Children's museum in full blast / 台大植標館兒少知性之旅

星期六早上很忙，忙著準備下午去台大植標館的教材，但忙的不只我一個，自從我們把下午茶視為活動的一部分，愛雪就得幫忙想菜單。這週六的菜單是南瓜豆漿，所以一早黃豆們就開始泡澡，漂亮的南瓜也等著就位。這幾週的主題是南瓜，因此阿長買的南瓜籽也派上用場，他們是孩子們的最愛。

Now I am as busy as a bee on Saturday mornings because I need to prepare the teaching materials for the workshop in the herbarium in the afternoon. However, I am not the only busy person. Since a few months ago, I have made afternoon tea an indispensable part of the lesson, I have thought up many snacks for the children. Starting from this month, Mom has become the chef. This month the featured plant is the pumpkin, so we've been eating various snacks made from pumpkins. This weekend the menu is pumpkin soy bean milk. Apart from that, Dad's pumpkin seeds are kids' favorite. 

        最大的功臣則是我家精良的食物處理機，把這些食材大變身！

     But it's our Thermomix that does all the hard work and turns in the ingredients into different delicacies! 

        每週六下午有十個左右孩子來和我玩，經過半年的訓練之後，我可以一個人撐兩小時的場面了，這應該是今年最大的成長。也因為有兩個小時，我可以慢慢來。我對小朋友說：「在學校壓力很大喔！在這裡我們就放鬆地吃喝玩樂。」其實應該是我在對自己說吧！

     Every Saturday there are no more than ten kids that come to play with me. After six-month training, I can now proudly say that I don't panic at all in giving a two-hour-long lesson on plants. In fact, this should be my biggest achievement this year. With sufficient time, I can take it slow. I often say to the kids, "I know you are under a lot of pressure at school. Here, I won't force you to do what you don't feel like doing. Just relax and have fun!" In fact, I am saying to myself. 

        通常一個下午會有好幾個單元，讓小朋友可以用各種方式體驗植物之美，香草植物是我的最愛之一。

     Usually there are three to four parts in an afternoon for children to learn about plants in all sorts of ways. Herbs are a topic I like to cover. 

        之後再來杯綠薄荷紅茶或檸檬薄荷紅茶，昨天孩子說：「和外面買的一樣好喝！」但我們完全不加任何人工成份！

     After smelling the leaves, we will have a cup of mint black tea. Yesterday the girls couldn't help exclaiming, "It's as good as the beverage sold in shops!" As a matter of fact, the tea kids drink is all natural without any artificial ingredients!  

        南瓜大展！

     An amazing exhibition of pumpkins! 

        大家聚精會神地看影片介紹，我們只差一步就有博物館劇院了，接下來小朋友可以有舒服的視覺享受。

     We are still fixing our museum theater device, but it will happen very soon. Before my dream comes true, everyone is focused despite the small screen of my laptop. 

        為了吃南瓜子，好多隻手都舉起來回答問題，這根本就是週六才會有的盛況啊！

     To eat pumpkin seeds, the kids raise their hands high. Well, this is the phenomenon that can be witnessed only on Saturdays! 

        今天的客座昆蟲講師崇羽，介紹強大又可愛的蟑螂。

     Our guest lecturer Chong-yu introduces the powerful yet lovely cockroaches! 

        上菜時間：阿崴麵包的南瓜土司！

     Snack time: Pumpkin toast from La Whale bakery. 

        加上游家的南瓜豆漿！

        小朋友要走之前有點遺憾地說：「四點了啊？時間怎麼過得這麼快！」週六真是讓我來建設心靈用的啊！

     With the exclusive pumpkin soy bean milk from the You family. 

     Before the kids leave, they still don't feel like going, "It's four o'clock already? How can time pass by that fast!" 

     What can I say? Saturdays are my fillips. 

        有興趣報名參加台大植標館每週六下午的兒少知性之旅，請上此網頁，不過據說接下來只能報名明年的課程囉！

     For those interested in children's workshop held in the NTU herbarium, please go to this website and sign up for it early! 

My robot boyfriends / 我的機器人男友

School away from school / 學校以外的學校

暑假就要結束了，回想一下這兩個月做了什麼，除了工作、畫圖外，有一些時間泡在植物標本館。做了四個月的周六午後兒童工作坊，雖然要花時間念書準備，但我慢慢上手了，也很享受和孩子們度過的兩個小時，每週六出了植標館的心情，多是一片清新美好。

My summer break is about to end. When I think back on the past two months, I realized that apart from work and drawing, I also spent some time on the preparation of activities in the herbarium. We've been offering workshops every Saturday afternoon for four months. Though I have to make effort and study hard, I am gradually getting used to the pattern. Most of the time I really enjoy the two hours spent with the children. In fact, I usually leave the herbarium feeling positive and fresh. 

        如果要說為什麼喜歡，我在執行和學校完全相反的理念，與其傳授大量知識，我讓孩子在館裡自己探索，想要問問題再來問，我回答不出來的問題，有其他專家幫忙回答，而那便成為我那天學到的新東西。今天因為下雨天只來了三個孩子，我們完全不在意，即使只有一個人，開開心心的，我們也會提供和十個人一樣的服務，甚至更周到。今天的其中一位男孩知識淵博，還教了我們好多事情，我給了他很多機會介紹他認識的動植物，貴美還和他分享之前覺得對小朋友有點難度的章節。

     If asked why I like the job, I'd say here I am offered an opportunity to do everything contrary to what is being done at work. Instead of cramming kids with knowledge, I make them explore the museum in their own ways. They can come to me or the staff if they feel like asking questions. If they do and ask a question that I can't answer, I won't feel flustered because I can learn something new with the help of the staff. 

     Today there came only three kids due to the rain. Different from my response at school, we are totally ok with that. In fact, even if there is only one child, we still provide the same service, well, even better. We had a knowledgeable boy who taught us tons of stuff today. I made him introduce and share what he knew with us. Guei-mei even explained to him what she had thought was too difficult before today. 

        這個月做了好幾次穗花棋盤腳的介紹，也親眼看了很多次，可是今天因為小男孩又注意到新細節，因此認識到新昆蟲。

     Although I'd introduced and checked out small-leaved Barringtonia in the garden several times this month, today the boy noticed transparent sticky liquid attached to the surface of the fruit. Because of that, we got to learn a new kind of insect. 

        今天我也放鬆了，我們學了桃子蘋果的知識之後，慢慢地感受這兩種水果的氣味，讀了很棒的水果詩，從自然的主題又提到了文字創作，再說到家裡的生活，再讓孩子吃水果，我忘了平常要一直管控時間的習慣，真好。

     I relaxed without my awareness this afternoon. We learned the structure of the peach and the apple. Then we made the kids smell and touch the fruits. We even read really great poems about them. We talked about not only science but also writing techniques. In the end, I asked them who peels fruits at home before they ate the fruits. It was such a luxury not to care about time, which is the instinct of a teacher. How nice it is to be un-teacher-like in an un-school-like place. 

        最後都是畫圖的行程，但是今天的孩子不想畫圖，我很豁達地說：「那就不要畫啦！」大家收收書包，但是男孩已經等不及再回來，請媽媽趕快報名下個月的活動了。

     Our activity usually ends with an art assignment. However, the kids today didn't feel like drawing, so I just said, "Then let's NOT draw!" They packed their bags in a good mood while the boy couldn't wait to sign up for our workshop next month. 

        之前讀到芬蘭的教室介紹，我很幸運每週我可以執行這樣的理想，而也許慢慢地，我會相信體制裡的學校也有這樣的可能。

     I read about the introduction to a Finnish classroom. I am glad to have a chance to carry out my ideal on a weekly basis. Maybe, maybe one day, however faint it is, there is still the possibility of taking a similar try inside a traditional school.