Page 34 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book

“How will we dig a sand tunnel without the danger of collapse,” they would wonder
when playing in the sand pit, securing problem-solving skills.
The sellam gedara sets the foundation for children to make a connection with their
social partners and understand that others too are like them.
Usually, parents and caregivers tend to protect children from every potentially stressful
or risky situation. However, like the bumps and bruises a toddler learning to walk
would acquire, preschoolers are allowed to take small risks such as jumping into the
sand pit from various heights, getting on to different heights by climbing tyres or going
up the pyramid and nets, but always under the close eye of the teacher.

As the Piyawara preschools with their outdoor and indoor activities arm the little ones
to face the world, minor cuts and scrapes are part of the learning process. This is why
there is a handy first aid box in each and every preschool.
Murals on the wall
As language development is key in children at this age, all Piyawara preschools have
murals on their walls.

One such is the vivid ‘Day and Night’ and a tiny tot at the Kantalai Preschool had
pointed out that the shining moon which she has seen from her garden is a “full”
round but the moon on the mural is only half. It was a new lesson learnt through
observation……..about the different shapes of the moon – full, half and crescent!

Riding on the pillion with mother to the Jaffna Preschool.
26
Hemas Piyawara - A Journey to the Future