What better way to give to charity than to enjoy yourself, have fun and bond with your family while doing it! This is exactly what happened during our school’s ThisAbility Fundraising Carnival on 24th August 2019. Five interactive experiences that provided opportunities for participants to see through the lens of people with different needs were featured alongside all-time carnival favourites. Through this culminating activity, we aim to increase the awareness of people with diverse abilities and raise funds for Singapore Disability Sports Council as well as EtonHouse Community Fund which supports children from low income families.
Dialogue in the Dark
Our Nursery 2 excursion to Dialogue in the Dark inspired us to share the experience of what it is like to be visually impaired. The children helped in setting up the room by preparing tactile pathways which will guide the participants as they feel their way through the dark. Each guest put on a blindfold and went into a darkened room where we simulated an experience of going to the beach and Vivocity from our school, taking different modes of transport such as the Sentosa shuttle bus and the monorail. Guests went on this journey with a guide who directed them to use their other senses to be mindful and aware of their surroundings despite being unable to use their sense of sight.
Shoot Some Hoops
People with disabilities have equal rights to engage in sports and competitive games. Thus, we included this game that requires participants to throw a basketball into hoops while sitting on a chair. Engaging in this experience gave our guests a glimpse into the life of an athlete who has lost the use of his hands but not his ability nor his will to live life to the fullest!
Art Jamming
People who are not able to use their hands use their toes with the same dexterity as people with hands use their fingers. Some are even able to create masterpieces that are showcased in museums all over the world. In fact, The Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists has been established to represent artists who either paint with their mouth or their feet. For our carnival, we designed a learning station that allowed participants to create an artwork as a family using their toes to control the paintbrush.
Jumbled Up
Many of us take for granted the ease with which we are able to read and write as this skill has been ingrained in us since our early years. But, there are those who experience difficulty in writing and reading accurately and fluently because of a lifelong condition called dyslexia. In order for our guests to see through the eyes of someone with dyslexia, our fourth carnival station involved attempting to interpret a piece of writing that is designed to simulate the feeling of reading with dyslexia. Once they have “decoded” the task, they were encouraged to complete it as a family!
Pong It
When the use of hands is not an option, people develop an impressive ability to use other parts of their body, such as the mouth, to complete daily tasks. Our participants were therefore encouraged to get a cup across the line without using their hands and then get 3 ping pong balls into any of the 3 holes by blowing it!
Nursery 2 Inquiry Exhibit
A few of our Nursery 2 children acted as exhibit curators as they shared their learning experience with our guests. They talked about their learning journey and showcased some of their work as they learnt how to treat people with diverse abilities with sensitivity, empathy and respect.
Moving forward, the children will be working on their action plan: creating a Picture Exchange Communication System in every class, and a wheelchair-accessible point for wheelchair users to come to our school. Stay tuned!
