Today we had a special activity at PlusKids: we explored the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The children were captivated by Jack's adventures and threw themselves into everything that followed.
First we used beans to build sentences and learn new words. It looks like a game but does serious work: when every word has an object of its own, a sentence becomes something you can move, rearrange and count. By shifting the beans, the children saw that word order changes meaning and that some words cannot be left out.
Then we planted "magic beans" together and talked about the importance of care and patience in growing plants. Planting is one of the few activities that produces no result at all on the day — and that is exactly why it is worth doing: the child learns to wait, to water and to check, and days later receives the confirmation. In the meantime, they imagined what would happen when the beans became giant stalks.
We gathered in a circle and read the story together. We shared thoughts and ideas, and the children were encouraged to give their opinions and to connect the tale to their own experiences.
Finally we staged a short play inspired by the story, in which each child performed their favourite character. Role play gave them a chance to practise self-confidence and to discover that speaking in front of others is far easier when you have a character to hide behind.