SOAR Afterschool Program - Daily Program Volunteering

Today at SOAR, the students went through their daily routine. At the beginning, all the students checked themselves in, then proceeded to put their backpacks away before going outside to the playground for free play time. After free play, the group I was with (group 5) and group 6 played a "math relay" game on the soccer field. They were asked different math questions and was able to kick the ball into the goal if they answered correctly. I realized the use of academics and physical activity got the students thinking and energetic enough to be able to participate and be engaged in the activity. After activity, they had dinner, afternoon show, and then went into dismissal.

I am still assisting with the kindergarten group, which I prefer, because I work with younger kids the rest of the week at my job. I remembered some names but had to be reminded of others. One of the girls was very attached to me. Probably because I played tag with her during our outside time. I didn't mind, though. She kept me entertained. A few of the kids were upset when I said I had to leave. That filled my cup; it was wholesome. The day went by a lot faster than the first day for some reason because we did all the same things the first time I volunteered. I am extremely pleased with my placement and can't wait for next week.

Today with SOAR at the Parson Hills Elementary site, the group I volunteer with (group 4), went through their daily SOAR rotations. They started outside with free play time which the group leader and I played volleyball with two of the students. After, group 4 went to the regular lab classroom and learned about adaptation and natural selection. They watched videos and learned about natural selection through a online simulator and watched national geographic videos on wildfires. After that was dinner time and instead of having their scheduled show time, the groups went straight to flex/reading time.

This particular evening at SOAR was an indoor day since it was raining; therefore, it was a more relaxing evening. The second time visiting was definitely more comfortable . I was able to get to know the children better and interact with them. From coloring with the lovliest little ladies, eating dinner with the funniest group of girls, to playing Uno with a group of friends. It's interesting, for once, conversing and interacting with a young group of children who aren't related to me. I had the opportunity to talk to a young group of girls, and they shared with me some of their favorite memories in SOAR and other things that even I found myself relating to when I was younger. My one takeaway from this day is getting to know more students and more about them, as well as accompanying the same group of friends as on my first visit, for their dinner.

Last Wednesday was my first day volunteering at SOAR, and I was placed at the Bayarri location. I wasn’t sure what to expect and felt a little nervous walking in, but once I got there I was welcomed into a classroom with the younger kids and spent an hour hanging out with them. I played with magnetic tiles alongside Lucia and Lavaar, and it was so fun to see the different things they tried to build. I also enjoyed watching how they interacted—sometimes teaming up to create something together and other times asking to trade pieces. After playtime, we circled up and went around the room sharing our names, ages, and favorite foods. It was easy to notice which kids were more outgoing and which were a bit more reserved. I honestly loved the experience even more than I expected. The hour went by so quickly, and I’m already excited to go back this week.

In today's class we started off outside playing then they came into the gym and did there after outside cool down. From there our class went to a classroom and we taught them about the 4 seasons. The kids got to answer questions about what outfits they would wear in each season, what outside looks like during each season and what sports are in each season. They loved talking about winter and how they can build snowmen and throw snowballs. Once we got done with our discussion about seasons they got to color a page with the seasons. I helped a group of kids with their coloring page. They wanted all the opinions about what color goes with each season. It was super fun to talk to them and learn about their day and more about what they love.

I learned so much at Week 2 of SOAR because this week I got to work with the youngest kids, which are 6-7 year olds! We labeled parts of a flower and did some free drawing. I learned how to connect with young children by simple conversations and questions surrounding their interest. Including subjects like favorite sports, colors, foods and activities.

I went in at 4 and signed in. I was placed in the kindergarten room with Abby. They were outside when I first got there so I went and drew with chalk with one of the girls. They then lined up to go inside after about 5 minutes. We then brought the kids to a little meeting. After the meeting we went back into the classroom to do a coloring activity with textures. They did this until I left at 5.

Today, the students got to play outside then transfer back inside for their group activity. They were split into groups to make DIY animal figures then learned about ecosystems. I helped pass out materials to each group and interacted with them by asking what they were creating and helping them figure out what ecosystem their creature lives in. Then after dinner, they had their daily "show" time with all of SOAR and finally entered flex or reading time until dismissal.

For the first day as a SOAR volunteer, I was met with lots of fun getting to know the children. Initially, it was a bit confusing since the director was not there, and no other leaders let me know what my duties were going to be, but thankfully, one leader was able to tell me that, for today, I could just introduce myself to the kids. This day had been an outside day, which made it a bit easier for me to go around and introduce myself to the children. The whole evening was just wholesome and fun. I never imagined that such young children would be so talkative and open to talking to someone they had just met, but the enviornment that the children created made me feel much more comfortable. Majority of the time was spent conversating with all the children and getting to know what their time at SOAR looks like.