Sixth graders spent a sweet and fun-filled day bonding with each other, playing with Lower School friends, and with new friends at Cambridge Rehabilitation Center.
Our first day of IL kicked off in the Blue Gym, where advisories gathered for a refresher on expectations and Minute-to-Win-It games that stretched the body and the mind (those rebus puzzles weren’t easy!). We prepared for our time with Lower School students by preparing games and activities that we could share with them during our classroom visits.
Elsie reflected, “The time together in the gym got us really excited and hyped for IL because it shows us a little bit of what we will be doing in the next few days. Visiting Lower School was a great experience because it helped us warm up to the connections that we will make this week. It made the Lower Schoolers happy and it helped us set the mood for the rest of the week. I planned the trivia game, and I was inspired to make it fun and educational for the fourth graders.”
After our time with the first, third, and fourth graders, we gathered in our advisory spaces to watch videos that prepared us for the kind of interactions we hoped to have with the residents of Cambridge Rehabilitation Center. While we could not watch a whole episode of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, a PBS reality show that aired in Australia, we watched highlights of the show that drove home the importance of spending time connecting with the elderly. In between each video clip, students considered questions like “what are some challenges that elderly people face” and “in what ways do you think you can help the elderly?” Students shared thoughtfully about their experiences with elderly in their own lives, and the excitement for our Cambridge visit grew.
Elle said, “I thought the videos were important so that people can have an awareness that most old people don’t get as much support and love as we think and we can help by going to visit them and spending time with them. When I got to Cambridge, I greeted the people I met, and I connected with Alice. I played bowling on the TV with her, and we helped her hold the controller and taught her how to play the game. I also partnered with Asha and we painted the nails of a really nice lady. She told us about her job, her kids, her life, about when she was younger. I felt like I was impacting her life by giving her joy, helping them feel joyful, and helping them feel like they were not lonely.”
When Asha was asked about her experience, she said, “I painted nails for two people and they seemed to really enjoy it. I also made conversation about their hobbies, family, and friends. I will definitely remember when I was talking about books with them because our love of reading is something we have in common. I spend a lot of time with my grandparents, and am very close with them, and though I am used to being with them, I am not used to seeing people in wheelchairs. I would recommend this experience because it was eye-opening and fun, and it was beneficial for the kids and the elderly.”
We returned to campus and sat together in the DHC, where students received their IL journals. They reflected on three questions, and did some math brain teasers.
Here are some of our reflections:
“I spoke with Joe, who used to be the principal at a school in Collingswood, and we played on the WII. It was pretty fun, he was competitive and I am too, so it was nice to be with someone who cared to compete. I have a lot of older people in my life and I see them often, so it was helpful to know how to be with them because they are about the same age. I will remember the very kind people there, how nice and welcoming they were to us.” – Evie
“My great grandma was at a nursing home. I felt like the hallway I was in reminded me of the sad memories. It turned out to be fun, and I love helping people and being with people. I painted someone’s nails, she was very nice and kind and I felt like I did a good job. She complicated me and my skills and I feel like I did a good job at being a good listener.” – Lulu
“I think it was a really positive experience for our students. It brought out the gentle side of our students, a side that we might not often see because they are always around kids of their own age. A highlight for me was when I saw a student who had never experienced painting nails but was very motivated to try, and they did a very kind, gentle, excellent job. They were very precise and the other friends were giving them encouragement.” – Ms. Barnes