My After School Coloring Circle

Upon returning home from school each day, I'm greeted by a dozen or so of the other teachers' children waiting at my door. They're all wonderfully mannered and eagerly waiting to color, play, learn, sing songs and dance with Miss Kelly.

Their ages range widely from 1 and a half (Arnold) to 12 (Harisi). I give them each a piece of paper and spread out crayons to be shared on a mat outside my house or inside if it's raining. We draw pictures of ourselves, objects outside in the yard, etc. The younger children practice writing their names, numbers, and ABCs from templates I've written, while the older ones copy the simple English sentences I give them.

They're terribly sweet and want to help me practice my Chichewa as much as I want to help them practice their English! They stay until it begins to get dark and refuse to leave until I've checked each of their papers with my red pen and have written "VERY GOOD" at the top.

Sometimes they offer to sweep my house, fetch my water, and bring me vegetables and leaves from their gardens. In return, I like to treat them with small candies that either I've bought in town or have received from home like Life Savers, Jolly Ranchers, etc.

I've uploaded a few pictures of them, so you can get a better idea of how I spend my late afternoons.