and if you have Ariel Mon in your Word fonts ...

... you would be able to read this! This is one of the many documents I wrote and had translated. This page is titled "Active Learning : Using Your Classroom".

ÈÄÝÂÕÒÝÉ ÑÓÐÀËÖÀÕ - ªªÐÈÉÍ ÀÍÃÈÉà ÀØÈÃËÀÕ

Øèíæèõ, çîõèîõ, á¿òýýõ, õýëýëöýõ áà àñóóëò àñóóõûã õ¿¿õýä çºí㺺𺺠ë õèéäýã. Áàãø íàð àíãèä ¿éë àæèëëàãàà ÿâóóëàõ áà õè÷ýýëèéí ÿâöàä àíõààðàëòàé àæèãëàõ, õ¿¿õäýä ñóðàõ áîëîìæ áàéãàà ýñýõèéã ìýäýæ àâàõ õýðýãòýé. Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ñóðãóóëüä õýçýý ÷ óéäàõ ¸ñã¿é.

¯ð àøèãòàé áîëîâñðîë
- Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä øèíæèõ, õýëýëöýõ, á¿òýýõ, àñóóëò àñóóõ áà àñóóäëûã øèéäýæ áîëîõ õè÷ýýë ¿éë àæèëëàãààíóóäûã îðîëöóóëàõ
- Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä õè÷ýýë¿¿äýýñ ñóðñàí ç¿éëýý íýãòãýõ áà õÿíàæ øàëãàõ
- Õ¿íäðýë¿¿ä áàéõ – òýä õýö¿¿ ç¿éëòýé òóëãàðàõàä øèéäýæ ÷àäàõ ÷àäâàðòàé áàéõ

Èäýâõòýé ñóðàõ àíãèéã áèé áîëãîõ íü ìàø ýíãèéí þì. Áàãø ÿíç á¿ðèéí ¿éë àæèëëàãààã õèéëãýõ. ¯éë àæèëëàãààíû õýñýã á¿ð íü õºòºëáºðèéí ººð ººð õýñã¿¿äèéã õºãæ¿¿ëäýã. /Àíãèéí õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéí òîîã 5-ä õóâààõ. Èíãýâýë ýíý íü ÷àìä õýäýí ¿éë àæèëëàãààíû õýñýã õýðýãòýé áîëîõûã õýëæ ºãíº./

Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä õèéæ ýõëýõýýñ ºìíº òýä ä¿ðìèéã ñàéí îéëãîñîí ýñýõèéã ñàéí øàëãàõ:
• Òýä ÿìàð ÷ ¿éë àæèëëàãààã ñîíãîæ áîëíî.
• Òýä äàõèí ººðèéã ñîíãîæ áîëîõ áà ãýõäýý ýõíèéõèéãýý ñàéí öýãöýëñýí áàéõ ¸ñòîé.
• Òýä áàõèð÷, øèäëýõ ýñâýë ìàðãàëäàõ ¸ñã¿é. Õýðýâ òýãñýí òîõèîëäîëä õàæóó òèéø íü 2 ìèíóò ñóóëãàæ ººð õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ÿàæ òàéâàí òîãëîæ áàéãààã õàðóóëàõ
• Òýä ººðèéíõºº õýñãèéí þìíóóäûã õàìãààëàõ. Æ íü: íîìòîé õýñýãò ãóðèë áàéæ áîëîõã¿é.
• Íàñàíä õ¿ðýã÷èä õýñã¿¿ä äýýð î÷èæ ÿìàð ñîíèðõîëòîé ç¿éë õèéæ áàéãààã àñóóõ
• Äóóññàíû äàðàà á¿ãä ñóóãààä þó íü ñîíèðõîëòîé áàéñàí áèä þó ìýäýæ àâñàí ãýõ÷èëýí ÿðèëöàõ

Òîãëîæ ýõëýõýä òàéâàí ýõëýë áîë ìàø ÷óõàë áàéäàã. Õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéã ¿éë àæèëëàãààíû õýñýã á¿ð ë¿¿ ã¿éõèéã çºâøººð÷ îãò áîëîõã¿é. ×èìýýã¿é òîãëîîì òîãëîõ, æ íü: Õºøºº áîëîõ, õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéã íýã íýãýýð íü õèéëã¿¿ëæ ýõë¿¿ëýõ.

ßìàð íýãýí äîõèîòîé áàéõ íü ìàø ÷óõàë, èíãýñíýýð õ¿¿õä¿¿ä òýð äîõèîãîîð òýð äàðóé íü çîãñîæ äàðààãèéí çààâðûã ñîíñîõ. Ãýõäýý ¿¿íèéã ÿã ë øààðäëàãàòàé ¿åä õèéõ ¸ñòîé áà ÷è ººðºº äîõèî ºãñºí ¿åäýý áàñ ÿðèõã¿é áàéõ, õ¿¿õä¿¿ä áàñ ÷àìàéã ë äóóðàéíà!





ÕÀÐÀÀ, ÑÎÍÑÃÎË ÁÎËÎÍ ÌÝÄÐÝÕ¯É ¯ÉË ÕªÄ˪ËÈÉÍ ÀÐÃÀ ǯÉ:
ÆÈØÝÝ

ÇÎÐÈËÃÎ= Ẻðºíõèé, äºðâºëæèí áà ãóðâàëæèí ãýæ þó áîëîõûã çààõ:

ÒÀÍÄ ÕÝÐÝÃÒÝÉ
Õàéðöàãàíä Ẻðºíõèé, äºðâºëæèí, ãóðâàëæèí ä¿ðñ¿¿ä áàéõ (õàéðöàãíààñ ãàðãàæ òàâèõ ã.ì)
3 æèæèã ¿ç¿¿ëýõ öààñ
3 øèðýý

• Õ¿¿õä¿¿äýä Ẻðºíõèé ãóðâàëæèí äºðâºëæèí ä¿ðñíèé öóãëóóëãûã õàðóóëíà. Òýä ä¿ðñýýðýý òîì æèæãèéí õýìæýý íü ººð áàéõ. Õ¿¿õýä á¿ðä õàìãèéí áàãàäàà íýã ä¿ðñ îíîãäîõîîð áàéõ.
• Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä òîéðãîîð äàìæóóëàí ÿâóóëàõ, èíãýõäýý õ¿ð÷ ¿çýõ, ìóðóé òàõèð áà øóëóóí òàëóóäûã õàðàõ, áóëàíãóóäûã òîîëîõ ã.ì. Õ¿¿õýä á¿ðä ä¿ðñ áàéãàà ýñýõèéã íÿãòëàõ
• Õýí ìóðóé òàõèð ä¿ðñòýé áàéãààã àñóóõ. Òèéì ä¿ðñòýé õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéã ä¿ðñèéã íü íýã øèðýýí äýýð òàâèóëàõ ãýõ÷èëýí áóñàä áàñ ººð ä¿ðñ¿¿äèéã ººð øèðýýí äýýð òàâèõ.
• Õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéã ìóðóé ä¿ðñòýé á¿ëýã ð¿¿ õàðààðàé ãýæ õýëýõ. Èæèë ç¿éë íü þó áàéíà âý? ßëãààòàé þì íü þó áàéíà âý? Òýãýõýýð õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ìóðóé òàõèð ä¿ðñò á¿ëãèéí ä¿ðñ íýã ÷óõàë ç¿éëýýðýý ÿã èæèë áàéãààã õàðíà. (õýìæýý íü ººð áàéãààã ÷ áàñ) Èíãýýä òýð ä¿ðñ áîë Ẻðºíõèé ä¿ðñ þì ãýäãèéã õýëýõ. Õ¿¿õýä á¿ð Ẻðºíõèé ä¿ðñ áàðüñàí ýñýõèéã íÿãòëàõ.
• Äàðààãààð íü õ¿¿õä¿¿äèéã ººð á¿ëýã ð¿¿ õàðààðàé ãýõ õýëýõ. Ýíý íü õîëèìîã ä¿ðñòýé á¿ëýã áàéíà. Òýäíèé çàðèì íýã ä¿ðñ 3-í áóëàíòàé çàðèì íýã íü äºðâºí áóëàíòàé áàéãààã àíçààðààðàé õýìýýí äýìæèæ ºãºõ.
• Õ¿¿õä¿¿äýýð òýäãýýðèéã 3-í áóëàíòàéãààð íü 4-í áóëàíòàéãààð íü 2 ÿëãóóëíà. Òýäýíä 3-í áóëàíòàé íü ãóðâàëæèí þì ãýäãèéã õýëýõ. Õ¿¿õýä á¿ðò ãóðâàëæèí ä¿ðñ áàéãààã íÿãòëàõ.
• 4-í áóëàíòàé ä¿ðñèéã õàðàõ. Õ¿¿õä¿¿ä òàëóóäûíõ íü òàëààð þóã àíçààð÷ áàéíà âý? Òàëóóä íü á¿ãä èæèë áàéãààã àíçààð÷ áàéíà óó õýìýýí òýäýíä äýìæëýã ºãºõ. Òýä òàë á¿ðèéã íü õóðóóãààðàà ãóòëààðàà ã.ì ýýð õýìæèæ øàëãàæ ¿çýõ. Òýãýýä õýðýâ 4-í áóëàíòàé á¿õ òàëóóä íü èæèë áàéâàë äºðâºëæèí ä¿ðñ áàéíà ãýäãèéã õýëýõ. Õ¿¿õýä á¿ðò äºðâºëæèí ä¿ðñ áàéãàà ýñýõèéã øàëãàõ.

Îäîî òà á¿õ ä¿ðñ¿¿äèéã õàéðöàãàíä áóöààæ õèéõ áà íýã þìóó õî¸ð óäàà äàâòàæ õàéðöàã ðóó õèéíý. Èíãýõ ¿åä á¿õ õ¿¿õä¿¿ä íýãýýñ èë¿¿ ä¿ðñèéã áàðüæ øèíæèæ ¿çíý.

• Òýäãýýð ä¿ðñýý çóðàã õèéõýä àøèãëàõ. Òýä ä¿ðñ¿¿äèéã àøèãëàí ìàøèí /õ¿í/ áàéøèí /ìîðü/ öýöýã õèéæ ÷àäàõ óó? Òýä íàð ÷èíèé õýëýýã¿é ç¿éëèéã õèéæ ÷àäàæ áàéíà óó?

Îäîî òà õè÷ýýë õýð ÿâàãäñàíàà ¿íýëæ ä¿ãíýõ.
• ĺðâºëæèí, ãóðâàëæèí, Ẻðºíõèé㺺ð õèéñýí çóðãóóäûã ãóðâàí ººð õàíàíä òàâèõ. Õýí îéëãîñîí, õýí ñàéí îéëãîîã¿é áàéãààã ä¿ãíýæ òîéðîã áîëîí òîãëîõ.


ÒÀÍÛ ÕÈ×ÝÝË ÇÎÐÈËÃÎÒÎÎ Õ¯ÐÝ ¯¯?
Õýðýâ áàðàã á¿õ õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ä¿ðñí¿¿äèéí õîîðîíäîõ ÿëãààã îéëãîæ, íýðëýæ ÷àäàæ áàéâàë òàíû õè÷ýýë àìæèëòòàé ãýñýí ¿ã! Ãýõäýý òà ýíý õè÷ýýëèéã 2 þìóó 3-í ººð ºäºð çààõ ¸ñòîé.

Äàðààãèéí àëõìóóä
Áàðàã á¿õ õ¿¿õä¿¿ä îéëãîñîí áîë òýãø ºíöºãò, õàãàñ òîéðãèéã òàíèëöóóëæ áîëíî.

ÕÀÐÀÀÍÛ- õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ìàø îëîí ÿëãààòàé ä¿ðñ¿¿äèéã õàðæ ÷àäàõ, õýðõýí èæèë ÿëãààòàé áàéãààã áîëîí çóðãàíä ÿàæ òîõèðóóëñíûã õàðàõ

ÑÎÍÑÃÎËÛÍ – õ¿¿õä¿¿ä áèå áèåíèéõýý ä¿ðñèéã ÿðèëöàõ, èæèë ÿëãààòàé ç¿éëèéã íü õàéõ, õî¸ð äàõü óäàà íü òýä ººðñ人 áîëîí íàéçóóä íü ÿìàð ä¿ðñ àâñíûã õàðàõ ã.ì.

ÌÝÄÝÐÕ¯É ÁÀ ¯ÉË ÕªÄ˪ËÈÉÍ – õ¿¿õä¿¿ä ÿëãààòàé ä¿ðñ¿¿äèéã õ¿ð÷ ¿çýõ, øóëóóí äóãèðàã òàëóóäûã èëýõ, õóðö áóëàíãóóäàä õ¿ð÷ ¿çýõ….. Çàðèì íü í¿¿ðýíäýý õ¿ðãýæ ¿ðýõ ýñâýë àìàíäàà õèéæ áîëíî.

Bayirlala. Bayirte.

Back in UB

These people were practising for an official ceremony in Sukhbataar Square. The costumes were all absolutely fantastic .... They were doing really stately choreographed "dances" on the steps, to music of long trumpets, horse-head fiddles and huge big drums. Fantastic.

... back across the steppe

Leaving Dornod

We left at about 7.30am on Wednesday 19th March, in the VSO jeep. I was with Mavis & Deborah, and also Chukka (driving) and Duya. It was a lovely journey, and really good to drive back instead of flying - what some would call "closure". Anyway, it was great to see the countryside recovering from winter. Although I did slip on some frozen horse pee and sprain my wrist. I've made some great friends here - am very lucky.

These are what Chukka thought were military defences, left over from the Japanese / Chinese wars of the 1930s. I think.

Building 31

This photo is of my "jijour", the lady who keeps the stairs clean, does repairs etc. She was really really kind to me and took me under her wing, checking I knew where the milk sellers were, checking who was knocking on my door etc. When I was clearing out my flat I gave her some piles of stuff - clothes I hadn't worn, kitchen stuff etc. She was absolutely delighted. When I gave her the two wee ger stools, she said that all these years her and her granddaughter had just been sitting on the floor - she couldn't afford furniture for her house .... Her house is the cupboard under the stairs where you would usually keep the hoover. Hmmmmmm.

On the last morning, she came to visit me and we sat and had breakfast together. It was just lovely - we couldn't really have a conversation, but it was just really nice to sit and eat together.

From the plane

If we had meetings in UB,we would usually fly there as the journey overland in winter could be rather hazardous, and at any time of year was never less than 14 hours .... This is Dornod in January.

At the Market

These people on the bikes ride their bikes ALL through the winter .... They usually wear some sort of helmet because they need the visor to keep the sand or snow out of their eyes.

A man had come in to town, dressed in a really nice del with fancy belt, on his horse,with its foal following. The foal was very nervous of cars, people, plastic bags etc ... but it didn't want to leave its mum, and so stood with her outside the shop while the man was inside.

The billiard tables are a big draw at the market. They were covered over from November to February because it was too cold to stand outside, but they were uncovered again when I left.

Waste management ....

The "bin lorry", an open truck, comes round every 2 days, and everyone takes their rubbish out and hands it up to the people on the back. I've no doubt that it is gone through very carefully for anything that is reusable ... but a lot of it ends up lying around like this. Plastic bags especially are continually blowing about on the steppe south of the town.

Last pictures from Choibalsan

This was taken about 100 yards from my house, along the road from UB to China.

Camels

You do regularly see wild Bactrian camels as you drive about Mongolia. This was the first time I'd seen them tethered to a cart (although I've seen them a few times since). The mother is pulling; her calf is tied loosely to her. It must just be getting used to being in town.

Back to Choibalsan

This photo was taken from just about my front door step - I live close to the "main road" which runs east/west through Choibalsan. These lorries have come from the border with China, about 50 miles away, and will carry on in the morning for Ondorkhan and UB. In the olden days, this would have been a camel caravan.

Survival in winter 3

Deborah (strict vegetarian) helping the man put his catch into a sack. As he pulled the fish from the net, he threw them on the ice and they froze to death - it took about 3 seconds.

Survival in winter 2

The frozen lake. The ice is about 3 feet thick - thick enough to support a jeep.

Survival in winter

The second place we stayed at on the Kharkhorin trip was with this man and his wife in their ger at the edge of a lake. The man showed us the certificates and commendations he had had for the fresh and smoked fish he'd produced. He and his wife also have some livestock, but this is mainly for their own use.

We went with him out to the middle of this lake, where he first broke the ice that covered his two fishing holes, then checked the nets that were suspended between them. This took about an hour and a half altogether, and for most of the time he worked without gloves.

With an air temperature of about minus 35, and a good strong wind blowing across the ice, it was absolutely, utterly freezing ... After 20 mins I had to go and sit inside the jeep. There are no words to describe how tough these people are.

Kharkhorin cont again part 2

In the hills round Kharkhorin are, or were, monuments marking out the boundaries of the ancient capital. At the top of this hill is a stone tortoise, about the size of an armchair, which marks one of the 4 corners of the capital. The other 3 are lost.

Kharkhorin cont again

This is part of the ancient monastery at Kharkhorin. Or what remains. It was well & truly dismantled by the Russians; now there are a few carved stones and parts of temples, and in the last 10 or 15 years another ger temple and some stupas have been erected.

We went to the ger temple with the boys. It was incredible to be there with them - they took us round all the statues & icons, and got us to copy the ways that they bowed to each one or touched their forehead to them. Because it was the first day of the New Year, there was an extra ceremony - the monk gave everyone there one of the holy books to hold (these are hundreds and hundreds of years old - written in Tibetan, wrapped in silk), and we all stood in rows in front of the big golden Buddha at the north end of the ger while he chanted and sang. After maybe 10 or 15 mins, we each bowed to the Buddha and then carefully gave him back the books, which we put back in this beautiful piece of furniture that looked a bit like a "doocot", with pigeonholes for each wrapped book.

I read later that, when the monastery was being dismantled, the local people took as many of the holy books as they could and hid them in their gers, or in secret places in the mountains. Now there is a move to try and collect them and preserve them; but no-one really knows how many are still hidden, or sitting on people's shrines at home - the herder families may not know where their parents or grandparents got them, or what they really are.

Tsaagan Tsar - The White Month cont.

The first family we stayed with had 3 sons, the oldest 11 years old, the youngest about 5. They were absolutely terrific. It is the oldest son's job during Tsaagan Tsar to serve the guests; thus we sat around chatting, and he would from time to time offer us a bowl of sweets from the table, or bring another full glass of "suutei tei" (milky tea), or the fermented fruit juice that his mum had prepared.

It was really tasty - just fruit, sugar and water, left covered over until it went "off" and turned slightly alcoholic. This was what the children drank while the adults drank vodka. The children calmly helped themselves while we blethered .... What a laugh.

This is a photo of the eldest son on a camel, rounding up their horses at the end of the day.

Tsaagan Tsar - The White Month

This is the "Tsaagan Tsar feast" at the ger of one family we stayed with. The back and tail of a sheep is laid out, along with all sorts of goodies & sweets. At the back on the right is a layered tower of this special flat bread that they make at this time of year, with other goodies in between. It is important that you have an odd number of layers, so you can start counting from the bottom: "Happiness, sadness, happiness, sadness ...." and end up with "happiness" at the top.

On the eve of Tsaagan Tsar (which was 7th Feb this year), the head of the family cuts some pieces of meat from the feast and gives them to all the things that protect and help the family; thus a piece was placed on a rafter over the door, a piece was placed on his gun, the guard dog was brought in beside the family & guests and given some. I think this is probably the only time the dog ever comes in - it was REALLY reluctant to come inside, and had to be dragged in by the collar. Finally, the father put the meat on the floor beside the fire, and it ran in, bolted it down and ran out again. At night it sleeps, curled in a ball, at the door of the ger - even when it's minus 30 or below ....

Kharkhorin cont

The Mongolian winter is divided into 9 sets of 9 days, which start on the Winter Solstice. In the coldest "nine", which was when we went to Kharkhorin, the water from your rice will freeze if left on the table inside your ger when the fire goes out at night. It certainly was incredibly cold. In this picture I am wearing a thermal vest & leggings, saloupettes (sp?), arran jumper, fleece, fleece-lined anorak with hood, woolly hat and 2 pairs gloves. You have to wind your scarf round your face to protect your nose and mouth; otherwise, the wind scours your face like sand paper. Ice forms on your eyelashes, and on your hair from the moisture in your breath. Outside it is spectacularly sunny, with lovely sparkly landscapes and a perfect blue sky. But I can only stay out for 30 mins before I start to feel really really cold - slightly disorientated, feet completely wooden etc etc.

Yes, nippy.

Kharkhorin

For the long weekend of Tsagaan Tsar ("The White Month", i.e. the 1st month of the new Asian year), Deborah, Mavis and I went to Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of Mongolia before Kublai Khan moved it to Beijing. We stayed with herder families in their gers, which was amazing, though very cold & draughty on the floor ....

All in all it was a great 4 days, although tinged with early disaster. We arrived at the first ger camp on "Hogmany", as it were, and the driver was soon off his @#$% with vodka, and even more so the next day, and so they had to send a replacement driver from UB. Luckily we weren't too far away that they could do that.

This first picture is of a fox eating a dog's head. We had been driving for several hours towards Mongol Eels, when we saw two black-backed vultures tearing into something. This fox was sitting back, waiting till they had finished so he could have his turn.

Shaggai

This boy is playing with shaggai, which are the ankle bones of sheep.

School dinners are a fabulous source of shaggai - the cooks have whole carcasses delivered, and produce all the different joints and cuts "in-house", boiling down the bones for soup etc.

There are many many many different games that children and adults play with shaggai. Also, you can use them to tell your future. There are 4 sides to each ankle bone, on which they can fall. Each side is said to represent a different animal - camel, sheep, goat and dog. If you throw the bones (all at the same time, like poker dice) and each falls on a different face, it will be a very good day.

Language and translators

This is Tsetsegmaa, my very helpful and necessary translator. I am trying hard to learn the language, but it is coming on veeeeeeeeeery slowly ... and we all, even the very proficient volunteers, have need of translators.

Being a translator is a tricky job. You have to make sure you only translate what the person has said, taking care NOT to add your own opinion. This is often easier said than done.

Dogs

It is now bitterly cold - minus 27 and falling - but still beautifully sunny, with wonderful blue skie and fabulous "arctic sunsets". However, 20 mins outside is about all I can stand at the moment, even wearing my thermal vest and body warmer, woolly tights and jeans, arran jumper, fleece, big windproof jacket, hat with hood up, huge boots and gloves and a scarf wrapped round my face ....

Of coure it is very very hard for the stray dogs who roam the streets. They are left over from the Russian population who departed in 1990, so suddenly that they left behind their pets (and also a few children who were staying with local families when the order came through). The descendants of these dogs (and occasional cats) are now roaming the streets of the town, scavenging. People often throw them scraps, and so the dogs are generally very tame and good-natured. But once it gets cold, they start to get thinner and thinner as their bodies need much more calories to stay warm, and competition for food grows ....

So once the coldest days start, somebody (the council? the police? I don't know) gets the job of driving round town and culling the dogs. The policy seems to be to just shoot as many as possible, rather than taking out the oldest & weakest. There are so many strays that the few you don't get will soon reproduce and there will be dozens of them roaming around by the summer again. It makes sense, but it is truly horrible to hear the gunshots, with occasional howls of distress. I used to feed this old dog who slept behind my building - every morning I would put a slice of bread on the veranda for the birds, and give him one too. Then, on Saturday, 5 minutes after he'd been fed, a car drove up and somebody rolled down the window and leaned out and shot him. It took 2 bullets, and he still took about 10 minutes to die. Horrible.

Learning through play

This kindergarten had quite a pile of toys which had been purchased at some point in the past, but which were locked in a "playroom" and only brought out for photos. There was a timetable on the door stating when teachers could bring their class to the playroom to play with the toys, but teachers were reluctant because if any were broken, the cost was deducted from the teacher's salary.

So we got the key of the playroom, took out the relatively indestructable ones which were made of solid materials like wood or thicker plastic, put them in clasrooms, and then locked the door again.

These children are in one of the kindergartens which is better off financially than many others. In Mongolia, tuition at kindergartens and schools is free, but there are LOADS of add-on charges made directly to parents from the school, and it is these add-ons that often parents cannot afford, and so they do not send their children to kindergarten/school. Parents are charged for food, printer paper, costumes for displays and shows, play equipment ....

In accordance with a government objective, VSO aims to promote the introduction of child-centred learning methodology in schools, especially kindergartens. This is one of the "areas" or "contexts" in one of the classrooms. I go round the classes, setting up play areas for the children to explore, so demonstrating to teachers that the children can and do learn through play.