 2. I must remember to ask mom to give me extra money for lunch!

I am also wondering about the garden just outside my classroom. My teacher says that the school is working hard to create a lovely garden where we can rest and eat our sandwich and enjoy some greenery as well. The garden will also be a learning space for us where we can learn about science and even responsibility! I just returned to school today and the hoarding that used to surround the garden is gone! Lo and behold! I saw a most lovely garden! This is what I saw!

We have palm trees!

I can see myself spending my recess here! The garden even has a pond with a fountain built in it! I am wondering we are going to have fishes in the pond. I must remember to ask the teacher if we could have some fishes so that we can just admire how they swim.  Here are some pictures of how the garden looks like now.

A view of the garden from the corridor near the General Office

Our Small Pond! Can the fountain go any higher?

What a beauty!

Indeed, the garden has really evolved into one that I cannot imagine when I first stepped into Frontier Primary School in Dec 2011. In fact,because of the hoarding, we could not see what was being done to the green space. Only two weeks ago, the garden looked very different with what I saw today. Here are some "before" pictures of our garden in construction! I must see the faces of my friends when all of us returned to school on Monday!

I am raring to return to school! Yippee!

A mini excavator in our Garden!

Our pond?



Garden in the Rain or Rain in the Garden?



The Week that I Learnt About Singapore's History



Our Fire Drill Exercise. We did well!



Total Defence Day had just been commemorated in Frontier. I really learned a lot during that week. It all started with a morning assembly talk on that Monday. It was raining very heavily that morning; the rain hitting the roof of the hall was clearly heard. However, my attention was fully with my teacher who was sharing a dark chapter of Singapore's history.


Learning about Syonanto



 

My teacher shared with us about how Singapore had fallen into the hands of the Japanese 70 years ago on 15 February 1942. I saw pictures of the surrender of the British as well as the very, very thin British Prisoners of War. I also learned that when a country fall, it is very painful for its people. It was a very sad time for Singapore. It is much worse than the pain that I will feel when I fall in the playground.


I was also told that when a country gets taken over by someone else, many things will change… such as the name of the country, its flag and the type of money that is being used. I really do not want these things to happen to my beloved Singapore! I will make sure that I will do my very best to protect Singapore! When I grow up, I want to be a soldier just like in the song ‘There’s a part for everyone’ that we sing. It is my turn to keep Singapore strong and secure. My classmate who is a girl told me that she will want to be a doctor when she grows up so that she can help Singaporeans.   
 



Singing the song ‘There’s a part for everyone’ with pride



Learning about the 5 Total Defences and wishing to be a soldier to protect Singapore



During the Total Defence Week, I also took part in a fire drill for the first time. I was not scared but knew the need to walk quickly and orderly to the assembly ground. My classmate who is the ‘Emergency Leader’ held my class placard in front as the rest of the class followed with my teachers leading us.  My class did very well. We came down to our holding area within 3 minutes. My teacher said that we did well because we were ready and we knew what to do. I realised the importance to be prepared.

During Social Studies lesson that week, I also found out more about the public warning system from the Singapore Civil Defence Force website. I can actually find the locations of the public shelters that are nearest to my house through the website. It is really insightful.

Listening to identify the differences between the ‘Alarm’, ‘All Clear’ and ‘Important Message’ signals

 through the scdf website

This week, I learnt that total defence is about the different things that we can do everyday in every sector of our society to strengthen our resilience as a nation. When we take National Service seriously, participate in civil emergency exercises, upgrade our skills, build strong bonds with different races and religions, and feel the pride of being Singaporean, we contribute to Total Defence.



My Art Work where I share my Hope for Singapore



I hope that Singapore will always live in peaceful times and I wrote this wish on the paper aeroplane that I folded during my Art lesson. As I flew my paper aeroplane and watched it take flight, I hope that my wish will always remain true.

 

My Paper Plane and My Hopes for Singapore