1. SSDB Project : Our Green Gaia
This is our first venture into Start Small Dream Big project by our centre, PCF Sparkletots KCare Centre @ Westwood! The theme for our SSDB 2017 project is Our Green Gaia. Our chosen beneficiary was St. Joseph’s Home and we had strong parental involvement throughout the whole project which lasted from April – July 2017. Our objective was to promote awareness and create opportunities for parents to facilitate their children’s development through service learning activities.
2. SSDB Launch Party - April ‘17
Our project kicked off with the SSDB Launch Party on 3 April 2017 together with our K2 KCare ambassadors and their parents. Our principal gave a short briefing to parents on the objectives for embarking onto SSDB project and proposed project timeline. This was followed by a parent-child activity. Parents and children planted caixin seeds in re-used 1.5L plastic bottles to create a mini caixin garden in the centre. Parents were amazed to realise how they had played an important part through this simple activity such as planting together with their children. With the facilitation from teachers, parents were shown how to create enriching teachable moments for children to show appreciation for mother earth and society by adopting the 3’R’ habit – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. The event continued with parents and children pledging themselves as SSDB ambassadors by reciting the “Nurture Nature” pledge. The party ended on a high note with a mini performance by children on “Save My World” song.
3. NURTURING OF CAIXIN - APRIL - JULY’17
After the SSDB Launch Party, children continued to water and care for their caixin everyday. Children learnt how to cultivate the soil for better growth. They engaged in removing the rocks from the soil, “ploughing” with a fork to aerate the soil and fertilising it. In July, children did the harvesting of the caixin plants. They helped to wash and cut the vegetables into smaller pieces for our Aunty to make soup. The soup was offered to our security guards and cleaners as a show of warm appreciation to thank them for their service in keeping our school safe and clean.
4. ACT OF GRACIOUSNESS
Following the Launch Party in April, a parent-child home activity was designed in May. Our Centre continued to provide a platform on how parents can motivate and support their child’s contributions towards the community and Mother Earth.
Parents were to role model an act of graciousness and capture those moments in photos or drawings. Children then shared these wonderful experiences in class during our Show and Tell session. Some awesome examples shared by children were returning tray after eating at food court or fast food restaurants, picking up litters and throwing them into the dustbin at the park, standing at the left side when taking an escalator, putting school bags down on the floor when inside the train and many more!
Positive feedback from parents were shared with us on how they had used this activity as a teachable moment to inculcate values of caring and sharing in their children, develop in them the passion and knowledge to contribute to the society.
5. Act of Donation - June to July’17
Another parent-child home activity was designed in June as our Centre continued to provide a platform on how parents can motivate and support their child to do their part to help the society.
In June 2017, we conducted a SSDB Food Charity Drive for our chosen beneficiary, St. Joseph’s Home.
Our objective was for parents to use this activity as a teachable moment to educate and share with their child on how donations help the less privileged in our society. It is also to raise awareness in children that donations need not always be in monetary form but it could also come in the form of necessities and pre-loved items.
Parents had donated generously for our SSDB Food Charity Drive. Before delivering these food necessities to the Home, our children helped to sort and pack the items into boxes. In July 2017, our Centre principal and teachers delivered the food necessities to St. Joseph’s Home. The Home received the donations with much appreciation and gratefulness.
We thank our parents for their generosity, time and effort spent in making our SSDB project a success!!
