Week 3- Project Week (Ashwini and Felicia)

Monday & Tuesday, 20 & 21 May 2019

There were no lessons throughout this week as it was Punt's Project week. Project week is a biannual fundraising event where students would create handicrafts to sell on the last day of the week to raise funds for a particular organisation. This year's theme was market. Therefore students had to create handicrafts and items that are usually sold in markets to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation. The students were free to choose which handicraft they would like to learn to make. There were a variety of options that students could choose from. Students could choose to make jam, soap bar and bath salt, note-books, chopping boards making, candle holders or choose to paint. For the entire week, we were attached to our CT who was in charge of teaching the students about painting. In the morning, students will go through the workshop conducted by the school teachers and then make the handicraft. Then in the afternoon students will return back to their form classes and collectively discuss on the price list of their handicrafts and create decorations for their stalls. This was indeed a good venture as Project week involved both the Kindergarten students as well as the students from grade 1 to 6 in Punt. This was a good opportunity for them to mingle and bond as they learnt from one another while making the handicrafts together.

Paintings done by the students

Our students at work ;)

Wednesday, 23 May 2019

After school today, we went to visit the Zoological Museum in Zurich and view the special exhibition on insects.

Afterwards, we travelled to visit the Rhine falls, the largest waterfall in Switzerland and Europe. It was truly a sight to see and we enjoyed feeling the cool water on our faces!

Front view of the Falls

The Falls!

Thursday, 24 May 2019

After completing our painting workshop in the morning, we managed to go and observe the other workshops and make some handicrafts too. We observed the jam making workshop where we learnt how to make apricot and apple jam! It was certainly fun making the jam with the students and tasting them ;)

Chopping up the apricots

Weighing the sugar

Mixing the apricots and the sugar

Our completed jams!

After learning how to make the jams we went to the keychain making workshop where we joined some of our students and made some pretty coloured keychains. These keychains were rather special as they were made from felt wool that was soaked in soap so that they would stick together when they are rolled as one.

Friday, 25 May 2019

Today was the finale of the Project week. Therefore there were no workshops conducted today. Instead, students began their day by setting up their class stalls and tidying up their price lists and handicrafts. After which, each class convened together to make a class food item to sell. Our form class was in charge of pizza making and cotton candy making. Therefore, they helped to prepare the pizza dough and began to set up the cotton candy machine. The entire school was very busy with all the preparations as the families of these students, as well as the public, were coming down in the evening to the 'Market' to purchase these handicrafts. Some of our colleague's spouses also came down to help set up and prepare for this carnival. We had so much fun this week helping out in the workshops. We were also very happy to be given the opportunity to prepare the pizzas that our class sold during the carnival. Many of our students' parents came forward to interact with us after the carnival and inquire about our experience in Switzerland so far. It was truly heartening to be welcomed by the parents and to be able to share with them about Singapore as well. We felt so touched by their warm words and we definitely enjoyed bonding with them and our students.

Packaged granola jars for sale

Our school drinking fountain was used to store the drinks since the water was so cold!

The wooden boards made by the students

Hand made soap with different scents!

Our pizza stall!

The hustle at the carnival

Felicia enjoying her Swiss sausage ;p

Flavoured bath salts done by the students

Ash is a happy kid with her cotton candy :)

Saturday, 26 May 2019

We were really excited about today's day-trip as it was the first time the two of us travelled out of Switzerland. Today we travelled to Liechtenstein, a European country bordered by Austria and Switzerland. We visited Vaduz, a city in Liechtenstein. It was indeed a very beautiful place filled with medieval castles, alpine landscapes and cathedrals.

At the Kunsthaus Museum in Vaduz

Post Museum in Vaduz

Felicia penning down a message in the Post Museum book collection

Our happy faces after getting our Gelato fix :)

St Florin Cathedral in Vaduz

The famous altar in St Florin

Vaduz Castle

Our tired faces posing with the Alps after our long hike up to the Castle

Sunday, 27 May

Today was probably the most awaited trip of the entire IP travelling experience. We were finally going to see the Matterhorn in Zermatt. In our second week, while we were teaching our 6th graders English, we covered their unit on 'The man who climbed the Matterhorn'. We were really fascinated with the Toblerone mountain and wanted to experience being on a snowcapped mountain. Therefore when we finally decided to go to the Matterhorn we were so excited to see the Alps up close that we had always seen from our farmhouse. The view from our farmhouse was really nothing compared to seeing the actual Matterhorn. It was truly a wonder. We were glad that we went together with our NIE buddies and had so much fun snowballing. It was also our very first experience snow tubing and we loved it!