[Winona Online Democracy] My sons' (ages 7 and 8) classroom has had a meals on wheels route for almost two years. Every Monday a parent volunteer accompanies two or three children to deliver meals to residents of Winhaven. The children are assigned that "job" in the class room for that week and their classroom duties shift each week, so everyone gets a turn to deliver meals.
The children see it as a special privilege and the residents enjoy seeing the children in the building. We often visit with other residents in the lobby or elevator and I frequently will follow up their comments of "You've got helpers today!" with information about how I'm really helping them and that their Montessori classroom has adopted this route! The route also provides the opportunity for the children to practice and apply many skills--social and academic. They use the chart provided by the meals on wheels staff to determine which apartments to visit and what food to deliver (i.e., regular or diabetic meals, milk or no milk). They have to compare the apartment number on the sheet to the signs that indicate which wing contains which apartment numbers and think through whether to push the "up" or "down" button on the elevator, depending on what floor number we go to next! More importantly, they are interacting with community members who may have limited interaction with children (and may be somewhat socially isolated). The smiles and and pleasant greetings we receive seem to reflect this as a positive for the residents! I've also been priveleged to watch how some children that have challenges socializing with peers really shine when interacting with the residents. It re-affirms the value and worth of each individual child and the idea that each of us has different strengths to bring to life. I'm so pleased that this educational experience provides an opportunity for children to discover that strength! This is only one example of how service learning is a win-win situation for all involved. Kathy Seifert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clay Templeton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 11:59 AM Subject: [Winona] Wanted: stories of community service projects by kids > [Winona Online Democracy]Kids in Winona�s schools have been performing community service projects as > part of their classroom credits for over 9 years now. Our Boy Scout troop > did a lot of projects when I was a kid, but it was only groups like that who > were recognized. I�d like to hear what work the kids of Winona have been > doing to help their neighbors and the members of this community. > > And if it's okay with everyone, I'll take those stories and put them up in > http://rHomeTown.com as magazine articles. This is a free website for the > city that is largely unused at the moment. > > Clay Templeton > > _______________________________________________ > This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy > All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. > No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. > To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit > http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona > Any problems or suggestions can be directed to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
