29/09/09

Nothing had changed in the creche apart from the glue (flour and water) we used to stick the newspaper up with had started to go moldy :/ We decided that we would do maths in the morning as we want the children to have an opportunity to learn, for we are well aware that some will never have the chance to attend school. This makes teaching rather difficult as the groups have such a range of abilities some have just about grasped 1-10, others can add and subtract and some can do division and multiplication, and we are supposed to teach all abilities at the same time. So the morning was a bit none stop as there were several different activates going on at once. I knew that one of the older boys who attends school loves division so I had prepared some worksheets for him which he wizzed through, getting every single one correct. I gave the others who attend school adding and subtracting problems which actually meant there was silence from a few children - amazing I know. I am extremely impressed with their ability as they not only have to be good at maths but also be able to know the English numerals as well as the Marathi. There are a couple of really intelligent kids who can really excel if they are given the right opportunities. Things started to get more cramped as the day went on as we had to move further and further down the room, as the builders decided to cement the floor whilst the creche was going on. This meant all the kids in a space about 1/4 of the usual size but we manged. On the whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, especially as we plan to go to Mumbai at the weekend which will be great fun!!!