This year Start Small Dream Big 2022 is about ‘My Community, My Family’. PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Ang Mo Kio-Hougang Blk 452 projected a ‘Gift of love for the Elderly. This project aimed to create opportunities for the children to reach out and connect with the elderly in the community.
On 29th April 2022, we launched our party with Kindergarten 1 and kindergarten 2 children. The children were introduced to THK Nursing Home @ Hougang as their project recipients this year. They shared ideas on how they can show appreciation to the elderly in the old folks’ home. They prepare gifting hampers of necessities, making letter cards and artwork for the elderly in the old folk’s home. The project planned by the children comprises of 3 different parts.
Firstly, parents, children and their families contributed hampers of food and necessities such as adult diapers and toiletries. They created personal messages to the elderly residents. We manage to prepare all the hampers and hand delivered them to THK Nursing Home @ Hougang on 10th June 2022.
As we are still unable to visit the residents of THK@ Hougang Nursing Home due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, we conducted a virtual tour of the Nursing Home to our children. The video links were shared by THK personnel. The video showcased its facilities, services and programme of THK@Hougang Nursing home. We watched ‘Sharity & The Disrespectful Youth (Ep 6): Respecting Elders and Filial Piety’. From the videos, children understand and embraced their similarities and differences with elderly people.
We concluded our last part of the project with the ‘Gift of Love Box for the Elderly’. We aim to connect and share more love with the THK Nursing Home residents with a touch of art. The children prepared 20 boxes. Each box consist of a simple snack with children’s thoughtful letter cards, a pre-made pot made with love, seeds fr planting and a paint set. The children had fun making the pots and packing the boxes. We delivered all the boxes on 1st September 2022 to THK Nursing Home. Mr Alphonso, Nursing home manager, received all the boxes on behalf of the residents.
The K1 and K2 children had fun in making the plant pots for THK residents.
Heartwarming letters written by the children were also included in the box.
The THK @ Hougang Nursing Home residents opened their boxes on 6th September 2022. They painted the pots made by the Kindergarten children and plant the seeds. Mr Alphonso shared that the residents were delighted with the snacks, activity kit and letter cards from the children. He mentioned that the activity was simple and appropriate for the elderly residents.
All photos of the elderly residents doing the painting and planting activity were shown to the children on 7th September 2022. The children were happy watching the photos and were amazed that they were able to share and give love to the elderly residents of THK @ Hougang Nursing Home. “No one can do Everything, but everyone can do Something”. This is one of the best experience that benefitted the children yet meaningful to know that kindness can be shared with the community.
