2023 · Harrow Little Lions
To encourage children to explore the local ecology and culture of Hainan, the children of Harrow Little Lions' Reception and Year 1 classes went on a special lychee-picking excursion. A number of research activities are organised at the lakeside farm where lychees, longans and coconuts are grown, including lychee picking, introduction to lychee culture, tasting of Hainan special delicious food, appreciation of lychee-themed painting and poetry, outdoor sketching and natural beauty education.
In the fruitful lychee forest, near a natural lake, here in the sunny countryside, the lychee-flavoured summer of our younger children from Harrow Little Lions Early Years Centre(EYC) begins.
Students fully immersed themselves in nature, opening their senses to the fullest and fitting everything in nature onto their canvas. Children could listen to the birdsong, enjoy the view of the lake, and feel the bright sunshine and the gentle breeze. Nature becomes their teacher. The beauty of nature helps to activate the children's perception of colour, bringing about a three-dimensional and vibrant art-making lesson.
The lychee trees have a natural advantage for the children to pick due to their low height. Wearing gloves, the children were skillfully picking the red lychee fruits as they ripened. Some stood on tiptoe, some held their arms up, some climbed up the trunk of the tree and every child came away with a full load. The children were also taught the principle of picking as much as they can eat and the concept of taking in appropriate amounts. Many children shared the fruits they picked with their families at home, enjoying the sweet and sour taste of the summer together.
Appreciation of classic lychee paintings
In the Guilin Garden, there was a small exhibition of famous paintings of lychees by the famous Chinese calligrapher and painter Mr Qi Baishi. This exhibition introduced the artist's life, the meaning of each painting, the content of the picture, the painting techniques, the types of plant pigments commonly used in Chinese ink painting, and how to paint the rough texture of the surface of lychees using dots. It then showed some important characteristics of freehand brush work, a genre of Chinese traditional painting, and encouraged children to give rein to their subjective state and mood by trying to paint what they saw, what they smelled and what they felt in addition to simply painting concrete images of things.
Summer lychee drink making
After a healthy and nutritious lunch, the children made their own lychee drink with lychee and lemon, finding another way to enjoy lychee. Different types of ingredients were blended togather to bring out a rich taste of sourness and sweetness. Then it brought a cooling sensation to the children on hot summer days.
Children's memories of summer may be enhanced with scenes and emotions of lychees, the countryside and nature. It will become a warm little treasure on the journey of their growing up.
