Introduction
We strongly believe that Pre-schoolers are at an ideal age to teach about compassion. We want to help them understand the plight of under privileged children, who do not enjoy the luxuries we take for granted like a warm home, plenty of food and a family to care for us.
Hence we explained about an orphanage and what it means to be a child waiting for a forever family. We told the children that because we want them to know that we care, this year for SSDB, we were going to contribute food to the orphans in an orphanage.
We explained to the children that the food items which they bring to school would be accumulated and then sent to Pertapis Children’s Home. Examples of the food items requested from the students were:
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5 kg packets of Rice
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UHT Milk Packets
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Milo Powder Packets/Tins
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Nestum/Cereal Packets
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Biscuits/Crackers
School management sent the collected food items along with some cash donations collected to the Pertapis Children’s Home.
Children’s contribution to Start Small Dream Big Project:
- Children helped out to shop for the food items
As Early childhood Educators, we know that children always learn more when they are involved in the project. Shopping for someone else adds purpose and makes the task more meaningful.
- Benefits of engaging in shopping for food items:
Contributing to the shopping spree and bringing the items to school gives a child a major sense of accomplishment. It encourages empathy for the less fortunate and promotes caring for the community.
- Children donated the food items
As an Early childhood educator our focus is to develop the children holistically. We really focused on the emotional growth of the children and wanted them to be aware of the community around them.
- Benefits of contributing to the community
Children who come from families without hardship, contributing to the community allows them to become aware of what life can be like for the less privileged. This makes them connected to the people and have a sense of belonging to the community. They will learn to get along well with others
Teacher’s role:
· Teachers sent a message to all the parents on the Fifteenth of September, 2022 regarding the examples of food items that can be donated for the SSDB this year.
· Teachers discussed and sketched a plan to parents on how to involve children (one of the important components of the Montessori approach) in shopping and contributing to the society as well.
· A deadline was given to the parents for the food contributions which was the Thirtieth of September, 2022.
· We also created a SSDB piggy bank wall and displayed “coins” of good deeds done by children (shared by the parents to encourage and motivate them). We explained to the children the importance of everyone in the family contributing to doing good.
· We shared stories about families who are less privileged and explained how we can help them. We shared with them how kindness can make them feel contented and happy. We explained to the children that their food donations will benefit many children.
· We collected a huge amount of food items and some cash from the children and donated them to Pertapis Children’s Home on the Seventh of October, 2022 in a huge bus.
Parent’s role:
· Parents engaged their children in shopping for the good cause.
· They recorded the good deeds done by their child on the “coins” provided by the school to add to the “piggy bank” on the SSDB wall created in the classroom.
· They sent the contributions to the school before the deadline.
Conclusion:
This was a successful project. Our main motive through this project was to cultivate the sense of empathy for the less fortunate in our community. The overwhelming amount of contributions received was a testimony to the success of the project. Not only did we achieve our outcome, but this project had also provided positive social-emotional opportunities for our children. They felt good about themselves and had develop their confidence in their role in the world and how they can contribute to society.
