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Students at Honey Tree Childcare
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Morals and values. If you have them, society credits your good upbringing. If you don’t showcase any kind of moral or value, society immediately points a finger at poor ‘ol Mom. Here in Singapore, the Education board probably understands how busy parents can get and therefore a subject such as Civics and Moral Education or rather, CME, is thrown in the faces of secondary school children who listen to everyday scenarios related by teachers and are then asked to choose the right option which relies more on common sense than character!
Do you teach children morals or do you lead by example? Is a 7-year-old to be chastised with a cane for simply lying? In the Asian society that we live in, morals are, apparently, ‘beaten’ into you. You know you’re going down the immoral path when Grandma thwacks you on the head for simply adding a few details to the truth. Children never really know when they are wavering off the road of good morals and values. Hence, when do we begin to teach them?
How can we ensure that our children get the best out of character development?
TheAsianParent tried to find a childcare centre that begins its lessons on morals early and we located a centre at 94 Dido street that instils the teachings of good morals as part of its curriculum.
Honey Tree Childcare and Development Centre
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Engaging young minds
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The centre is home to around 50 children and has adopted an integrated thematic programme. This is where the excitement kicks in. Moral values are in each of the themes. For instance, in the first term, there are themes such as ‘This is Me’, ‘My Body and Face’ and ‘I Love My Parents’. In ‘I Love My Parents’, children are taught to take care of their parents because of the love they have for them.
If you’re thinking this whole thing is just for the older kids, then you are wrong. Even the nursery 2s get into the whole moral thematic learning. Their themes include, ‘My Toys’, ‘My Home’ and ‘My School’. In the theme ‘My Toys’, the children are taught to take care of belongings. Why does the centre concentrate on dedicating so much time on morals? “It teaches children confidence. These themes follow Asian values so the children are not confused when their parents or grandparents instil in the children any Asian value in them. We also focus more on family values,’ explains Ms. Stella Chiang, the general manager at Honey Tree.
Family Day
To expand the love and respect for family, Honey Tree even has a special day set aside called ‘Family Day’. This specially planned day is for all levels. The staff also comes down with each of their family family. Games are specially planned with one interesting one called ‘I Can See You Thru My Heart’ where parents are blindfolded and the children sit in a circle and call out to the parents. Then the parents walk around and try to pick out their kid. Occasionally this brings about hilarious results.
Hence with centres like Honey Tree, perhaps the teachings of morals and values can be shared by parents and such centres.
To find out more information visit Honey Tree’s blog!