It has been a busy and insightful week in Whale class! To start, the children shared a bit about their holiday with their classmates, which led to a discussion about things families might do together and how we feel when we are with our families!

小朋友们在鲸鱼班度过了充实又富有收获的一周！周一的时候小朋友们热情地分享了孩子们快乐的国庆假期时光，这引发了一个新问题的讨论—当我们和家人一起共度时光时我们有什么感受？

Before the holiday, the children expressed their understanding of family as “people who stay together” and they all declared the importance of family in their lives!

放假之前孩子们表示：孩子们觉得家庭就是“一直住在一起的人”。每个孩子都深切地感受到家庭在他们生活中的重要性。

To take the conversation further, Ms Nita shared some concerns she had with the children, “Most of my family is in South Africa and my brother lives in Australia – are we still family?!”

在孩子们的分享后，为了进一步拓展这个话题，Nita老师跟孩子们分享了自己的想法：“我大部分的家人都住在南非，而我的弟弟在澳大利亚生活—这样的我们，还算是一个家庭吗？”

This sparked a lively discussion, leading the children to redefine family in a truly profound way. They concluded that a family comprises individuals who care for each other and stay together, regardless of where they live. This inclusive and empathetic perspective is something we're extremely proud of them for.

这引发了一场激烈的讨论，帮助孩子们从不同的角度，更加深刻的理解和定义”家庭”。在开放的讨论后孩子们得出结论，家庭包括了每一个彼此关心并团结在一起的家人，无论他每一个人身处何处，永远是一家人。这种包容和富有同理心的观点让我们为孩子们感到非常自豪。

The children helped to come up with some ideas on how we could keep connected to family and friends who live far away or who are sometimes apart from us.
孩子们积极地就我们如何与那些不住在一起的家人和朋友保持联系提出了一些建议。

The children chose their own means of keeping in touch with loved ones by drawing pictures to send via mail, took photos, made videos, and voice recordings to send via phone!

孩子们表达了自己与亲人保持联系的方式，有的小朋友是给亲人画画再通过邮件发送，有的小朋友是通过手机给亲人拍照或者录制视频，还有的小朋友会用手机给亲人发送语音信息。

Recognising the strong sense of belonging within our class, the children collectively expressed their belief that our class is akin to a loving family, affectionately named the Whale Class family. Eager to create an environment that truly embodies our shared identity, we actively sought input from the children, inviting their valuable suggestions on how we can infuse our classroom with the warmth and familiarity of our Whale Class home. The children's contributions were nothing short of remarkable, brimming with creativity and thoughtfulness. Their wonderful ideas have sparked a wave of inspiration, fostering a sense of ownership and pride in our class space.

孩子们对班级有强烈的归属感，他们认为我们的班级也是一个充满爱的家庭—鲸鱼班大家庭。为了和孩子们共同创设一个真正能够体现我们每一个人共同身份的环境，老师向孩子们征求意见，”怎样才能将我们的教室打造得更加温馨，更像是鲸鱼班大家庭？”。孩子们积极的贡献了自己的想法，他们的点子既新颖又富有创意。这样的讨论和分享帮助孩子们进一步建立了主人翁的意识，以及对班级的归属感和自豪感。

In addition to exploring the concept of family, we also delved into the importance of understanding and responding to our own and others' feelings. The children learned about empathy and the significance of emotional intelligence. We will continue to engage in activities that help the children express their feelings, recognise emotions in others, and respond appropriately. We believe these lessons are foundational to their emotional growth and will help them nurture healthy relationships.

除了深入探讨家庭的概念，我们还探讨了理如何解并回应自己和他人的情感。孩子们学习到了共情的价值和情商的意义。我们会持续进行相关活动的探究，帮助孩子们学习表达自己的情感，理解他人的感受，并给予恰当的回应。我们深信这些宝贵的学习经验是孩子情感发展的基石，将为他们今后与人交往打下坚实的基础。