“When I introduced the SVA kit to my class they were very excited. We began to work through the process and they created C.V.'s to apply for the various roles. They came up with a task, to build a free library box. We were at the stage of designing and organising this when unfortunately I lost a family member so our project has been put on hold as it was too much. My current Year 7 students would like to complete this task next year, as Year 8's, and look after it as our way of giving back to the community. We will send photos of our creation then.”
“Sorry this wasn't done by Friday, I had tried to FB message and email but didn't get a reply. I wasn't sure what forum to use to feedback to you.
From the first day of the term the flag and flow chart were up and the children were intrigued about what this meant for their learning. The kit was fantastically organised and user friendly, from the flow chart to the role cards and checklists. This enabled my class of Year 4-5 kids to really take the reins and they relished the voting process they chose to use to determine the theme and then the specific project ideas - this really helped our planner who then collaborated with big idea team to fine tune what the day would look like from start to finish.
Initially they had hoped to visit those in need at the hospital but this was turned down due to measles cases. They coped well with the change and went with a back up plan of visiting the elderly at a local rest home. The day started tentatively with some kids and elderly feeling awkward, but soon enough they were chatting, laughing, playing board games and really settled into spending time together. Some girls planned ukulele songs and some of the residents really sparked up and started to sing along to the tunes they knew!
One of my favourite moments was when a girl asked if an elderly woman would like to play the board game, Rummikub, the elderly woman gruffly replied, ";I don't even like that game but they always put it at my table."; Without missing a beat one girl replied, ";I have some games with me, do you like Checkers, Chess, cards, Chinese Checkers...."; At which point the elderly woman's eyes lit up and she said enthusiastically, ";I loved Chinese Checkers. Yes let's play that. Do you know how to play girl?"; She nodded and said, ";Yes I do, my nana showed me.";
All in all it was a positive day, as we had very kind parent helpers to transport us there I had to ask the Mums to do their best to let the children run it themselves and not take over! They did well and were amazed that everyone had done their role, was organised with agreed equipment and how they coped with being uncomfortable.
Thanks SVA and school kit. I found this so valuable and was able to link it to our school topic this term about culture, rather than looking at cultures around the world we looked at it more from the perspective of the culture of volunteering and how that contributes positively to the community and their personal growth.”
“Initially the to do steps take a bit of unravelling but once I'm through that the resources are great and what the kids have to do is really clear. This has been a great kit to support my class to think outside their school and look for what needs doing elsewhere. It has also shown them even it's small it makes a big difference to the people it supports.”
“This kit was disappointing as it seemed to be targeted at tertiary level and so it was difficult for the students to make suitable connections. The pdf files wouldn't load and so we were unable to share them electronically on the tv screen. I emailed twice about the issues we were experiencing but have never received a reply. The vests and posters were very useful and we were able to use these in our inquiry.”
“We brainstormed and came up with visiting the Tairua Aged Care home every week. The students loved having different titles and different jobs as we volunteered at T.A.C. They took their jobs very seriously and have come up with different things to do and share with the residents every week. I thought this was just about us - was I wrong. The residents love seeing us every week, especially the residents with dementia who are highly anxious have interacted with the students and amazed the matron with how they respond to the children. With my class they love going to T.A.C every week, the objective of their visits was to become BFF's with the residents! This is exactly what happened they have become friends, exhibiting patience, kindness, selflessness and communication skills I want to put this in my practice for every class that I have. Thank you again for the spark to get this going - we have loved it!”
“We loved this opportunity to incorporate the SVA project- we were able to learn about pollution and the effects of it- and things we can do to make our environment better.”
