June 2014

GVI Laos
Monthly Achievement Report: Library Childrens
Activities Class

Objectives:
- Contribute to the economic development of the larger community by
providing high-quality English education to Lao students
This years program at the Luang Prabang Childrens Library has seen an exciting
new addition to GVIs our regular English classes. At the request of the librarys
Director GVI Laos Luang Prabang has initiated a childrens activities class to cater
for the kids who are participating in the librarys summer holiday care program.
To maintain a fun holiday atmosphere the classes are run as English
language based activities.
The children come from different backgrounds and villages in and around the
town of Luang Prabang. Some of them have never had the opportunity to learn
English from native speakers before. Others have formerly attended GVI run
classes at other locations. All of the students are eager to learn and develop their
English language skills. Word quickly spread around and we had so many
students interested that weve added an additional class to accommodate more
children. Their ages range from as young as five years old up to around 13 years
old.
The students have been learning traditional English nursery rhymes such as Row
Your Boat, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. They have also
been taught some modern childrens songs such as Wheels on the Bus and The
Lion Sleeps Tonight. Music, song and dance is a large part of the culture in Laos,
so by including them in our classes we keep it relative and interesting for the
students. Childrens songs are very repetitive which helps commit them to long
term memory, whoever doesnt get Wheels on the Bus stuck in their head is
superhuman! and for many students singing a word or phrase is better practice
for accurate pronunciation than saying it. Every song has a dance to accompany
it to help the students remember the words.
To go with the songs the students make crafts that are related to the lyrics. Over
just four short weeks they have made sailboats, rivers, teapots, lion masks,
sheep and even decorated their own class parachute to use in games. Everyday
the children leave smiling and singing, showing their friends and family the fun

Written by Intern Monica Walker

thing they made and dance they learned. Thanks to our creative volunteers we
are brimming with exciting ideas for the future.
A big thank you to all those who have been involved in starting, teaching and
supporting this program! Khop Jai Lai Lai!

Written by Intern Monica Walker