Happy Birthday to Anna!

Last Saturday, the group 2 class celebrated with Anna her 11th birthday during our break.

The Birthday Girl posing with her cake.

Everyone posing for a photo.

After the song, making a wish.

Blowing the candles!

So here’s to Anna… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Jack and The Beanstalk

For some weeks now, we’ve been working on the story of “Jack & The Beanstalk” with the Saturday Group 2 class.

After listening to the story, we did several activities related to the story such as rhymes with actions, rearranging the jumbled up sequence of the story and looking at different types of beans, including Jelly beans which all ended up in our tummy.

In the last 3 weeks, we started with the script and acting it out. We’ve progressed to the part where little Jack has found his way into the Giant’s castle, where he met the Giantess.

The Giantess (Shu Yao), Jack (Sandra) and the Giant (Reuben) getting ready to start.

Audience waiting for the play to start.

Jack climbing up the beanstalk

Jack enters the Giant's castle and meets the Giantess.

Jack (Lynette) hiding in the cupboard when the Giant returns home

Giant (Jun Wei) eats his meal while the Giantess (Sarah) looks on.

What better way to pass time then checking your golden eggs!

Jack climbing down the beanstalk with his treasures

The giant wakes up!

The Sound of Music!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did more musical jamming in class yesterday. Kai Li’s little sister (above, in velvet dress) joined us briefly. Not long ago, she was only a tiny baby, often sleeping in her pram parked outside the DSA office while Kai Li attended drama classes. Now, she’s running around, making sure Kai Li stays in the room and follows instructions, and even coming into class occasionally to join in the fun. How she’s blossomed!

We always try to encourage sibling participation and involvement in the lives of our students with Down Syndrome. The siblings learn to be empathetic, open-minded, patient and embracing; they learn to care and look out for their brothers and sisters with Down Syndrome; they go home and repeat some of the activities we do in class together hence reinforcing the learning; they grow together with understanding, love and stronger mutual bonding. Family involvement in this process is extremely important.

Rats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wearing masks because of Swine Flu? NO!!! Hahahaha! We’re all just rats in the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin!

With surgical masks and crayons, we coloured in our own whiskers with the help of Uncle Julius and Auntie Jean. Some of us couldn’t resist making other designs too! It was so fun! Squeak Squeak!!

The Selfish Giant

Hello everyone!

It has been some time, hasn’t it? Months!

Aunty Jean mentioned about the Tuesday’s class doing a new story: “The Selfish Giant” and here are some clips.

As you can see, we are exploring plastic bags! They can be so interesting when you toss them around and try to keep them in the air. You may use your hands or kick them. It’s a good workout. Next, you try to juggle them. Definitely try-able at home.

BUT please, never put them over your head! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

We are still continuing with the work, so look out for more pics and clips.

Roar! Here comes the Giant! Run!!!

Congrats June!

June won a medal at her Bowling Competition yesterday! Well done June, we’re so proud of you! We are ABLED citizens of Singapore!

Pied Pipers at Junction 8

We started a new story with the 2.30pm class yesterday – “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”. Uncle Julius told the story and we played it out with Uncle Julius as the “handsome” Pied Piper and the rest as rats following through make-believe mountains, bridges, tunnels and finally, into the “sea”! We also played with all types of wind instruments including flutes, “bird-callers”, and the recorder. Can you hear the beautiful music we’re making?

This is the book that Uncle Julius read to us…

This is Uncle Julius (with blond hair!!) acting as the Pied Piper and Jia Kai as a “rat” following him!

Si Hui (above) and Jia Kai (below) both tried on the blond wig and played the recorder

Our Jamming session…

Sweet Kai Li loved the book so much she didn’t want to let go of it…

And we always learn some new words…

Playing with Objects

Yesterday, Uncle Julius got the two classes to play with objects. We learnt to slide the frisbees, throw them, swing them; we partnered up, we varied the distances between partners; we learnt to focus on our targets, to estimate the distance, to aim towards the right direction and have fun without hurting anyone!

We also played with plastic bags – keeping them in the air with our hands and feet. It was quite challenging, because plastic bags are light and they sometimes cling to our fingers or feet. We needed to use both our brains and bodies! But look at the happy faces in the photos, we enjoyed it so much!

And we also did some movement and imagination exercises. Look at Uncle Julius doing a bird!

Hello Again!

Hello everyone! Sorry we haven’t been updating this blog. Jean and Julius had been incredibly busy these past few months! But we’re back! Look! We’re still monkeying around!!

And here are some photos of a recent class…

The Tuesday class is busy working on the play “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde and the Saturday group is re-enacting an all-time children’s favourite “Jack and the Beanstalk”. We’re having lots of fun as usual, learning lots of new things, welcoming new friends to different classes, sharing lots of love and friendship like we always do!

Walking on “Stilts”

Recently, Uncle Julius has been working with the students with “stilts” made of low, inversed tubs. These are aimed to train their physical strength, co-ordination and sense of balance. They are encouraged to stand tall (keeping the spine as straight as they can manage instead of bending forward), look forward and be confident. Everyone had a go, even if it was just standing still for a few seconds on the tubs then coming down again. Some who could manage the full length of the studio did so back and forth and some others even took on the challenge of going through a small obstacle. That’s right folks, keep walking tall, strong, balanced, confident and happy!

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Both our Saturday classes have been working on the story: “The Elves and the Shoemaker” for the past couple of weeks, with the first class doing a simplified version of it. Here are some pictures of yesterday’s class:

Uncle Julius playing “Hamburger Hamburger Ham Ham Ham!” with Hafyz before class started

Happy Happy Wei Xuan!

A picture of the colourful cast – Kai Li and Hafyz as the two elves; Jia Kai as the shoemaker and Grace as the shoemaker’s wife!

Body Alphabet

Last night, Uncle Julius worked with the participants on creating letters of the alphabet with their bodies. This exercise helps them to stretch and work their muscles while developing their visualisation powers. It also allows some to be very innovative and creative in forming their own versions of letters, spelling their names with their bodies and even working in pairs to form words collaboratively.

After the physical work, we continued to read our new play, “Trickery and Mischief”.

For the past few weeks, we welcomed a new participant, Theresa. It’s been really good to have her with us and to see her slowly belonging to the group and liking the work. Welcome to the family Theresa! Ramadan is over so Ali is also back! How we’ve missed him! Last night, we had two visitors – actually, they are not new but really old friends of our drama group – Rajali and Arun. Rajali has finished her exams and is quite free these days so she’s been dropping in to help with classes. It’s so good to have her around again! Till next week everyone! Keep well!

Happy Birthday Reuben!

Last Saturday, Reuben celebrated his 9th birthday with classmates and friends at Junction 8. We had a delicious “Finding Nemo” ice-cream cake and everyone went home with a nice goodie bag. Thanks Reuben and Happy Birthday!

Working our tummies

We worked on strengthening the tummy muscles in class today through rolling and stretch jumping exercises.

There was as much “action” on the mat as well as amongst the “audience” awaiting their turn.

A month of Legends, Myth and Nation Building

August came and went. August is an important month in the Singapore Calendar of events. It is a month of celebration and remembrance.

For the Speech and Drama classes at DSA, we have also been busy.

Our very own Crescent and Stars by the Tuesday's class

Crescent and Stars 2

Crescent and Stars 3

Crescent and Stars 4

Crescent and Stars 5

Crescent and Stars 6

As it is a month of Nation Building, we must not forget how our lovely Island got it’s name: SINGAPURA!

It came from a Prince named Sang Nila Utama or in some of our cases, Princess Utamina [artisitc licence ]

Princess 1 with Royal Sister

Princess 2 is all for peace

The Prince and his bow and arrows

Of course we also celebrated another legend of this tiny island: The Bukit Merah Story

You have seen some of the beautiful pictures of the event held on 24 August at the Esplanade Park as part of the NCSS Carnival. Now lets go behind the scene and see what took place before the final performance itself.

Learning to pay respect during one of the rehearsals

Bowing to the Raja

Such reverence

Learning to use the oars

Learning to fish with the net

The Minister telling the people to work harder

Briefing after the rehearsal

Everyone listening to what Aunty Jean had to say

And then, on the morning of the actual day…

Daniel, the Man who got us breakfast, arranged for the bus, took video...

Putting on make-up

Looking pretty

All dessed and ready to go

The bus journey

The last league

Almost there

The final crossing

Arrived,waiting for our turn

Well, that kind of sum up the month of August for the Speech and Drama classes.

We now move into the last quarter of 2008! So buckle up!