In today's class I got a tour of George Elementary School. I got to see all of the classrooms, cafeteria, and gym. We started off in gym and I got to meet my class, and they were ages 5-7. I got to meet the leaders who were the teachers in the class. We started off with rotations and the kids got to learn about each "house". A house is a group that the children get put in and is a subgroup from their regular classroom. With each house they have their own song, symbol and animal. Throughout each station I got to help direct the kids and learn about them. They told me about what they learned in school that day and what they played at recess. The kids were super excited to learn about each house and were excited to get one. Having the houses is a way to reward good behavior while also having fun. If a child is acting good, then they get a house point and if they get enough points then they get to have a party with their group. Helping at SOAR was super fun and was excited to come back the next week and see the kids.
Week 1 at SOAR was so much fun! I got put into a house along with all the students and then we got to play in a dodgeball tournament as a fun and exciting competition. It was really awesome to get to meet everyone for the first time! I learned all the basics of SOAR including classroom locations, scheduling and other staff.
Today was my first day volunteering at SOAR. During my time there I got to meet the group I'd be working with for the semester and get acquainted with the children. I was paired to work with the kindergarteners and helped them with their activities. While I was volunteering, I noticed how much children benefit from having a structured environment where they can feel safe, supported, and encouraged to learn and play.
This was my first time volunteering with SOAR, and I am so impressed with the efficiency and communication that happened before I even got there. I signed up to volunteer, and within two days, I knew where I was going, had all of the paperwork, and got in contact with my site lead. When I got to the site to volunteer, the site lead met me at the door and walked me through everything I would be doing when I volunteer. It was super helpful and left me with no questions. While volunteering, I had great conversations with the kids and got to meet a lot of new, friendly faces. Had a great experience, and I am excited for next week.
On my first day of service learning with SOAR at Parson Hills Elementary, I was introduced to the staff and students in the program. I followed my mentors around each place they went to and learned about the daily routine and schedule the students follow and got to interact with some of the students as well. The group I was in was a group of fourth grade students. Each day they do different activities and that day, they had a team bonding exercise to do called the "human knot". This exercise helped the students develop their collaboration and communication skills. Overall, I had a great first day and can not wait to continue throughout the rest of the semester!
This day was a family competition day. I helped with the students at the beginning then got moved to the Kitchen. I am very late to uploading my hours but it was so fun to watch all of the children have fun with their families for my last bit of volunteering.
At SOAR I played in the gym as soon as I got there. I watched the kids build forts out of hula hoops. I played soccer with them and scored in the goal. Some also played dodgeball. Then we went inside to eat and the kids went to flex time.
Today at SOAR the weather was not great so we stayed inside and the kids started in their groups. They colored, played Minecraft, and played with building games. After time in groups we went and ate dinner. At the end of the day they watched the movie Ratatouille while they waited for parents to pick them up.
Rainy day stations! I got to be in the cafeteria with a group of kids and run the just dance station. It was a fun + energetic time haha