To thank and honour Singapore’s Merdeka Generation and Pioneer Generation for their contributions to our nation, Sunshine Kids decided to partner St. Luke’s Eldercare (Hougang Meadow) as part of our Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) project.
The objectives of this partnership are to promote inter-generational communication, as well as to inculcate the values of care, appreciation and respect in our children, all of which form part of our Centre’s core values.
<u>Nursery 2</u>
Kicking off our SSDB project with a dance performance
The fun continues with Sunshine Kids’ own version of the Great Singapore Workout! The exercises were thoughtfully simplified with suggestions from the children so that it would be easier for the elderly to follow along. We even included a little twist to the workout that involved the passing of a ball. It was evident that everyone both young and elderly enjoyed it by the sound of their laughter and the smiles on their faces! It was heartening watching the children and the elderly communicating freely and showing affection for one another by holding hands.
As the event date fell in line with Mothers’ Day, the children distributed paper flowers that were lovingly hand-made by all of them to all the female elderly at St. Luke’s Eldercare. Smiles were flashed and hugs were given. What a wonderful way to end off what has been an exciting yet humbling experience!
<u>Kindergarten 1 </u>
For our K1 children, they were involved in an art and craft session with the elderly that saw them teaching the elderly the weaving technique that mirrored those in making ketupats. As this was held in conjunction with our Hari Raya celebrations, the children suggested partnering the elderly in making their own versions of ketupats by using various strips of materials.
As part of our home-school partnership, we invited parents to collaborate with us on the project by cutting and preparing the materials needed for the ketupats prior to the visit. We also invited them to join us on the actual day. It was a great opportunity for them to spend some quality bonding time with their children while engaged in a meaningful and fun-filled activity.
As everyone put their artistic hats on and got busy creating their own ketupats, it was a heart-warming sight witnessing three generations of Singaporeans come together despite their age differences to work on a common goal.
To commemorate the visit, the children also prepared a portable photo booth frame that allowed them to take candid shots with both their parents and the elderly as a keepsake of the event. We hope that these photos will bring great joy to the elderly, children and their parents many years down the road.
Starting things off with a bang: Our K2 children treating the elderly to not just one, but three song performances
The highlight of the visit was definitely the collaboration between the children and the elderly in making their friendship bands! The materials and the process was simple: threading small pieces of cut straw through a piece of string and finally tying both ends together to seal it up. It was a team effort definitely. Some of the elderly helped to hold the string, while the children took the pieces of straw according to the elderly’s colour preference and patiently stringed it together for them piece by piece.
As the children tied the friendship bands around the wrists of the elderly, many of the elderly were spotted smiling from ear to ear and their eyes were lit with happiness. Many newfound friendships were forged that day, and we are so glad that our children played a significant part in that.
<u>Old is Gold</u>
We hope that our partnership with St. Luke’s Eldercare will help bridge a relationship between our children and the elderly around them. Such inter-generational relationships are extremely precious and can strengthen Singapore’s social fabric bonds for many years to come.
We are so proud of our children for what they have achieved in this year’s SSDB project. Shine on, Sunshine Kids!
