June 17 | Theme: Colour and Clay
From writing about boats to collaging boats, this lesson led us to the next step — building boats. But before we started, the students first needed to learn some Chinese vocabulary related to colours. I introduced the three primary colours — red, yellow, and blue — and guided them to discover how secondary colours like green, orange, and purple are formed. We then added black and white, exploring how these affect other colors: black + white = grey; adding black darkens a colour, while adding white lightens it.
With this foundation, the students began experimenting with colour mixing using air dry clay. Through hands-on work, they not only reinforced their memory of mandarin color names but also gained a more intuitive understanding of basic colour theory. We then moved into the boat-building activity. Some students showed their creativities, wanting to create sharks or giant sea monsters. In the end, we collaboratively created a wonderfully imaginative clay piece titled “The magical Ocean Adventure.”
6月17日 | 主题：颜色与粘土
从“写船”到“拼船”，这一节课我们来到了“造船”。不过在动手造船之前，学生们需要先掌握一些关于颜色的中文词汇。我以红、黄、蓝三原色作为引入，带领学生们探索如何调配出绿色、橙色和紫色。接着加入黑色和白色，讲解它们调和后的颜色变化：黑+白为灰色，加入黑色会使颜色变深，加入白色则会变浅。
打下基础后，学生们开始尝试用轻粘土调色。在动手操作中，他们不仅加深了对颜色中文名称的记忆，也对基本的色彩原理有了更直观的理解。随后进入“造船”环节，有的学生发挥创意说想做鲨鱼，想做巨大的海怪。最终，共同完成了一幅充满故事性的《奇幻海洋大冒险》粘土作品，课堂气氛热烈又富有想象力。
June 24 | Theme: “Me” and Clay
In previous lessons, our focus was on “landscapes” and “objects”. This time, we shifted the focus back to “me.” We continued working with air dry clay as our medium. The lesson began with learning the names of body, followed by writing practice. I also shared a little character recognition trick: Chinese characters with the “口” (mouth radical） often relate to the mouth, such as “嘴” (mouth), “唱” (sing), and “哈” (laugh); characters with the “月” (flesh radical) often refer to body parts, such as “腿” (leg), “脚” (foot), and “臂” (arm).
From facial features, we extended to expressions and emotions, learning four basic emotion words inmanmandarin: “happy” (开心), “angry” (生气), “surprised” (惊讶), and “sad” (难过). With this vocabulary in hand, students began creating self-portraits out of air dry clay. While working, some students tried to mix colours that matched their own skin tone, which naturally led to learning the new term “肤色” (skin colour). This lesson not only helped students understand and describe themselves in Chinese but also encouraged personal expression and emotional connection.
6月24日 | 主题：“我”与粘土
此前几节课我们关注的是“景”和“物”，而这节课则回到“我”的主题。我们继续使用轻粘土作为创作媒介。课程开始，我带领学生们学习身体各部位的中文名称，并练习书写。在教学过程中，我分享了一个识字小技巧：带“口”字旁的字大多与嘴部相关，如“嘴”、“唱”、“哈”；而带“月”字旁的字常与身体有关，例如“腿”、“脚”、“臂”。
从五官出发，我们又扩展到了表情和情绪，学习了四种基本情绪词汇：“开心”、“生气”、“惊讶”和“难过”。掌握了这些语言后，学生们开始进行自画像的创作。在塑造过程中，他们尝试调配与自己皮肤相近的颜色，由此学到了“肤色”这一新词汇。这一节课不仅帮助学生用中文认识自己，也激发了他们表达个性和情感的兴趣。
July 1 | Theme: Momo Comes To London
For the final lesson of this term, I wanted to end on a warm and relaxed note — with a picture book reading. I shared my own picture book《A Day Of Momo 》, the mandarin verison has been published in China. The story follows a young girl named Momo who forms an unexpected friendship with a mayfly — a tiny insect that lives for only one day. In this single day, Momo and the mayfly explore, learn, and enjoy the world together. Their story celebrates the beauty of connection and the bittersweet nature of time — a gentle reminder to cherish every moment.
I introduced the students to this special character — the mayfly — hoping to spark their curiosity. We also learned Chinese vocabulary from the story, focusing on animals and family members, such as “鹅” (goose), “马” (horse), “狗” (dog), “爷爷” (grandpa), and “奶奶” (grandma). During the storytelling, I narrated primarily in English but deliberately inserted these mandrain words, helping students understand them in context.
In the final 15 minutes, I invited students to reflect on a question: “If you only had one day, where would you take Momo in London?” They illustrated their answers. Some wanted to take Momo to play football near Big Ben, while others imagined reading books with her at school. The class ended on a heartfelt and thoughtful note, wrapping up the term with imagination, reflection, and joy.
7月1日 | 主题：莫莫来伦敦
作为本学期的最后一节课，我选择了一个轻松温馨的收尾方式——绘本分享。我带来了我创作并已出版了中文版的绘本《莫莫的一天》，这本绘本讲述了一个名叫莫莫的小女孩与一只蜉蝣之间意外建立的友谊。蜉蝣是一种只活一天的昆虫，而在这短短的一天中，莫莫和它一起经历了探索、好奇和简单的快乐。他们共同发现了连接的美好，也感受到了时间流逝中那份微妙而深情的伤感。这是一个关于陪伴与珍惜的温柔故事。
我向学生特别介绍了故事中的主角之一——蜉蝣（mayfly），这种神奇的昆虫仅有一天的生命，也激发了学生的好奇心。接着，我带着学生学习了几个与动物和家庭相关的中文词汇，如“鹅”、“马”、“狗”、“爷爷”、“奶奶”等。在故事分享时，我用英文讲述情节，但有意识地将这些中文词汇穿插其中，以帮助学生在语境中理解并记忆。
最后的15分钟，我请学生思考一个有趣的问题：“如果你只有一天时间，你会带莫莫去伦敦哪里玩？”他们将自己的想法用画画的方式表达出来。有的学生想带莫莫去大笨钟旁边的公园踢球，有的想带她到学校一起看书。这节课在轻松与感性的氛围中，为整个学期画上了一个温暖的句号。
