Learning Story – Tea Boiling Competition

What Happened? 

Today at Bushkids we had an eventful day. We had lots of fun activities for the children to engage. One of the Aurora College interns showed some of the kids how to do a tea boiling competition.

First, we had to create a fire in our pots which was a little tricky because it was windy outside so the fires kept blowing out. Once we got one of the fires going, we had to continue feeding it to make sure it wouldn’t go out again. Eventually, both teams got their fires going and they were ready to start boiling their tea water.  After we put the kettles on the fires, we had to wait to hear them whistle. Whosever kettle whistled first won the competition. It was a close competition, but in the end Team One won the competition.

Why is this meaningful? 

The kids seemed to be really interested in this competition. A few of the kids were more competitive than some of the others, but that just made the activity more fun. This activity would be considered competitive play because each team was trying their hardest to win. The tea boiling competition is also an example of cooperative play and physical play because they worked together with their teammates and were active when having to run to grab the water/other materials needed.

Opportunities and Possibilities

The tea boiling competition is considered a traditional game here in the North. This activity can provide the children with a meaningful learning experience. It allows them to learn new fire safety skills as well as learning to work well with others. This game also teaches the kids how to have fun and be a good team player.