As long as the Corona Covid-19 Pandemic is still ongoing and following the government’s recommendation to carry out work from home (WFH) activities or learning activities at home. Tunas Bangsa II Kindergarten in Cigadung created an activity program through the online WhatsApp group for parents.
Program Activities through this network or online. The task of the teacher and the head of the kindergarten is to monitor. The teacher / homeroom teacher provides material / learning (habituation tasks in the form of positive daily activities and language development, cognitive, science, gross / fine motor skills, art skills). The activities or tasks given are light activities carried out by the child alone and together so that the child still feels happy and is free to study at home. The use of media or materials and tools for their activities uses those available at home, so that parents do not need to leave the house and are not burdened with finding or getting learning media for their children. As for the duties of parents accompanying children’s playing and learning; facilitating children to deposit/upload photos of activities via online WhatsApp. This is a vehicle for parents to facilitate children’s learning at home.
The purpose of this activity program is to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, make it easier for parents to facilitate children’s learning, so that children do not feel bored doing learning activities at home.
Here I will share a science learning method on the theme of the process of rain, and hopefully the method I have created can be especially useful for PAUD teachers and can be applied to their students in their respective institutions. The contents of the lesson “The Process of Rain For PAUD” via Whatsapp this fun parent-student group are as follows:
1. Material about rain is given through stories:
“The Water Grain”
One day Si Butir Air was playing with his friends in a very wide ocean, they were playing happily. Suddenly, the scorching heat of the sun stung the bodies of Si Butir Air and his friends. The bodies of Si Butir Air and his friend felt warm and hot and started to lighten and then they disappeared.
“Wow, look at my friends, my body is yawning like you.” Si Butir air said to his friend.
The Water Grain and his friends hovered up carrying the sun’s rays into the sky. The body of the Water Grain and his friend turned into very cold air, they hugged each other to form a cloud so as not to separate.
“Oh… our bodies are cold again friend, we become a big cloud, let’s… hug tightly, so that we don’t fall down” said Si Butir air to his friends.
But their bodies were shaken by the wind and hit the mountains, so they were no longer strong enough to hug, so that the Water Grain and his Friends fell to the ground.
Now the children of the drops of water and their friends that fall is rain. Rain from the sky is the creation of Allah SWT and we can make artificial rain with very simple tools and materials that are at home with mother / father / or brother also have to be careful because we make artificial rain with hot water. Let’s start preparing the tools and materials
2. Tools and materials:
a. Hot water
b. Glass
c. glass lid
3. The steps of learning activities:
a. The teacher provides information about the learning themes and learning activities that will be carried out.
b. The teacher sends an audio recording of the story “The Water Grain” via the Parents group WhatsApp .
c. Children accompanied by parents listen to audio stories
The “Water Grain” that Master sent
d. The teacher sends back a video recording containing how to make the process of rain starting from the tools and materials, the evaporation process, evaporation into water droplets until the water droplets drip like rain water.
e. Children accompanied by parents try to make artificial rain according to the video sent by Master.
f. Parents explain to children according to their abilities about the process of rain that has been exemplified by the teacher.
g. Parents send the results of their children’s activities with photo documentation as well as videos about the process of the rain through WhatsApp online .
h. Teachers give rewards to children and parents by sending words of praise and stickers that can encourage parents to continue to guide their children to study at home.
i. The teacher gives an assessment of the results of the children’s activities sent by the parents and is administered into the child’s assessment book.
Alhamdulillah, the method of learning science about the process of rain through WhatsApp online , has been implemented at our institution. The students’ parents really appreciated and the children seemed to like, also happy with this science lesson. We are also teachers with online learning, being more creative in creating new methods or other ways of learning that are fun for children that parents can use to teach their children at home.