Mindchamps Preschool@Holland V embarked on our Start Small Dream Big journey through a fun Family Day. We also invited some older folks from the St John’s Home for the Elderly to join us at Gardens by the Bay on 2nd June 2017, allowing them to enjoy some family time with our children and their families.
There are 3 parts to the Family Day: 1) The first part involved families picking out suitable food items (such as canned food or dried food) for the home. Parents would explain to Champs about the process of why they would do this and are encouraged to document the process through photographs and dialogue. They would then put it together as a write up and this would be compiled and included in the gift pack for the home. 2) The second part involved their participation at Gardens by the Bay, Children’s Garden, on the actual Family Day. Champs and families were full of anticipation about having the 30 elderly folks from the home join us for this special event. As soon as when the elderly folks walked in, they were greeted with heart-warming smiles and welcoming cheers from the families!
We had planned a morning of activities for the elderly folks, hoping to bring some joy to their otherwise mundane days in the Home. We began our Family Day as Champs from the N2, K1 and K2 class welcomed the elderly folks with a pack of snacks and a warm hug. They then performed a chicken dance and Incy Wincy Spider for everyone. There was also an interactive activity as all Champs, families and elderly folks participated in The Singapore Workout, laughing and moving their bodies together.
Our teachers also put up a performance for everyone. They performed the Three Little Pigs with a comical spin and involved the audience in huffing and puffing together, resulting in lots of laughter.
Despite it being a hot morning, Champs and families were actively engaged in a ball game with the elderly folks. They were smiling and laughing so much and the sight of it warmed our hearts greatly. As a finale, Champs and families gathered around our special group of elderly friends and sang a song 月亮代表我的心. Champs also presented flowers to the elderly, and it was a beautiful sight to see how everyone bonded together within such a short period of time. We also took one picture before we bid farewell to our new friends. 3) The third part of our Family Day involved our K2 Champs, who dropped by St John’s Home for a visit to our new friends. They brought along all the food items brought in by the families, documentation of the process and the photo frame and even put up an impromptu performance. They were led around by an officer and chatted, greeted and hugged almost every resident at the Home. They witnessed and understood more about the day to day activities for the elderly at the Home and it was definitely a meaningful learning experience!
Documented by Ms Azia, Senior English Teacher
