A two-week-long “story” with the theme of prehistoric human history was developed, role-played, and “told” to 3rd-grade students by the Cultura Fish – Cultura Fish team. This method of learning brought much excitement to both the children and their guiding teachers.

From a Fall…

“Leaving the gentle paradise, humans had to learn to adapt and survive on Earth – a place full of dangers and wonders. Food, shelter, wild animals, natural disasters, diseases, insects… how would humans face these challenges?”

Based on the request of the homeroom teachers of Sông Mây and Nắng Mai classes (3rd grade of Đồng Xanh Steiner School) and combining with the creation stories that the children were listening to, Cultura Fish developed a two-week teaching program with the theme of prehistoric human history.

The program “The Fall from Heaven to Earth” is set 300,000 years ago when humans learned to use fire in daily life, paving the way for the development of humanity and the emergence of Homo Sapiens (wise humans). From here, with the ability to tell stories (creating a common belief) and cooperate (even with strangers), Sapiens gradually conquered the world and developed to this day. Combining various approaches (storytelling, role-playing, board games, art practice, survival skills, etc.), the program “The Fall from Heaven to Earth” brought two weeks of epic, adventurous learning and numerous experiential activities for the students.

…to the Ancient Land

During the two weeks, students of the two classes were divided into tribes: Kim, Thủy, Mộc, Hỏa, Thổ, to “role-play” in the story of the Ancient Land – a fictional space created by Cultura Fish. Here, the tribes lived together and experienced different modules (told as “challenges”) to acquire skills essential for their tribe’s survival and development: food production, worship, warrior mask-making, tool creation, tent-building, etc. In the role of Shamans – those who could communicate with the gods, Cultura Fish’s teachers brought lessons or challenges to the humans. Each day was a new experience, offering joy in trying new things and helping students gain more confidence in “living on Earth.”

The Cultura Fish teachers introduce the map of the “Ancient Land” to the students.

Totem Design Activity: Helps the tribes believe that they are supported by the gods. Instructors Josh Trombley and Tạ Ngọc Uyên Phương guided the students on patterns, colors, and how to make totem poles from paper cups.

“Garden Drawing” Activity: Instructors Josh Trombley and Tạ Ngọc Uyên Phương taught the students how to observe nature, draw the shapes and patterns of plants, and apply these to other tribal products like large paintings, masks, tent decorations, etc.

Creative Dance Activity: Each tribe created a dance, guided by instructor Hà Thúc Đức Tùng. The children listened to the sounds of their surroundings and tried to replicate them using anything on their bodies, then used these to create something new that embodied the spirit of the Kim, Thủy, Mộc, Hỏa, Thổ tribes.

Outdoor Pita Bread Baking Activity: Guided by instructor Võ Trung Hậu. Pita bread is one of the oldest types of bread, existing before humans knew agriculture. In this activity, students learned how to knead dough, ferment yeast, and build a clay oven to bake bread.

Weaving with Sedge Grass Activity: Led by instructor Tiến Trần. The classroom was decorated with fresh and dried grass, and teacher Tiến told countryside stories involving sedge grass and animals, which fascinated the children. The weaving activity lasted a week until all students had products they made themselves.

Exploring Household Herbs Activity: Led by teacher Hà Thúc Đức Tùng. Students learned about common household herbs like ginger, turmeric, and green tea, their uses, precautions, and each tribe designed its own herbal book.

Rope Knotting and Tipi Tent Building Activity: Conducted by instructors Phạm Hoàng Yến, Diệp Đại Liên Bảo, and Thơ. This was a crucial activity that students had to complete to prepare for the outdoor camping trip – the culmination of the course.

Board Game Activity: Designed and facilitated by teacher Hà Thúc Đức Tùng. Using a map and game tokens, students fully immersed in an imaginative world and had to strategize to ensure their tribe had enough food to survive each day and overcome disasters.

The Beauty of Humanity Through two weeks of diverse activities ranging from games, storytelling, crafts, visual arts, music, etc., students from Sông Mây and Nắng Mai classes gradually gained more confidence as they could now make their own food, know how to build tents for camping, create music and art for entertainment, and make their own tools. To conclude the course, Cultura Fish organized a final camping event (called the “April Festival”) with a fire-sharing ceremony and awarding gifts to honor the tribes of Kim, Thủy, Mộc, Hỏa, Thổ for excelling in all challenges.

From here The tribes of Kim, Thủy, Mộc, Hỏa, Thổ set up camp in preparation for the final night of the course.

Closing the two-week teaching journey under the flickering firelight, Cultura Fish’s team of teachers believes these will be beautiful memories for the children of Sông Mây and Nắng Mai classes, hoping to inspire them further to explore human history.

The Team Behind the Program “The Fall from Heaven to Earth”

Hiếu Văn Ngư – Cultura Fish

  • Project Manager & Board Game Designer: Hà Thúc Đức Tùng 
  • Concept and Content: Lục Phạm Quỳnh Nhi 
  • Artists: Josh Trombley, Tạ Ngọc Uyên Phương. 
  • Teachers/Storytellers (the “Shamans”): Hà Thúc Đức Tùng, Lục Phạm Quỳnh Nhi, Tạ Ngọc Uyên Phương, Josh Trombley, Võ Trung Hậu, Phạm Hoàng Yến, Diệp Đại Liên Bảo, Vũ Minh Thơ

With the support of:

  • Teachers from Đồng Xanh Steiner School: Ms. Ngọc (homeroom teacher of Sông Mây class), Ms. Tiên (homeroom teacher of Nắng Mai class), Ms. Hà, and Ms. Na.
  • Basket weaving instructor from 3T: Mr. Tiến Trần
  • Parents of Sông Mây and Nắng Mai classes
  • Đồng Xanh Steiner School

To learn more about designing and teaching courses on various topics such as science, history, culture, art, etc., please contact Cultura Fish via email at [email protected] or phone number 0934 848 800 (Đức Tùng).