THE LITTLE ONES were again leading the way yesterday as schools around the country held their Independence programmes.
The MIDWEEK NATION visited a few of them to get an idea of what they were doing and what the children were learning.
At Erdiston Nursery school, they held a Bajan Day where they took a hands-on approach to teaching about Independence.
“We wanted to use the opportunity to show what bygone Barbados was like through a hands-on experience. The children modelled clothes and we had folk songs. The kids really enjoyed it,” said coordinator Sabrina Connell, adding they also served rusks, sugar cakes, fish cakes and bakes, some of which the children had never seen before.
She said the Bajan Day replaced their usual Independence concert as they decided it would be better for the children to experience Independence rather than see pictures or sing songs only.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Erdiston Special School, the children there were exposed to local produce as part of their From the Garden to the Plate programme.
“We decided to do something different this year as we wanted to show the children what we produce from the garden and how those things are turned into what we eat,” said principal Kaye Sargeant.
She said the ground work for the programme began a few weeks ago with a visit to the Cheapside market, where some of the children saw sorrel on the stalk for the first time.
However, Sargeant said the children could not get the hands-on experience they required at the market so the school worked with parents to produce fruits and vegetables the children could touch.
“It looks good; the children are able to touch the produce. It is a successful day,” she said.
The programme also featured the teachers dressing up as market vendors as well as a hat parade and entertainment.
The little ones attending both the Toddler’s Time and Fun Care nurseries mimicked what was happening today with a parade of their own.
Supervisor at Toddler’s Time, Rhonda Greaves, said the march took place from the nurseries in Passage Road, St Michael, to the O’ Level Institute in Bank Hall, St Michael.
“We sang folk songs along the way such as Millie Gone to Brazil, John Belly Ma Ma and God bless Bim. Barbados is 45 years old now so we wanted to celebrate big,” she said.
Greaves said the children, aged three to four, had a “ball” and they would “definitely” be looking to repeat the parade next year, but on a larger scale.
