Learning Beyond the Classroom: Discovering Community at the Wet Market

At Little Olive Tree Ghim Moh, we believe that meaningful learning often happens beyond classroom walls; in real places, with real people, and real experiences.

This Chinese New Year season, our Pre-Nursery and Playgroup children, together with their parents and teachers, took a walk through the Ghim Moh wet market. What may seem like an everyday space became a rich learning environment filled with colour, sounds, textures, and stories waiting to be discovered.

As teachers guided the group through the market, children observed vibrant flowers, festive decorations, oranges symbolising blessing and abundance, and New Year goodies stacked high. They listened to the sounds of vendors calling out, watched transactions take place, and experienced the rhythm of community life up close.

After the tour, children and parents worked together on simple purchasing tasks. These moments invited children to practise confidence, communication, and exploration while feeling safe and supported by familiar adults beside them.

This is where Truth, Beauty, and Goodness come alive for us.

Truth, as children learn about the world as it is. Understanding where food comes from and how communities function.

Beauty, in the colours, traditions, and shared joy of the festive season.

Goodness, in the relationships formed. Parents walking alongside their children, teachers guiding, and children learning to engage respectfully with others.

At Little Olive Tree, we intentionally create experiences like these because we believe children are not passive learners. They are active participants in their communities, capable of observing, asking, wondering, and belonging.

This wet market visit was not just an outing. It was a reminder that learning is relational, joyful, and deeply rooted in everyday life. That even the most familiar places can become spaces of wonder when we choose to slow down and learn together.