One of our previous receptionists collected some money from her new co-workers at New Years in order for us to buy some gifts for children with disabilities. It was fun to have some extra money to buy some toys and other things for the foster children I work with. We bought a Russian scrabble game for the older children. We were also able to purchase a tent/tunnel play area and a doctor kit for the younger children. The laughter as they played was priceless. It also gave them an opportunity to learn what the items in their medical kit were. This might allow them to be less scared the next time they see a doctor.
Additionally, we were able to buy some fruit to enjoy together. Over the last several months, I have realized that although they might have eaten pineapple before, they don’t know what it looks like. As a result, I took whole fruit (pineapple, apple, orange, and banana) and cut the fruit in front of them giving them some to try. They all really liked pineapple and now realize what it looks like before it is cut.
Throughout the activity I continued to make statements that required them to correct me (pointing to the apple I would say “this is a pineapple, right”). Coming into the activity they knew what an apple and banana were, but didn’t know the names for pineapple and orange. It was so fun watching them learn new things.
One of the best parts of the activity was watching the caregivers response. They were really confused at first when I took out an entire pineapple, a knife, and a cutting board. However, as I started making comments and asking questions, they realized I was using it as a learning experience. They were able to see the value of the activity and also seemed to really enjoy it.
I am so thankful for the donation that made all of this possible. The children learned so much in one day and had fun at the same time.
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