Year 6

The Year 6 Camp to Yogyakarta

By: Anshu, Beverly, and Nandra

The Year 6 students spent three days and two nights at a camp in Yogyakarta on October 25–27. These activities are leading up to the Year 6 student Exhibition, which will take place next semester. While on this camp trip, we went to several fascinating locations in Yogyakarta. Some of these activities included the Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardjo, or PSBK, the Ullen Sentalu Museum, and the Chocolate Monggo Factory. On the grounds of Prambanan Temple, we witnessed the Ramayana open art performance. We participated in various activities while at the hotel, including culinary arts classes and table manners instruction. Students in Year 6 had a great time on the trip, gained new skills for their Exhibition and for their everyday life!

We went to the Ullen Sentalu Museum on the first day of the camp. We were split into two groups and got a tour of the museum. There were many arts and artifacts on display about Javanese history, such as paintings, object collections, clothing, and more from the Javanese royal families. Students could see the effects of Indonesia's past, how traditions continue, the impact of colonization, and more. The learner profiles students developed were inquirers because when We were shown statues, we asked many questions, we were curious, and we were knowledgeable because we learned a lot about Javanese culture. The ATL skills students developed were thinking skills, and they were critically thinking about the information, its importance, and how it relates to their exhibition.

We visited the Monggo Chocolate Factory on October 26th. During our tour, we learned about how they make their unique chocolate. The guide was beneficial in explaining the process in a way that was easy to understand. As part of the tour, we witnessed the exact quantity and ingredients required to craft their delectable dark, milk, and white chocolate. After touring the factory, we headed to the shop where we created our chocolate figures. Once we finished making our masterpieces, we had the opportunity to purchase some of the delicious chocolates sold in the shop. It was a fantastic experience, and we learned so much about the Monggo Chocolate Factory. The ATL skills students developed were social skills. Students had to collaborate when they made their chocolate designs and while sharing information about chocolate. We were inquirers because, during the tour, we asked a lot of questions.

On the 2nd day of the camp, we went to PSBK (Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardjo). At PSBK we learned about the different types of art: dance, music, and theater. We first got a tour of PSBK, and the tour guide told us about how badly the earthquake in 2006 damaged PSBK. After that, we ate a delicious lunch: soup with bakso, krupuk and rice. Then, we met three people who focused on arts, and the three of them asked us to form a circle and say our names one by one while showing movements that the others had to copy while one of us told our terms. It was very funny copying others' dances/activities. After that, we were divided into three groups: the dance group, the music group, and the theater group. Each group was led by one of the three people in charge, and at the end of our stay, each group had to perform for the other groups. In this activity, we were communicators because we incorporated everybody's ideas. The ATL skills students developed were communication skills because they were talking in their groups and communicating about what to do.

At the Ramayana Ballet Show, we learned the way of storytelling through dance. The stadium was large and filled with many seats, so we had no problem with the seating arrangement. The stage had large lights around it. The story begins with a prince and a princess. They were married. One day, the princess asked the prince to bring her the golden deer, and the husband told his brother to watch his wife while he was gone. After a while, the prince didn't return, so the princess asked her brother-in-law to find her husband. To protect the princess, the prince's brother created a circle that no one could penetrate. After he left, there was a troll. The troll was also so taken by the princess's beauty that he became an older man. Then, the princess felt terrible for the older man and left her circle. It was there that I was thoroughly impressed by the rest of the performance. It was simply amazing. I highly recommend attending the concert yourself to witness its brilliance firsthand. For the learner profile, we were open-minded because we accepted there were different ways to tell a story other than speaking it or just reading from a book. The ATL skills students developed were thinking skills, and the students were thinking about the story because it had no voice or caption.

We had a great time participating in this camp, where we gained a wealth of knowledge about Javanese culture, the art of making chocolate, performing arts, and socializing.