Year of the Tiger
I planned an activity for Chinese New Year to let the kids make a tiger puppet out of heavy cardboard. There’s cardboard cutouts for the legs, tail, etc, with strings attached so about 6 kids can operate the puppet and make it dance. For the music, we didn’t have enough instruments, so I made some yogurt container (large) drums and filled plastic bottles with beans to make rattles, let them bang spoons, etc.
They get so excited and yell Me Me ME ME to get chosen to participate. There are about 30 of them, so they have to share and take turns, which I suppose is good, but maddening.
I also bought a bunch of tennis balls and some wastebaskets and let them play trashball yesterday. They played till they dropped. Afterwards while I was reading to them on the magic carpet, about 4 of the busiest loudest boys fell dead asleep. The house parents say they have never seen that before! A little old lady like me wears these kids out!
Let me tell you, I go home soaked in sweat after chasing tennis balls all over the yard. I get home, shower, eat about 4 bites of dinner and collapse in bed about 8 pm and not get up till dawn.
The directors of the place are hoping I’ll teach english to staff from 6 to 8 pm like a former volunteer did, but I honestly don’t think I have the stamina for anything more.
