Explore and help the Seed Village

As soon as the children entered the classroom recently, they discovered a completely unfamiliar area: an enclosed space with only one entrance and a picture of a village they had never seen before. Inside the area there was a large tree with an old oil lamp, a well with only a small amount of water left and a pot of earth in the middle.

The children were quick to discuss: why is there a big tree here? Could this be a village? What is in the village? What do the people and houses in the village look like? In order to find out the truth, pupils took on the role of detectives and investigation teams and went into the village in small groups with magnifying glasses to start searching for clues.

As the expedition to the village continued, the children had more clues and questions:

• "There are seeds in the dry soil, there is grass, there are small grains like sand, and there are hard stones"

• "I've found little green shoots in the soil!"

• "Why is the dirt dry?"

• "Why is there a straw hat and a broom?"

• "Did the people here own the land before?"

• "Maybe it was a farm before, and something happened, and now it's gone!"

The children started to share this feeling that something must have happened to the village, leading us to collect more questions. With the new sharing and the children paying close attention, the village story took on a new twist.

This village’s name is “Seed Village”. The residents of Seed Village are hardworking and friendly, and every morning before dawn, they meet to work together in the fields. Once a year, they loosen the soil and plant seeds in the ground, which they check and water daily. However, something bizarre happened; even though they watered the plant every day, it turned into dry soil the next day. So that nothing would ever grow on their land; the villagers were very distressed. 

Why is there no water left? Where did the water in the ground go? Which type of soil retains water better? The children turned into little soil experts and started to explore the different types of soil and water percolation properties. They collected soil from different parts of the nearby park and returned to do a water percolation experiment.

• "My soil was slimy, and the water in that soil didn't drip at all." 

• "The soil I collected was not drinkable, but it could breathe. So the water leaked." 

• "Mine can breathe, can drink water, and is brown."  

• "Mine only drips one drop of water in 6 minutes, no more and no less."

The children compared and concluded it. After searching for information, the children learned that there are three other types of soil: sand, clay and loam, while different coloured loamy soils are also found in different regions of the country. Using this as a basis, they divide up the work to seek out resources and do their best to help the villagers of Seed Village solve their problems, grow food and help the story of the development of Seed Village. Our investigations continue...

Hiba Academy Nantong has started the autumn intake for the 2023-24 academic year. Families who are interested in registering for September 2023 (EY2/EY3/EY4) are welcome to scan the QR code below to make an appointment to visit the school.

Families of school age are welcome to register for our Day Pass Experience at Hiba Academy Nantong.

• Parents will have the opportunity to meet with the Chinese and Western Co-head of Early Years, gain an in-depth understanding of our nursery’s educational philosophy and get an interactive experience of our unique facilities and environment.

   

• Children will have the opportunity to join a classroom of their own age and be immersed in our bilingual classes with Hiba pupils for an in-depth exploration of the joys of bilingual learning.