March Enrichment Activities
Reflection from a Year 1 in P2:
Taking the Aikido March enrichment workshop was a fun and enriching experience. I learnt that Aikido was about discipline and movement. The first thing we learnt was stretching while counting to ten in Japanese. I cringed when the sensei bent his wrist down almost all the way as it looked like it would really hurt but in reality, it did not hurt at all. Next, we jumped into the forward roll. I did not want to do it initially as I was afraid I would mess up and land not so elegantly but eventually found my courage when I saw all of my friends going for it. At first it was really challenging but it became more comfortable as I continued practicing. Another part of the workshop was learning how to dodge an attack quickly. We had to learn how to spin from the front to the back, though some of us struggled with the directions. The sensei told us that aikido was all about going with the flow of your opponent’s movements and dodging smoothly. Eventually everyone got it. We also learnt basing locks to defend ourselves and control the opponent without hurting them. I really struggled at first as I did not know how to grab my partner’s hand and twist correctly, worried I would hurt her. And when I twisted her arm, it looked really painful that I couldn’t help but wince. She had to tell me it did not hurt to reassure me. Overall, the workshop helped me build confidence, coordination, and respect for martial arts.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P6:
On 25 April 2025 in the late afternoon, we went to an aikido workshop to enrich our self-defence skills. Most of us have never learnt martial arts before, so this was an interesting experience. When we reached the place, we had to take off our shoes and keep all our belongings on a shelf. Traditionally, we had to call the instructors "sensei" and either kneel or sit cross-legged during the lesson to show respect. First, we learned how to turn left and right quickly to avoid an attack. We had to turn our head, hands and legs at the same time very quickly. Although this may sound really easy, it requires our head-hand-leg-coordination, as well as some balance. Next, we learnt how to fall backwards safely without hitting our heads. We had to roll backwards so that it lessens the impact when we fall and it helps to give us a boost to stand back up. We had to tuck in our heads when falling backwards and rolling back up. There are two possibilities to fall, either we fall forwards or backwards. Hence, after learning how to fall backwards safely, we then learnt how to fall forwards safely. The concept is similar: both required us to roll either backwards or forwards. For rolling forwards, we had to kind of lie down before rolling forwards to stand back up. It was slightly more difficult and some of us were unable to do it correctly, but we still had fun. Lastly, we learnt how to escape if someone is holding onto our arm or sleeve very tightly. We needed to twist their arm so that they would loosen their grip and kneel down from the pain, giving us time to escape. My partner and I took turns to practice. We patted our shoulder with our other hand to signal that we felt pain. While we we not able to do the movements fast enough, we were still able to make the other loosen their grip. In conclusion, while we faced a few challenges during the aikido workshop, it was still very fun and we learnt basic skills to defend ourselves.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:
For the March enrichment activity, we got kayaking. It was many of our first times kayaking and while we were all extremely excited about what we would have to do, we were also a little bit afraid of the intensity of the activity and what we had to expect. Nevertheless, we all showed up bright and early, ready to face and conquer all the challenges! On the first day, after meeting the instructors, we had to move the kayaks onto the grass patch, before moving it to the reservoir. There kayaks were really heavy but we put our best foot forward and managed to help out a lot. Then, we had a safety briefing and we’re also taught about what the parts of the kayak were, as well as the uses. After that, our instructor, taught us about all the different ways to move forwards, backwards and sideways. We were scolded by the instructor as we were doing the techniques wrongly but did not ask him. This taught us that it was important to clarify doubts then to not understand it. The next day, we kayaked to another place, where we could practice falling and getting back out again. The way there was very challenging as we could not go straight and kept swerving left and right. When we finally reached after what felt like an eternity ,we took turns falling, rescuing, and helping the rescuer as an assistant. At first, it was slightly challenging and scary to shake the boat and fall, and our legs would get stuck inside. However, after practicing for a while, we got the hang of it and it wasn’t as difficult anymore. The way back was much easier, as we managed to be able to travel in a straighter line. Just as we reached the shore, it started to rain, so we were extremely lucky that we managed to reach the shore in time. This was certainly an extremely unique experience that allowed me to learn more about kayaking and gain exposure to different sports. It has also allowed me to learn to persevere and never give up as because of that, we managed to learn lots of new things and have fun with our batch mates.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:
This year’s March holidays was the most fulfilling one yet for me. There were two days of the March Enrichment Activities for the Year 2s, which consisted of 12 hours of kayaking in total, which spanned over 2 consecutive days. I was brimming with excitement, not knowing what kayaking would be like. Other than the school Year 1 Adventure Camp’s dragon boating, I have never participated in prior water-based activities before. Kayaking would serve as a brand new experience for me to try out and I was really keen on trying out the activity. The very first day, I made sure to apply a thick layer of sunscreen and wear on my water shoes that I had previously bought for dragon boating. After making sure we were all ready to set off, our trainer asked us to pair up and carry our own kayaks to the nearby Kallang River. We were told that each kayak could sit only one of us, which worried me as I was unsure if I could handle my own kayak when left in my hands. Before going into the water, we were briefed and introduced to the various equipment we would be handling, the oar, the kayak and the different parts of these equipment. We were also taught the basic kayaking techniques that we were going to use right after. Getting into the water was definitely not an easy task. I was not used to stepping into the riverside, thus I was shocked at the state of the water there. There were water plants floating around, much sand that covered my legs with every step and the water was looking quite murky. It took me a lot of courage before I finally forced myself into the water and into my kayak. However, as the day continued, I got used to the environment and got the hang of kayaking. Although I mostly spun in circles at first, I could control my own kayak when moving in different directions. Kayaking with my batch mates was really fun, making my experience much more enjoyable, with us spraying water at one another and motivating us to persevere under the hot, blazing sun. The first day was so tough, yet so fulfilling. The second day was even tougher for me, for we had to kayak all the way to another part of the river, where we practiced our capsizing and rescuing. I was very hesitant to capsize, especially since I saw an otter jump into the nearby water and the thought of being in the same area as it scared me, but the thought of not being able to attain the badge was even scarier, so I pulled myself together and forced myself to do the drill. Turns out, it was much more fun than I expected, and capsizing gave me a quick rush of coolness when I got into the water, escaping from the sun’s heat. The toughest part of the second day was kayaking back to the shore, as we were all burnt out and our hands were aching, but we still had to kayak a long distance back to end the day. It also started drizzling, which made kayaking the waters even harder as we had to fight against the strong winds. Still, we made it, and there was not a moment I did not enjoy. This experience was eye-opening and very fulfilling, for I braved myself and did things I never would have thought possible.
Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:
On 18 March, my batchmates and I went to Outpost Climbing for our March holiday enrichment activity. At first, I was a little nervous as I am scared of heights. However, with the instructor's patient guidance and my batchmates' support, I was able to reach the top of three walls! I felt a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. My biggest takeaway from this activity was learning how to belay. As a complete newbie to climbing, I was lost at first when the instructor first introduced us to belaying. There were numerous equipment and skills that we had to pick up, making it overwhelming at first. However, I stayed calm and learnt bit by bit, clarifying with the instructors if needed. I learnt about the various equipment used in belaying, such as a belay device. I also learnt how to tie a figure-eight knot and check my belay device properly. What seemed like complicated gear at first slowly became familiar tools I could trust. Communication was also another essential skill, ensuring that both the climber and belayer are on the same page. For example, a climber would ask “On belay?” and the belayer would reply “Belay on”. I also learnt that these were universal phrases and climbers from all around the world would use the same phrases when belaying, hence preventing language barriers from hindering climbers of different backgrounds to climb together. Practising these call-outs with my climbing partner made me feel more in control, whether I was on the ground or on the wall. Lastly, I learnt about belaying techniques. Managing slack, keeping the brake hand steady, and feeding rope smoothly while always being alert was no small feat. This was extremely important as my climber’s safety is in my hands so I have to be ready whenever she falls. From this activity, I have learnt how to trust – in myself, in my belaying partner and in the system. With that, my batchmates and I earned our Level 1 Sport Climbing certification. We are ready to conquer more walls!
Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:
During the March holidays, my batch and I all went to Outpost Climbing for our batch activity which was rock climbing. We were all extremely excited. We had come to Outpost Climbing before during our Year 3 Orientation Camp! We had expected our batch activity to be the same as what we had done during that camp, however, we were doing something different. The previous time we were her, we learnt how to rock climb with a safety device. However this time, the instructors told us that we would have to rely on our partners for this and that we had to follow many safety instructions. They started off by explaining to us all of the rock climbing equipment and telling us their various different uses and how they expected us to operate these equipment. They then asked us about what we would like to learn about rock climbing and we went in a circle, taking turns to answer the questions they asked. The instructors were extremely friendly and funny and they were very kind and taught us many different things about rock climbing. They then told us more about the difficulty level of our activity that we were having that day and explained that we had to form pairs. Once we were in our pairs and seated, the instructors explained to us the procedure to start and had two of us come up for a demonstration. As I was quite scared, I didn’t volunteer myself but I admire the bravery of my batchmates for being willing to try. The instructors gave us a few commands to remember where the one climbing would have to reply and then they proceeded to show us how we would take turns climbing the wall using the equipment. Overall, it was a very fun experience and we hope to do something similar again!
We are so glad to have these opportunities to participate in meaningful activities and pick up important physical skills in our March Holidays! We look forward to our next Enrichment Activity!
Published by
Chan Zi Xuan
56th 届 Secretary
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