Let's Appreciate Them!
Click to view a short video on the service-learning!
Picture taken after implementation of the project. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
What is it About?
In Year 2, my group and I worked alongside Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) for the module, Developing School-Family-Community Partnership. Titled "Let's Appreciate Them!", we aim to spread awareness about the foreign workers in Singapore to a group of Kindergarten 1 (K1) children. This project was implemented on 9 July 2019 at Little Footprints Preschool (701A).
What Did We Do?
To kick start the project, we first introduced foreign workers to the children through a KWL chart (i.e. what I know, what I want to know and what I've learnt) and short skit. This was then followed by the main activity - folding origami paper hearts and making a Thank You card. We ended it by completing the last column of the chart and distributing take-home kits to the children.
The completed KWL chart done by the children
We are facilitating the children during the main activity. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
Skills I Developed:
Teamwork:
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We had to work together as a team to think about what we wanted to do for this service-learning project.
Creativity:
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We had to come up with activities that are both developmentally appropriate as well as engaging for the children.
Planning and Organising:
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We had to plan the activities as well as liaise with the preschool about the details of the project. We kept a list of the details of the project on a shared Google Doc.
Time Management:
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Since we need to complete the implementation within two hours, we have to make sure that the project does not overrun. Hence, each of us took note of the time that is needed for each activity as well as reminding one another five minutes before moving onto the next activity.
Challenges I Faced:
A challenge we had faced was that the children did not understand who are the foreign workers. Hence, we decided to ask them whether they have maids. Some of them had raised their hands and we explained to them that they had come from another country to work and earn money. From there, they were able to understand who are foreign workers.
The children are proudly showing the origami heart that they have made. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
Here, I am showing the children steps on how to fold an origami heart. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
What Did I Learn?
Planning and executing a service-learning project is not an easy task. One thing I learnt was how to work with the community partners involved. For example, I learnt how to communicate in a professional manner in order to get our idea across. I also learnt how to be adaptable to any sudden changes that occurred during the implementation.