BLUE

More on the blue wall.

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AUTUMN COLORS

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THE BLUE WALL

The blue wall : here, here, here, here and here.

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SWIM GALA

Sports day and swim gala are your favorite events in a school year.

Last year, I haven't put them down. This year, I try to do a little record.

(A shot during freestyle contest)

It was surreal to watch you standing on platform to receive your medals. I still remember how astonished I was when I received a call telling me that you were "selected" for a special swimming program in 2009 spring. We (parents and children) didn't know there was such a program. Yan, a coach you had never met before, had been staying by pool side for days to screen children of 5-6 years old. We did not know how a girl who could hardly coordinate her body and limbs was shortlisted with the other 3 children. It was a total mystery. During the training, Coach Yan told me that you had a feel with the backstroke style. Feel. Such a magic word. When I sat by the pool side to watch you all practicing, I learnt to watch water patterns created by the children. When one is in rhythm with water, you can see beautiful streamlines of water current around the body and whirling of water under the surface ... Swim is about in tune with water, how beautiful. After Coach Yan left the team and went back to Beijing for study, we also quitted the training after the summer 2009, just staying in regular class till now. But her words are still whirling in my head, like a spell.

At this year's swim gala, you break the school record of 50M backstroke (junior girl). Last year, you have broken the record of 25M backstroke (junior girl). We shouldn't be too serious about the records because your school does not have a strong swim history. But, obviously, backstroke is your strongest style among the four styles. I recall, the magical words: "you had a feel with backstroke".

Remember the days you four young kids trained with the older kids, you were always the one who left far behind?

Remember the days of strong sunshine, the pool was like boiling?

Remember the days of heavy rains, the coach didn't get her umbrella ... she was as wet as you all?

Remember the days when there was typhoon signal no.3, the wind roared so hard?

Remember you said that she was not fierce, she just had a loud voice?

I missed your smile without front teeth.

All are surreal.

1,2.....Mar 2, 2011

3,4.....Mar, 2009 The first day of training

4,5.....Aug, 2009

P.S.

I am so honored to be on the list of Stylish Blogger Award presented by Linen and Milk. I am so touched! Thank you!!!!

An interesting talk :

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution.

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GO SWIMMING

I start taking images of iza in front of this wall ( a baby blue wall outside the pool ) since she starts swimming at 4 years old.

She still keeps swimming once a week even in winter.

But after we have shifted her class to 7pm,

no longer do I keep a keen record.

Recalling the last set ( which was taken in June 2010 ),

I spot a dramatic change of iza throughout the past 6-7 months.

Just do not notice this as I see her everyday ...

Need to work harder on keeping the "documentation" ...

Also thinking to take more videos ( I rarely interest in ),

I'm afraid I will forget her "funny" voice and tones, "clumsy" gestures ...

More here and here.

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PLAY

Almost for 3 years, iza swims every week all year round ...

Remembered her first lessons, she whined. Refused to even make a move. Just stood there ... for the whole course of time. I could not figure out what happened to this brave little child who extremely loved to play with water ... till she told me on her 4th lesson ...

" It is not playing. You need to follow every instruction.

Many children think it's fun ... but I don't think so. "

Her interpretation on playing stroke me and made me recall this incidence.

She was asking for toys which were without instructions. In her words, these were the play dough, papers, pencils ...

At that moment, I just felt this child need more freedom.

To me, playing was anything apart from work or school ... I did not aware the significant difference between playing with and without "instruction" or "guidance" ... Especially, in these days we all emphasize on learning through playing ... eventually, we have lots of intellectual games and toys for our children. We hope they will be intellectually trained up through playing. We maximize the benefits of playing ... and we forget something.

Till one day (at the time iza was 5.5Y already) i came across play therapy ... this made me rethink what is "playing" ...

"Play therapy is generally employed with children aged 3 through 11 and provides a way for them to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process. As children’s experiences and knowledge are often communicated through play, it becomes an important vehicle for them to know and accept themselves and others. "

Apart from our die hard belief in intellectual toys, we are so passionate on teaching our children through their creative playing. We are so eager to demonstrate on how to construct a car with Lego, make a little rabbit with play dough, draw something which look like what we think it ought to be like ... We do like to interpret what our children's act on their imaginary play and creations before they tell us ...

Playing without "instruction" or "guidance" is a kind of self-guided playing. Through the process, the children create their own rules, follow their feelings and emotions, flow with their imaginations ... it is a platform which they actualize their thoughts. Through actualization, they come to realize themselves. The more we intervene, the least they assert themselves.

There is a sense of alienation of emotions in those highly designed toys. The simplest "toys" allows the maximum interpretation and imagination. "Toys" can be anything. That might be the reason we enjoy least in those highly designed "theme parks"... feeling being constricted ...

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Images taken on 21 May 2010.

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SWIM

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Iza is not good at gross motor and fine motor coordination. Therefore, we have her attending swimming class since 4Y3M.
Quite unexpected, iza is being selected to a special training program (last for 6 months) in this February. The coach only picked 4 children in age 5-6 with shown potential. I'm uncertain that iza is the one. The coach might mix up names of children!? When she swims, she cannot coordinate her arms, legs and breathes ...
After 2 months training, iza can swim in all 4 styles though in her own funny way!
The coach once told me that iza has feeling in Backstroke. I never think that swimming is about feeling...