MasterPeace Academy

This week's theme is Father’s Day. Teacher Francina and I read the story of Jafta Sy Pa, Jafta's Father. Jafta is a rural child who runs and plays in the African landscape. Jafta's father carries him on his shoulders and back, builds him a tree house and a raft. He works hard, but sometimes needs to leave the family alone because of his work duties. I asked the children different questions about their relationship with their fathers.
We continued our time dancing to appropriate songs, including "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline and "Our God Is So Big." I reminded the children that though their fathers are imperfect, they have a heavenly father who knows their needs and is perfectly strong.

We had prayer time for our key fathers. We thanked God for their strengths and asked that he would help us accept their weaknesses. I reminded the students that there are children who don’t have parents and are orphaned. Even though our parents aren’t perfect, we should be thankful that we do have someone we can call family. I told them that the psalmist David said that even when we don’t have a father and mother, God will take us up. I reminded them that honoring and obeying their parents was the first commandment with a blessing. Then, we sang "Happy Father’s Day."
Finally, we created an acrostic poem that celebrates who fathers are: fathers are a part of our family. They are all differently-abled; we want to trust our fathers. For the letter H, the students readily supplied the word "hard-working". We want our fathers to set an example of excellence for us, and we want to respect them.

This week’s theme is child protection and safety. We had an awesome lesson taught by Aline using the Bunekas training from Brazil. The children learned important lessons about protecting themselves.

Aline began by talking about what the three colors of a signal light represent. Red means stop; yellow means slow down, and green means go. We discussed how our bodies are the temple or house for the Holy Spirit, and just as we care for them by cleaning them and staying healthy.

We also need to protect them from outside abuse. Using large-scale, anatomically correct posters of girls and boys, we discussed which parts are off-limits. We placed red dots on the dolls’ private parts because those are no-go areas. We placed green dots on hands and feet because those areas are safe for others to touch. We placed the yellow dots on the thighs and bellies, which we need to be cautious about. 

They then learned a song about their private parts, and then we should not touch them, see them, or feel them. We talked about not going to the restroom with another person, un******ng in front of another person, or even showering with another person. Simple things, such as keeping the door closed while un******ng, were discussed. We practiced screaming ‘no’ at anyone who might be an aggressor. Also, the children were instructed to tell a trustworthy friend, parent, or teacher about abuse . All of these ideas were reinforced through song.

Then, each girl was allowed to choose a doll, and each boy received a ball. They were very attentive and behaved well. It was a successful day. We ended our time with a prayer of protection, asking God to help us be wise and to send his angels to shield and protect us from those who would try to harm us. 

This week's theme centered on reptiles. Our discussion focused on
• What are reptiles?
• The differences between reptiles and mammals.
• Where do reptiles live?
• What do reptiles eat?

I explained to the students that reptiles are cold-blooded animals that rely on the heat of their surroundings to warm up. Reptiles are vertebrates, meaning that they have backbones. I provided examples of reptiles, including snakes, tortoises, turtles, crocodiles, and alligators. I distinguished tortoises, which walk on land, turtles, which swim in water, and terrapins, which can do both. I shared information with the students; turtles have no teeth and breathe through their bottoms.

We looked at anacondas in their environment on YouTube. We also talked about the snake's habitats, including dark places, the ground, and even trees. I reminded the students that snakes are warm-blooded, have scales, and do not have fur or hair like mammals. They tend to hibernate in cold months to preserve heat.

To reinforce their understanding, I pointed out the unique physical features of each reptile, such as tortoises' shells and snakes' long bodies, helping children remember these differences more easily. Reptiles are carnivores and eat as often as their environment allows.

The students explored the fascinating world of South African reptiles as we danced to theme-appropriate music. To include all learning styles, children also engaged with visual aids as we described reptiles. We took time to spell out terms. We distinguished a gecko from a lizard as well.

The students received an adorable set of A4-sized coloring pages featuring the critical topic of reptiles. The images are ideal for preschool-aged children, allowing them to practice their coloring, fine motor, and pencil control skills. They also received a Twinkl worksheet, a great resource to help children count up to ten to solve addition problems. I

Today’s lesson centered on the life of the butterfly. I shared interesting details about butterfly development, including the four stages: egg, larva, caterpillar, and mature butterfly, which can inspire wonder about nature's growth. I described the cocoon that the caterpillar builds after eating for so long to undergo metamorphosis. The mature butterflies visit flowers for nectar and participate in plant and fruit growth.

Teacher Aline stressed how caterpillars can only see in black and white. They have two large eyes and 12 smaller, or micro, eyes to help them see. While they’re in the chrysalis, they have to struggle against the cocoon to become a butterfly. We watched “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle to cement the lesson.

Teacher Aline drew several connections in with our own spiritual life. To become who God wants us to be, we must endure the process. We discussed how the caterpillar has a big brain while the butterfly has a small head. She related that to the transformation of our thinking patterns. As our minds are renewed, we experience the transformation Paul spoke of: we become more like Christ.

We ended dancing to the appropriate music, including "Reading Rainbow" and "If I Were a Butterfly." In the end, we thanked God for how he has uniquely made us. With our renewed minds, we can begin to see the world like a butterfly full of color and light, not just black and white.

We finished with the simple but effective Butterfly Patterns Worksheet, a great way for our young learners to practise their drawing skills.
Learners must complete the missing half of the butterfly, trying to ensure that both wings match.

Today, our focus was on birds, the week's theme. The children learned about these fantastic feathered creatures using Yuval Zommer's Big Book of Birds. We discussed the fact that birds have families, live in nests, and hatch from eggs. We also talked about different sorts of birds, such as birds of prey, flightless birds, sea birds, woodland birds, forest birds, and water birds.

We shared how clever these birds are and how they create their nests, emphasizing their unique behaviors. I explained that birds use their soft feathers for comfort and their strong feathers to fly, helping students understand the functions of feathers. Exploring the functions of feathers, such as flying, beauty, and water resistance, helped reinforce their importance in bird survival and behavior. We spent time talking about birds specific to Africa, such as the ostrich and the secretary bird. We also spent time discussing owls, birds of prey like vultures, majestic birds like the bald eagle, and flamingos.

We danced like penguins and listened to a series of theme-appropriate music, including the Jackson Five's version of "Rockin' Robin" and Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." The chorus, "Don't worry about a thing, for every little thing is gonna be all right," reinforced the spiritual message of God's care.

We ended our time thanking God for being in control, illustrating how the lesson connects to faith and trust in divine oversight. We reminded ourselves of the promise that even a sparrow has a home in the temple of God, emphasizing God's attentiveness to all creatures, including us. God even sees when a bird falls to the ground. If God pays attention to the birds, he cannot forget us. He's numbered the hairs on our head, captured our tears in a bottle, and written them down in his book.

Today’s lesson centered on celebrating Mother’s Day. After our declarations, we recited a poem that talked about the role of a mother as a guardian and nurturer. We spelled out the word 'mother' as well.Then, using wooden figures, we discussed the different roles a mother can assume as a nurse, teacher, librarian, taxi driver, hairdresser, and cleaner. Then we discussed the roles that a mother can have outside, though. I asked the students how many of their mothers worked outside the home. Most of them raised their hands.

We talked about the nuclear family, which includes a mom with a unique role and gender, and a dad. Lastly, we included a baby for the family. Then I taught a song to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine" about our love for our mothers. Next, we ended our time with dancing to theme-appropriate music: some reggae, some rap, some nursery rhyme.
Afterward, we prayed and asked God to help our mothers to be the kind of role models of excellence and godliness that we need. We asked God to help us be children who listen, obey, and appreciate our mothers. Then, it was time for a snack. 

Today’s lesson focused on trees and developing into resilient spiritual trees. Trees are essential for life, offering shade, oxygen, beauty, and many resources—from car tires to medicine like aspirin. Much of today's material was drawn from Jen Green‘s ' The Magic and Mystery of Trees,' illustrated by Claire McElfateick. Students learned about the hidden world of trees, which can send underground messages and live like families. The lesson aims to inspire curiosity about nature's unseen connections. I brought a broken branch for students to examine and touch parts of the tree.

We discussed the different tree parts, comparing them to the students’ bodies: feet like roots anchoring them, midsections like the trunk supporting, arms and fingers like branches and leaves, and the head as the canopy with leaves and flowers.

Roots anchor the tree and provide stability against wind and gravity . They absorb water and minerals from the soil and store carbohydrates to sustain the tree through winter. Most roots are in the top 12–36 inches of soil and spread far beyond the branches, reaching deep for water to keep the tree healthy.

The woody stem supports the branches, leaves, and fruit, and elevates the tree. It transports water and nutrients from roots to leaves and sugars back down. Branches extend to hold leaves, flowers, and fruit in optimal sunlight positions, also aiding in water and nutrient movement.

Leaves or needles use chlorophyll, sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce sugars. They release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Excess water evaporates from leaves, helping draw more water from the roots.

The canopy, at the top, contains branches and leaves, performing photosynthesis and providing shade. The outer bark protects the tree, retaining moisture and shielding against cold, heat, and pests.

We discussed how trees communicate and care for each other, sharing nutrients and supporting younger trees. We also learned how tree borers host birds, foxes, and owls. Animals like monkeys help replant trees by dispersing seeds. We examined the boab and acacia trees from South Africa. When giraffes eat acacia leaves, they detect their spit and trigger production of chemicals that make the leaves bitter, warning other trees.

We finished with dancing to themed music, expressing gratitude for trees and praying for our spiritual roots to grow deeply in God’s love and peace, so we can become strong, healthy trees.

Today’s subject was caring for creation. Teacher Aline began with Genesis 1 and 2, speaking of how God made everything with care and declared that everything he had made was good. We want the children to feel wonder and gratitude for God's careful work. Then, in Genesis 2:15, “Then, Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” She reminded the children that they, too, live in God‘s beautiful creation, and it’s their responsibility to maintain it.

She looked at Proverbs 6:6, which says, "Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise!' She explained how the ant works hard, stays organized, and doesn't waste resources. The ant is a clear example of care and responsibility that children can learn from.
Therefore, we watched a YouTube video showing ants working together as a team to achieve a goal, like surrounding and eating a potato chip. This video helped the students see how teamwork and careful use of resources are important for caring for creation.
I asked a question about who threw the potato chip down, the ants or a person. The children said "A person," and I noted that the ant didn’t waste the potato chip; instead, it ate it.

Lastly, Teacher Aline discussed John 6:1-13. The miracle of the bread and fish. She stressed that Jesus doesn’t waste anything. It tells us that when the people had had enough to eat, Jesus told his disciples, "Gather up the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”

All of these examples show us that God is good. God is organized. God is clean. God is careful. God is responsible. And since we were made in his image and likeness, we should be good to the environment. We should be clean, careful, organized, and responsible. The only thing we should be spreading is the love of God through his kingdom and not trash. We hoped to motivate the students to care for creation as an act of love and respect for God's work.

Next, Teacher Aline detailed the three ways we can help the environment: recycling, reducing, and reusing. She urged them not to be careless with our resources. Did you know that it takes a couple of months for paper to disintegrate yet? It takes many years for plastic to dissolve. Aluminum takes hundreds of years to decompose, and glass never decomposes. It takes almost 1000 years. But we can use compost to reduce our food waste.

Afterward, we danced to theme-appropriate songs about God's bright and beautiful world, recognizing that it’s a small world that belongs to all of us. Then, we thanked God for his world and asked him to help us be good caretakers and stewards.

We were so blessed today to have Nurse Bruna come and share personal hygiene with the Rhinoceros and Buffalo classes. She told them that they needed to wash their hands before eating, after using the restroom, and after playing.

We discussed how germs hide on our clothes and in the playground soil, and how they travel through the air when we cough and sneeze. I reminded the students to always cough into their hands or sneeze into their sleeves.

Then, Teacher Bruna reminded them that they must always wash their hands after sneezing and coughing. She instructed them on how to wash their hands, reminding them that germs can make them sick and can also make their friends feel sick. Additionally, she instructed them about how bathing also helps keep us healthy. 

We ended our time moving and singing to health-related songs. Then, we thanked God for the beautiful miracles of our bodies and asked him to help us remember these important lessons so that we can protect them. 

Today’s lesson focused on shopping and money, highlighting their importance in early childhood education. We began by quieting our spirits and making our declarations, then it was time to learn about the value of money.

Teacher Mella said that to go shopping, you must first know the value of money, so she showed the children the different types of cash, coins, and notes. We started with the coins: one rand, two rand, and five rand coins. We reminded them that these coins make a jingle.

The South African bills include 20-, 100-, and 200-note denominations: what they look like, which animals are on them, and the colors used to identify the value of the money. These activities aimed to help the children feel confident in recognizing different types of money. We stressed that knowing how to count money keeps us safe and helps us prevent others from defrauding/stealing from us. 

Then, the children engaged in a shopping role-play, buying food or any desired product, using the lovely Tuck shop that Teacher Francina prepared—activities that helped them feel involved and prepared for real-life situations. They were allowed to purchase everyday items, including shoes, clothes, household goods, and groceries. The children were rewarded for the right answers with something from the Tuck shop. 

After shopping activities, children engaged in movement and counting songs, reinforcing counting skills up to 20 and linking them to money handling. We thanked God for giving us the intelligence to learn and remember our currencies.