Liburan Bermain

Liburan sekolah  akan belangsung mulai besok minggu dan akan berlangsung kira-kira selama dua minggu. Apa atau kemana rencana liburan anak-anak Anda? Saya ingin berbagi pengetahuan tentang apa itu bermain, permainan kreatif murah dan menyenangkan selama liburan, dan dapat dilakukan di rumah saja.

Tentu akan sangat menyenangkan bila kita bisa berkunjung ke museum permainan anak. Tetapi dimana ya? Apa setiap kota  punya museum permainan anak? Di tempat kalian ada? Di tempat saya, di Jember belum ada. Di bawah ini terdapat beberapa permainanan  anak yang akhir-akhir ini sudah jarang sekali dimainkan anak-anak. Permainan anak saat ini telah kehilangangan sifat bermainnya. Anak-anak berjam-jam berada di permainan digital, outbound di alam terbuka, bermain dengan tokoh-tokoh idola mereka, juga sepak bola dan permainan-permainan kompetitif lainnya berada jauh dari permainan-permainan anak yang sesungguhnya.

Jember Tapal Kuda

Kocor - Puger

.... kemudian saya memutuskan untuk mengerjakan, karena bagi saya, janji-janji yang tak ditepati menggerogoti hati yang kemudian akan membuat hidup saya tidak happy.

Sehari setelah saya bertemu di warung kopi, saya menerima kabar online tentang ini. Sesuatu yang luar biasa menurut saya, undangan proyek istimewa untuk Jember, kota kecil yang saya cinta sampai kapanpun juga. Jember adalah kota kecil yang sederhana dan menurut saya, setiap yang sederhana akan selalu dan menjadi istimewa.


Saya menyanggupi, saya berjanji mengikuti sebuah undangan sederhana untuk menulis hal-hal tentang Jember. Kemudian kesanggupan ini tidak sederhana bagi saya, karena hampir tak bertemu waktu luang atas kesibukan menyiapkan hal-hal yang menyangkut hari-hari akhir semester di sekolah sebelum libur panjang. Sejak saya menyatakan ikut sampai hari ini, baru tersedia waktu menulis, dengan memolorkan beberapa menit pergi ke masjid untuk Jumatan. Dan setelah Jumatan, harus berangkat menuju Desa Lengkong untuk melihat pembangunan sarana fisik Sekolah Komunitas BERBAGIHappy.

"Kenapa nekat ikutan?",  Tanya istri. Saya jawab dalam hati, karena setiap janji bagi saya adalah istimewa.
"Kok ga' jawab?", Tanya istri lagi. Saya jawab dengan tulisan ini dan saya baca dengan suara keras:

Ini proyek penting dari para pejuang Jember  yang harus di dukung. Jika ini berhasil (banyak orang yang mengikuti), Jember akan lebih banyak dikenal orang setidaknya melalui mesin pencarian. Dikenal adalah potensi, energi untuk membangun Jember lebih baik lagi. Ini bukan soal kejuaraan menulis.

Apa yang ingin saya tuliskan tentang Jember ini adalah sesunggguhnya sesuatu yang sering saya suarakan bahwa membangun Jember adalah membangun potensi Jember untuk menjadi Jember. Bukan menjadi Malang, Surabaya, Jakarta apalagi Pasadena. Jember harus di bangun berdasar potensinya. Dan potensi paling nyata yang dapat kita lihat dengan cepat adalah letak geografisnya yang berada kira-kira di tengah "tapal kuda", Probolinggo, Bondowoso, Situbondo, Banyuwangi, Lumajang. Letak lokasi ini adalah potensi besar Jember untuk menjadi pusat kegiatan masyarakat tapal kuda untuk seni budaya, bisnis, kesehatan, pendidikan dll.

(Kira-kira bisa disingkat apa ya enaknya, untuk: Jember, Lumajang, Probolinggo, Bondowoso, Situbondo, Banyuwangi?)

Strategi yang harus di tempuh adalah menjadikannya Jember sebagai rumah yang sederhana. Rumah sederhana tempat berkumpul yang nyaman bagi masayarakat tapal kuda. Menjadikan Jember yang melayani masyarakat tapal kuda, mendorong masyarakat tapal kuda untuk merasa memiliki Jember.

SEderhana itu SEhat. Sehat itu adalah tujuan semua orang, oleh karenanya Jember harus sehat. Sehat untuk seluruh masyarakat tapal kuda. SeDERhana itu  DERma. Derma adalah kebaikan. Kebaikan adalah impian semua orang, oleh karenaya Jember harus jadi baik untuk seluruh masyarakat tapal kuda. SederNA itu NAkal. Nakal itu kreatif. Kreatif adalah solusi. Solusi bagi seluruh masyarakat tapal kuda.

Semangat Jember. Semangat tapal kuda. Semangat Sederhana.

Benedict Anderson

Profesor Dr. Benedict Ricard O'Gorman Anderson dilahirkan di Kunning, Tiongkok, 26 Agustus 1936 dari sebuah Keluarga Anglo-Irlandia. Ayahnya bernama James O'Gorman, sedang ibunya bernama Veronica Beatrice Mary Anderson. Ia di besarkan sebagian besar di California, Amerika Serikat, dan belajar di Cambridge University, Inggris. Dia adalah profesor emeritus dalam bidang studi internasionaldi Cornell University di Ithaca, New York, AS. Ia dikenal secara internasional antara lain karena bukunya yang berjudul Imagined
Communities (pertama kali terbit tahun 1983).

Benedict Anderson juga diakui secara luas sebagai pakar sejarah dan politik Indonesia pada abad ke-20. Analisis dan pandangan-pandangannya yang kritis terhadap Indonesia menyebabkan ia dilarang masuk ke Indonesia selama pemerinthan Orde Baru di bawah Soeharto. Baru setelah jatuhnya Orde Baru ia dapat kembali berkunjung ke Indonesia. Karya-karyanya antara lain: A Preliminary Analysis of the Otober 1, 1965 in Indoenesia, Java in a Time Revolution, Debating World Literature, Language and Power: Exploring Political Cultures in Indonesia, Imagined Communities (edisi pertama 1983), The Spectre of Comparisons, dan Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-Colonial Imagination. Tahun 2000, ia memenangkan Hadiah Budaya Asia Fukoka XI. Dalam saharing-nya, ia sengaja menghindari penggunaan apa yang oleh Orde Baru disebut sebagai "ejaan baru". Menurutnya di balik ejaan itu ada maksud "untuk men-delete semua karangan-karangan pra-Orba dari memori-memori anak2 muda, atawa paling2 supaja dianggapnya sebagai barang jang kuno, berbahajam sulit dibatja, enz enz..." Prof. Benedict Anderson ingin melawan upaya demikian.

Ahmad Syafii Maarif

Lahir di Sumpur Kudus, Sumatera Barat, 31 Mei 1935. Prof. Dr. A. Syafii Maarif pernah menempuh pendidikan Sejarah di Northern Illinois University (1973),  dan memeperoleh gelar M.A dalam ilmu sejarah dari Ohio University, Athens,  Amerika Serikat (1980). Ia meraih gelar Ph.D dalam bidang pemikiran Isala dari UNiversity of Chicago, Amerika Serikat (1983). Di bidang sosial, ia aktif dalam organisasi sosial Muhammadiyah, dan menjadi wakil Ketua Pimpinan Pusat Muhammadiyah (1995-1999) serta menjabat sebagai Pejabat Ketua PP Muhammadiyah (2000). Di dunia international, dia adalah Presiden International Conference on Religion for Peace ICRP) yang berpusat di Amerika. Kegiatan-kegiatan lainnya termasuk menjadi Pengurus Masyarakat Sejarawan Indonesia, Pemimpin Redaksi Majalah Suara Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (1998-1990); anggota staf ahli Jurnal Ulummul Quran (1998).

6 Ideas Borrowed From Children's Museums for Inexpensive Fun

Kids love to visit children's museums, but it's possible to do a lot of the same things at home, and do them cheaply. Here are six ways to have inexpensive fun, based on activities from children's museums.

1. Pretend Veterinary Clinic

Stuffed animals become the patients in a pretend veterinary clinic. Give the animals name tags and clipboards for recording their symptoms. The doctor will need a medical kit for administering treatment. Our children's museum has symptom checker flow charts that help the little vets diagnose and treat their patients' illnesses. That process would be a bit of trouble to duplicate at home, but could result in many hours of play and a lot of learning. Small vets will also enjoy looking at books about pet care, which can be picked up at yard sales and flea markets. Every doctor needs a shelf of medical books!

2. Invention Box

Our children's museum has an area for invention and creation that is furnished with items that would otherwise be thrown away, such as boxes, bottle caps and margarine tubs. The museum staff adds items such as googly eyes, feathers, ribbons, Popsicle sticks and pipecleaners. Kids create vehicles, monsters, headgear and other fanciful wonders. To duplicate this experience at home, collect odds and ends and store in an invention box. Add different types of glue and a plastic tablecloth to protect the assembly area, and let the inventing begin!

3. Dress-up 

Dress-up is a component of many children's museum activities, and the face-painting station is a favorite spot as well. Duplicate dress-up activities cheaply at home by setting aside a box or tub for cast-off clothing. Don't forget accessories such as hats, scarves, neckties and costume jewelry. Check out a party store for face paint and inexpensive items like boas or capes. Once the kids are suitably decked out, have a fashion show, organize a parade, hold a dancing or singing contest or act out a scene from a movie or play.

4. Play Supermarket

The supermarket is an important place in the lives of kids. Maybe that's why they love to play supermarket. Children can be shoppers filling their baskets with plastic and cardboard food, or they can work as checkers and stockers. To duplicate this experience, buy inexpensive plastic food at a discount or dollar store and supplement with empty containers from the pantry. The children's museum has a fairly elaborate check-out system, but a simple play cash register will do for home. Go old school with play money, or rig up a pretend card swiper and use depleted gift cards for credit/debit cards.

5. Pretend Restaurants
Our children's museum features pretend restaurants as well as a real one or two. A pretend restaurant can be used to enhance a number of skills. Children can:
- Pick out a name for the restaurant.
- Design a logo.
- Choose the menu and set the prices.
- Pick tableware and table decorations.

Once the essentials are in place, the kids can play at being waitstaff, cooks or patrons. Your restaurant can serve pretend food, but if you are brave, real food is also a possibility.

6. Art Center

Most children's museums have some type of art center, and every home should have one, too. Choose a variety of media from watercolor to tempera to pastels, and add a colorful assortment of brushes. Save money by watching for sales. Stand-up easels are great fun, but a table top will do, or simply tack some butcher paper up on the wall. (Make it a double thickness so there's no bleed-through). Save junk mail, catalogs and magazines for making collages and other paper crafts. When the artwork is done, of course you'll need a way to display their masterpieces. Hang their pictures from a simple clothesline, or tape them in the windows--no worries about damaging walls.

Susan Adcox | about.com

Paragraph Writing

There are two structures to learn in English that are important in writing: the sentence and the paragraph. Paragraphs can be described as a collection of sentences. These sentences combine to express a specific idea, main point, topic and so on. A number of paragraphs are then combined to write a report, an essay, or even a book. This guide to writing paragraphs describe the basic structure of each paragraph you will write.In general, the purpose of a paragraph is to express one point, idea or opinion.For example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class.This main idea is expressed through three sections of a paragraph:

1. Beginning - Introduce your idea.
2. Middle - Explain your idea.
3. End - Make your point again, transition to next paragraph.

Here is a paragraph taken from an essay on various strategies required for an overall improvement of student performance:

Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class. In fact, studies have shown that students who enjoy a recess of more than 45 minutes consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Clinical analysis further suggests that physical exercise greatly improves the ability to focus on academic materials. Longer periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies. Clearly, physical exercise is just one of the necessary ingredients for improving student scores on standardized tests.

There are four sentence types used to construct a paragraph:

1. Topic sentence 
One sentence which states your idea, point, or opinion. This sentence should use a strong verb and make a bold statement.

For example: Students require more recreational time in order to better focus on lessons in class.

Note: Notice the strong verb 'require' which is a call to action. A weaker form of this sentence might be: I think students probably need more recreational time ... This weaker form is inappropriate for a topic sentence.

2. Supporting sentences
Supporting sentences (notice the plural) provide explanations and support for the topic sentence (main idea) of your paragraph. 

For example: In fact, studies have shown that students who enjoy a recess of more than 45 minutes consistently score better on tests immediately following the recess period. Clinical analysis further suggests that physical exercise greatly improves the ability to focus on academic materials.

Note: Supporting sentences provide the evidence for your topic sentence. Supporting sentences that include facts, statistics and logical reasoning are much more convincing that simple statements of opinion.

3. Concluding sentence
The concluding sentence restates the main idea (found in your topic sentence) and reinforces the point or opinion.

For example: Longer periods of recess are clearly required to allow students the best possible chances of success in their studies.

Note: Concluding sentences repeat the main idea of your paragraph in different words.

4. Transitional sentence
The transitional sentence prepares the reader for the following paragraph.

For example: Clearly, physical exercise is just one of the necessary ingredients for improving student scores on standardized tests.

Note: Transitional sentences should help readers logically understand the connection between your current main idea, point or opinion and the main idea of your next paragraph. In this instance, the phrase 'just one of the necessary ingredients ...' prepares the reader for the next paragraph which will discuss another necessary ingredient for success.

about.com

Adjectives+Noun Phrase

You should give some examples of adjectives+noun phrases.

The folowing is the example: a big dog, an expensive car, a brilliant student, a dirty skirt, etc.

You may contribute some more examples and then ask your female students to write the adjectives in column A, while your male students should write the nouns in column B, so it will be like this: 

A red                                                 student
A stupid                                             worker
A beautiful                                          car
A simple                                             lady
An expensive                                      house
An easy                                              problem

Then they volunteer ideas for different combinations, for example: a stupid lady you draw a line to join the two words. See how many adjectives + nouns phrases they can make.

If someone make unusual combinations, they have to justify it. Can you justify  a red worker or a stupid car?

Column A                                               Column B

Note

After they give some examples in writing, give the students sometime to practice orally. You say: " Expensive house" one of your students might say: " My mother bought an expensive house a year ago".

Candles and Oxygen

In addition to any fire turns living creatures need oxygen, 
Through these exciting games or we can prove that the fire needs air.

Materials and tools: 
1. candles, 
2. plates,
3. glasses,
4. matches, 
5. dyes. 

Procedures:
1. First you turn on a candle and place on plate, then take the glass and close the wax using the glass
2. See what happens .. yes ... the candle outages. 
3. To enliven the atmosphere if done in class before the candles on the lid invite students to do hipoitesa with questions.

After the experiment above, we proceed with the following experiment in which we can prove that there really air out when the candle of life.
Still with candles and dishes before, the input of water into the dish, give it a little dye to facilitate observation. Turn on the candle, and then do the same experiment with the above, observe what happens .... and ... .... water is sucked into a glass dish.
Rising water in a glass to prove that that air is lost because it is used in the combustion process so that the empty space is replaced by water.

Naked Egg

Ever see the contents of the egg without breaking?

Through the following experiment where you can see how to view the content without breaking eggs .. how easy ..egg naked let's get started:


Tools and materials:
1. eggs
2. glass
3. citric acid or vinegar


Procedure:
1. Fill glass with water until half full.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of citric acid and stir until dissolved
3. Enter a quail egg into a glass and let some time
4. This experiment can also use the vinegar solution eat


Oooo .. What happened ..Outer skin to peel eggs and turn into white.


Let's find out yes ...


Egg shell is made of a substance called calcium. This substance will change when mixed with citric acid. The result is carbon dioxide gas. That is why you see no bubbles in the glass. Gas is more and more. Because it is lighter than water, gas moves upward, lifting egg.

Change starts from the outermost egg. That is why the skin with brown spots off first. As a result, the egg into the net. If the egg continues to be soaked, then the skin will come off. well now you try to soak the egg task longer what will happen.


Note:
to facilitate a mixture of citric acid can be replaced with regular eating vinegar.

Discovery the Gasses in the Air

Put out the candle without blowing on it or touching it. When you do this experiment, you show that air is a mixture of invisible gases. One of these is especially important. It is oxygen which is used when things burn and produce energy.

Materials:
1. Candle
2. Coloured water
3. Glass jar
4. Bowl and Candle holder

Procedures:
1. Put the candle in the holder and place it in the bowl. Then pour in the water.
2. Ask an adult to light the candle. Then place the jar over it. Leave it for a little while.
3. At first, the water level in the jar rises, and then the flame suddenly goes out!

Air and Energy
Like other cars this racing car gets its energy from petrol burning in its engine. Burning fuel provides most of the energy we use forheating and powering machines. This process uses oxygen, which comes from the air around us.

Weight Some Air

When something is very light, people often say “It’s as light as air”. But air is not light at all. Do this simple experiment to show that air is really quite heavy.

Materials:
1. Balloon pump
2. Two balloons
3. Rubber band
4. Two Drawing Pins
5. Long thin piece of wood
6. Ruler
7. Pencil
8. Sticky tape
9. thread

Procedures:
1. Use the ruler to find the centre of the wood. Then mark it.
2. Push a drawing pin into each side at the centre mark.
3. Tie the thread to the middle of the rubber band.
4. Fix the loops of the rubber band around the drawing pins. Lift the wood by the thread. It should balance.
5. Tape one of the balloon to one end of the wood.
6. Tape the second balloon to the other end of the wood. Check that it still balances. Then remove one balloon and blow it up.
7. Tie the neck of the blown-up balloon and attach it to the wood in the same place as before. The balloon make the wood lose its balance.

Drinking with a straw.
When you drink through a straw, the weight of the air helps you. The air above the drinks pushes on the surface of the liquid. As you suck, it forces the liquid up through the straw to your mouth.

Seal with Air

Stop water falling out of an upturned glass. A card can stick to a glass and keep the water in it, as if by magic! Air pressure forces the card upwards, against the glass. The pressure is strong enough to stop the weight of waterpushing the card away.

Materials:
1. Thin flat card
2. Glass
3. Water

Procedure:
1. Hold the glass over a sink or a basin. Carefully pour some water into the glass.
2. Place the card on the glass. Hold down so the eard touches the rim all the way around.
3. Still holding the card turns the glass upside-down. Let go the card. The water stays in the glass!

Form A Gas

Inflate a balloon without blowing into it, or using a pump! You can do this by making a gas and then getting it to go into a balloon. The gas is called carbon dioxide. It is this gas which forms the bubbles in soda water and fizzy drinks.

Materials:
1. Vinegar
2. Sodium Bicarbonate
3. Balloon4. Funnel
5. Narrow-Necked Bottle

Procedures:
1. Pour some vinegar into the narrow-necked bottle until it is about a quarter full.
2. Using the funnel, fill the balloon with sodium bicarbonate powder.
3. Stretch the neck of the balloon over the neck of the bottle. Do not let the sodium bicarbonate escape from the balloon.
4. Lift the balloon so that the sodium bicarbonate falls into the bottle. The vinegar begins to fizz and the balloon slowly starts to inflate. The vinegar reacts with the sodium bicarbonate to release bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. As more as gas forms, its pressure increases and the balloon expands.

Exploding drink
Shake a bottle of fizzy drink then unscrew the cap. The drink fizzes up out of the bottle! Carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the water in the drink. It is kept under pressure in the bottle. When you unscrew the cap, you reduce the pressure and the gas bubbles up out of the water.

Crush With Air

Make a plastic bottle collapse without touching it! The air does the job for you. You cannot feel air, but it presses against every surface. This is called “air pressure”.

Materials:
1. Ice
2. Funnel
3. Hot and Cold Water
4. Plastic soft drinks bottle
5. Bowl

Procedure:
1. Stand the bottle upright in a bowl. Pour the hot water into it and leave it for a short time.
2. Screw the top on the bottle. Lay the bottle in the bowl and pour ice and cold water over it. Then stand it up.
3. The bottle collapses! As the warm air inside the bottle cools, it exerts less pressure. The air outside is stronger and crushes the bottle.

A Hat & Chalk

Players sit in circle and the leader begins by passing a ball to the player on their right while saying “this is a cat”. The person will ask, “a what?” and the leader replies “a cat”. The second player the passes the ball to a third player and says “this is a cat” and the third player will reply “a what?” and the question gets passed back to the original leader. Each time the ball goes as far as one more player, and then the question returns to the leader. (everyone has to say “a what?” all the way back to the leader and then “a cat” all the way back to where the ball was before it can be passed on again). Start a hat going the other way for a challenge.

Abbreviations for SMS

The following are some examples of “SMS”

1. My asst. cannot come today.
2. This bldg is very expensive.
3. Your letter has ben recd.
4. Yr book will be borrowed.
5. The mtg will be openned at 9 am.

What ae the meanings of the underlined words?

Answers

1. asst: assistant
2. bldg: building
3. recd: received
4. yr: your
5. mtg: meting

You may be able to try to find abbreviation from any resources or even you may try to create your own abbreviation. Do the receivers undestand your message? If the answer is yes, it means it is understandable.

Note
some abbrevations are usually used for telex, not only for sending message trough you mobil phone. If you want to send your messages by using abbrevation to the writer of this book.

Pentingnya Bermain Bagi Perkembangan Anak

Permainan anak adalah sau-satunya cara terbaik untuk memenhui persyaratan perkembangan yang dapat ditempuh. Bermain adalah proses yang terus berubah (dinamis) dan sersifat multi-indrawi, interaktif, kreatif dan imajinatif. Saat anak bermain, seluruh otak mereka terangsang, bukan hanya bidang tertentu yang terkait dengan keteampilan akademik formal.

Sayangnya, dewasa ini telah mengalami penurunan kualitas yang luar biasa. Salah seorang permainan ternaik di dunia, peneliti asal Selandia Baru, Brian Sutton-Smith mengungkapkan, mengungkapkan bahwa tipikal anak bermain saat ini adalah eorang anak bermain di depan TV, Video Game, bermain dengan tokoh jagoannya (lihat Hansen 1998). Ini bukan bermain. demikian juga sepak bola atau semua olah raga kompetitif lainnya yang biasa dilakukan di semua komunitas. Bermain adalah pengalaman tanpa akhir yang dilakukan anak dan melibatkan tindakan berpura-pura, kegiatan berguling, bergulat, atau pemakaian objek nyata secara sepontan untuk menciptakan kreatifitas. Bermain menjadi semakin terancam punah dalam program pendidikan anak usia dini sejalan dengan meningkatnya tuntutan akademis.