We were so excited to launch our “Support C.A.R.E (Care and Respect for the Elderly)” Project by inviting our most important people - the grandparents to join in the Orange Rally on 1 April 2017. Everything was in orange - hats, t-shirts, decorations, balloons and cakes. Our team even directed a short movie how these ideas were derived with the PG to K2 children being the main cast. Everyone was elated with it. All the grandparents were awarded a Certificate of Participation and they were so proud of it that they went home to spread the words of our meaningful project to the rest of their family members. Last but not least, together with the grandparents, children and teachers we released the orange balloons into the air to symbolize the launch of our project.
On 16 July 2017, we had our first visit to Sparkle Care @ Simei. One of our parent volunteers Mr Samson Zee wowed the elderly with his charm during the karaoke session. He sang songs in different languages. He even prepared pictures of Singapore’s historical places to play guessing games with the elderly. Our children demonstrated care and respect to the elderly by chatting with them, encouraging them to sing and answer questions and drew a picture together to present it as a first meet-up souvenior to the elderly. The elderly enjoyed the children’s dance performance and company.
We had our second visit to Sparkle Care @ Simei on 26 August 2017. We were so proud to rally more parent volunteers after the first visit. It had grown from 2 parent volunteers to 7! They found this inter-generational project so meaningful that they stepped forward to volunteer their services. Ms Carrie single-handedly prepared the dumpling paste for over 200 dumplings. The children and parents were thrilled to teach the elderly how to make dumpling and they had such joy eating the delicious cooked dumpling together with the elderly. It was heartwarming to see the children ran to the same elderly whom they had met and bonded from the first visit. Everyone had a wonderful time singing, dancing, chatting, playing games and making dumpling together.
As part of our “Support C.A.R.E” project, we would like our children to appreciate the contributions our elderly had made to Singapore and their families. Though they may be old now, they are still strong physically and young at heart. We invited grandparents to teach our children a skill they were good at - line dance. It may be simple steps for the grandparents but to the little ones, they were trying to keep up to the steps and music. In exchange, the children taught the grandparents their National Day performance dance. This exchange of dance steps have definitely brought the children closer in building a deeper bond with the elderly.
In August, we invited another grandparent to share her cooking skills with our children. It was her first time conducting a cookery lesson with the children and she was overjoyed after the session. The children couldn’t resist the tasty omelette that they requested for more. The children acquired so many skills such as language, numeracy, motor skills, social skills and discovery of the world in one cookery lesson. During the lesson, they learnt between cooked and uncooked spinach; difference between an omelette and scrambled eggs when the first attempt was not successful. It is a new discovery of learning everyday for both the young and old.
We believe that children, like us can make a difference even in simple ways. That is why for our “Start Small Dream Big” project this year, we are on a mission to CARE (Care and Respect for the Elderly) through different activities that would help us interact and bond not just with our grandparents but also with other elderly in the community.
We can be a SUPER C.A.R.E Hero! We have designed this SUPER C.A.R.E Hero personalized booklet for each child to do at least one different activity with an elderly each week to earn their SUPER C.A.R.E Hero power - Strength, Fire, Time, Space, Light and Healing.
It has been the 5th week and the children return to school to share about the SUPER C.A.R.E Hero acts they have done with an elderly excitedly with their teachers and friends. Pictures of their acts tell a thousand words.
Yes indeed, each and every one of us is a SUPER C.A.R.E Hero in our little own ways everyday.
