Sri Lanka: Palathuduwa Preschool Support

Objectives:
•    Work with guardians and caretakers to assist in proper caretaking of the children;
•    Educate children in the area to ensure health awareness and proper sanitation;
•    Provide the children with nutritious meals;
•    Educate children about their environment, integrating eco-awareness and outdoor activities into   their routines;
•    Educate them about natural disasters and environmental pollution, including small skills they can utilize to help preserve their surroundings;
•    Diversity education about cultural and ethnic diversity in their community, including exercises aimed at increasing tolerance and understanding of differences;
•    Give lessons to children about modern communication technologies, including the use of mobile phones;
•    Continue Basic English knowledge education in a practical setting.

Achievements this quarter:
•    Educated the children about the history and purpose of the Sinhala New Year Festival Day.
•    Educated children about traditional Sri Lankan cloth.
•    Educated and practiced typical Sri Lankan games
•    Trained how to make Vesak celebration lanterns.  
•    Educated about the importance of the Vesak & Poson festivals
•    Children trained on how to participate in the Perahara festival
•    Assisted the parents and guardians of the children to provide better care and protection for their children.
•    Ensured the health and sanitation of the students through regular reminders and education about hand washing, and other hygienic issues.
•    Educated children to live in peace and harmony among the different ethnic groups of their communities.
•    Taught children about modern communication technology and its benefits.

Sinhalee and Hindu people celebrate their new year festival on the 13th and 14th of April.  During this celebration they get ready by making traditional foods, buying new cloths and clothing and cleaning their houses. On the new year day family members gather at one house, eat a traditional dish of milk rice and children play special New Year’s games.
Our pre-school teachers wanted spent the time leading up to New Year’s teaching the children about all the traditional customs and practiced playing the New Year’s games.

Vesak Festival

Vesak is very important occasion for Buddhist people because it commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Bhudda Parinibbana during the vesak full moon. In honor of this, all Buddhist make vesak lanterns a lite oil lamp, full of colored lights.

The teachers and children made vesak lanterns in the classroom and presented them at the pre-school building as an offering with flowers.

Poson Perahara

Another Buddhist festival taught to the children this quarter, Poson, marks the great arrival of Arahant Mahinda in Sri Lanka, the son of Emperor Asoka of India, and responsible for the spread of Bhuddist teachings in Sri Lanka.  

The Perahara (festival) is marked with many parades, and pilgrims gathering at temples and other spiritual locations, and dressing in many different types of white and colorful robes and clothing.