Clever Cubs Pre-School April 2012

Read about all the toddlers at Clever Cubs Pre-School - how they reacted to their
recent Polio jabs, and see them in their new handmade donated hats and scarfs, ready for the upcoming winter!

Bessa:  We all think Bessa will be a very good athlete when he's older. All he does most of the time is run so fast when he is outside playing and he loves to play soccer. All of us at Clever Cubs are so proud of him now that he can use the toilet on his own without assistance. He is very helpful and loves to share with all the other children and shows so much respect towards everyone. Hilma was impressed by the young toddler as he didn't cry at all when he had his recent Polio Immunization.

Catriona: Catriona was one of the few toddlers who needed to go into Windhoek recently for her Polio Immunization. The group of children enjoyed their excursion into town and Catriona wasn't worried about the jab at all, she just liked the day trip experience! She didn't cry or scream or react badly in any way to her jab, the nurses were very pleased with their good patient. Just the smile on Catriona’s face tells us how happy she is to be at school and her work has really improved. She is very helpful especially with the little ones in the nursery class and is happy to share her toys with the other children.

Dara: Dara has been living with her Aunt (her mother, Coro's, sister) on the farm where Coro also used to live. After several months away, she's back at N/a'an ku se and her mother is so happy to be reunited with her. All the Clever Cubs were also happy to have her back and she seems not to have forgotten them and loves playing with all of them. She even runs up to people and gives them a big hug. She is such a cute girl who loves dancing and clapping her hands while the children sing. She also loves playing with sand and water and makes adorable sand cupcakes. Both Hilma and the nurses were very proud of her when she got her Polio immunization as the brave girl did not cry at all.

Denzel: Denzel had been away visiting his Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles on the farm where his mother grew up but is back now at N/a'an ku se. He's a lot more mature, as he always used to cry and shout for the nanny when he got dropped off at school. Now he stands there, waves and says "bye-bye". He even walks to and from school like a grown up boy. He has been picking up some English words recently. - "look", "teacher" and "come". He also loves playing with sand which is good for his finger muscles development and will make it easier for him when he starts writing.

Frans: Frans turned 5 years old on 12th February and all the Clever Cubs gave him a teddy bear as a gift and sang Happy Birthday. He enjoyed being the centre of attention for a little while! They have been learning numbers, shapes and colours in class and he is grasping most of them quite quickly. His writing is really improving with the practice he is doing and he enjoys building puzzles. Diligent Frans always makes sure that his work is complete before he runs outside to play and is happy to have his little brothers, Saul and baby Bessa who was born in 2011, at school with him so he can make sure they're well looked after.

Hendrick: Hilma is very proud of Hendrick - he now walks all by himself to school and back home and when his mum brings him to school he stands at the door and waves goodbye to her - unlike in the beginning when he use to cry and shout for her. He is even picking up some English words and it is so cute to watch him say them. He always makes sure that he is the first one to run and wash hands before lunch is served. He mostly enjoys playing with the toys cars in the playground and when he is in class then he plays with the building blocks or clay. His best friends are Denzel, Nico and Saul and they play all the time together.

Jessica: Jessica's colouring and writing has improved so much - she can now write her name without having to copy it as she knows how to spell the word on her own. The toddlers have been learning different shapes and Jessica knows and recognizes most of them. She is also very good with numbers and loves counting aloud. Hilma thinks she's ready for Primary school next year.

Jessica recently went to Windhoek for her Polio Immunization - a day she will never forget! The poor girl was shouting and screaming in the clinic, thinking that it was going to be painful. Once she had her jab she realised that it is not painful at all, much to her relief!

Lisa: We have been talking about “My body” in class and Lisa can name most of the body parts in both English and Afrikaans and also some of the colours and shapes. She is very good with her colouring and Hilma was so impressed that she completed a puzzle with 50 pieces all on her own. She also tried drawing some of the shapes on her own and it was a good attempt for someone her age. Lisa is visiting her dad for 2 weeks and she is so excited because she has not seen him for quite a long time. She lives here with her Grandmother Sanna, who is a domestic worker.

Ndeshi: Ndeshi really misses her sister Andy at Clever Cubs, now that she has started at Eros Primary School and she always waits at the door for the schoolbus to arrive back in the afternoons. She meets her sister off the bus and picks up her school bag and carries it for her. It's so cute to see the love between these two girls, they're always together. Ndeshi can name most of the body parts and many shapes as the class have been focusing on that recently. She particularly enjoys the part of the day when they all sing nursery rhymes together and her favourite is "Humpty Dumpty".

Regina: 5 year old Regina had never been to school before recently moving to N/a'an ku se to join her brother Balon who works as a Tour Guide at our Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary. She always has a smile on her face and loves making friends with all the other Clever Cubs. She shows a lot of interest in her school work, colouring and painting, and when it is play time she loves singing and playing with the skipping rope which is good for her gross motor development. She also tried completing a 50 piece puzzle on her own but found it a bit challenging.  She is always the first one to run up to the volunteers and make friends with them when they come and spend time with us at the school, which just shows her lovely open personality.

Saul: Saul's favourite moment at school is story time and he sits right in front of the teacher and listens to the story attentively, hanging off her every word. He then runs after all the children to wash his hands before lunch is served. He's a very polite boy and when he arrives at school in the morning and receives his morning fruit from one of the teachers, he always says “dankie” , which is thank you in Afrikaans rather than Bushman. He loves drawing and painting and also tries to build puzzles. This year he's joined by his baby brother Piet at school and the pair are adorable together.