Starchild: How Malaysian kids make school rides fun

Erica Sophia, 12

How do you go to school every morning? Some kids take the amber school bus or van. It is fun because they get to sit with their friends and chat along the way. Others ride in their parents’ car, listening to music or talking about the day ahead.

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 10In many smaller towns and villages, you can see fathers or mothers sending their children to school on motorbikes.

Sometimes, the younger brother or sister will squeeze in too! In some kampung areas, children walk to school if it is nearby.

Many children enjoy the ride to school with their parents because it feels special to spend time with their family before lessons begin.

Parents often give advice, ask about homework, or remind their children to study hard.

No matter how you travel – by bus, car, motorbike or even on foot – the journey is the start of a new day full of learning and adventure.

Here are the letters from Starchild readers on the topic, My School Ride.

“My dad sends me to school every morning. It is a short drive to school unless it is a rainy morning. I enjoy chatting with my dad in the car. Sometimes I will practise memorising my multiplication table on the way to school. Thanks to my dad, I am on time to school every day,” says Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 10.

Laxmi Shekaran, 8

“I go to kindergarten on my mother’s motorbike. Every morning, I sit behind Ibu and hold on tight. Sometimes the wind blows on my face and it feels nice. I like riding the motorbike because I can see many things on the road. Ibu always reminds me to wear my helmet,” says five-year-old Nadia Ismail.

Nadia Ismail, 5Laxmi Shekaran, eight, takes the amber school bus to school.

“The bus comes to my house at 6.30am. I sit with my friends, and we like to talk and laugh during the ride. Sometimes we sing songs together. I enjoy going by bus because I can meet my friends before class starts.”

“My father sends me to school by car every morning. On the way, I usually take a short nap because I would still be very sleepy. I keep a small pillow and jacket in the car to make me comfortable. My father listens to the radio while driving.

“Sometimes he will stop at a stall to buy nasi lemak or doughnuts for me to eat during recess,” says Erica Sophia, 12.

ITEM: The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, will be celebrated on Oct 6. Many Chinese families come together to enjoy mooncakes, light up colourful lanterns and admire the bright full moon.

While the Mooncake Festival is celebrated mainly by the Chinese community, people of other races also join in unity gatherings held in conjunction with the celebration. Have you ever been to one of these gatherings?

Tell us how you celebrate the festival with your family. Do you eat mooncakes, play with lanterns or join a lantern parade? Which is your favourite mooncake flavour? Maybe you enjoy looking at the moon or listening to stories about Chang’e, the Moon Goddess.

Draw a picture or write a short story to share your Mid-Autumn Festival experience.

Email your contributions to [e-mail] by Sept 26. Please put “STARCHILD: Mid-Autumn Festival” in the subject line of your email.

Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200dpi. Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address. Instead of handwritten letters, please type out your letters.