Well, obviously I have not been able to access the internet as regularly as I thought. Of course there is also, always more to do here and, of course, preparing for class each day, working with the kids and making the photographs takes precedence over everything else…..and so with some delay:
Monday, July 14,
Her face wrinkled in frustration, In front of her a neon pink square of paper creased in intersecting folds.
Eight-year-old Karla, had stopped smiling.
Around her, 16 other children furiously folded paper this way and that forming Origami boxes with varying success. The tension in Karla’s forehead seemed ready to squeeze tears from her eyes.
Seeing this through my lens, knowing the other teachers were busy, I stepped in to help. Identifying a missed cut, an extra fold, I helped her correct her mistakes and get her started on a fresh box.
Suddenly it clicked. Her little hands picked up speed, folding this point to the center, creasing here, cutting there.
Karla began folding as furiously as her classmates, folding each little box a bit more precisely than the last. When it was time to move on to the next activity, Karla had amassed six Origami boxes and had relocated the smile on her face.
Success!
When I work with this program for some inexplicable reason I find myself having to explain the purpose of arts and crafts. I am not an elementary teacher, however I know that these projects teach basic skills such as using scissors, paints and pens, teach children like Karla, to stick with a project until they get it and get better at it. These and other projects to follow teaches children to think creatively (not always present in Mexican schools) and ultimately to have these things reinforced with success.
AND such projects give the kids something different and fun to do in the depths of a hot and humid Guaymas summer.
Tuesday, July 15.
It’s the little things.
Many of the children here wear flip-flops as shoes. IF they have nice shoes those are reserved for school and church. On other days, many simply go without.
Yesterday a little girl approached Renee, the lead teacher, with a broken flip flop.
Knowing very well that fixing the only part of the shoe that keeps the foot in place would not be possible, Renee immediately thought of the bag of shoes that her own daughter had outgrown. She had brought the bag along for donation and realized the solution lie in her own suitcase at the volunteer house.
The little girl exploded in surprise and delight as Harvey, one of the managers of Franciscan Causes, laced up a pair of tennis shoes on her little feet.
Today’s agenda included a number of activities fitting for the level of every child. Coloring and painting.
The children attacked the first project, an unadorned, cardboard, Lone Ranger-style mask waiting to be colored. They poured out their creativity, applying colored pens and stick-on shapes designs from simple to complex.
Those masks stayed on their faces or foreheads until they left at 10:30.
At another table, beach balls, stenciled with outlines of flowers and fish, awaited customization by the kids. After explaining the day’s activities to the children, Renee started some of the kids on their beach balls. Veronica’s face lit up with uncontained joy when it sank in that not only was the ball for her to keep, but that she could decorate it as she saw fit.
Children have so little in the barrios. Receiving such toys is so rare that it is usually outside their realm of expectations for them to ever hope for such things. Top that with one that will contain your own artwork?
Think of your own childhood delight on your birthday or Christmas, combine that into one delirious package and that would be the Veronica’s reaction.
……
Did I mention that Guaymas is HOT?
Guaymas is a place with the heat of Phoenix and the humidity of New England.
Working in the classroom, the din of our comfort masks that of children being creative.
Six ceiling fans, and four floor fans create the illusion of cooler air in San Benito, the mission’s meeting hall. The class runs from eight in the morning until ten with the intention of avoiding the worst of the heat. In spite of this effort, between the five Mexican helpers, we four adults and the 26 children in attendance, we consume maybe four gallons of water each day.
------
Wednesday,July 16.
Missed half of class running to andd from the photo lab (gotta love the speed of digital) to finish off portraits for the picture frames the ids were making today. The hit of the crafts projects however was the flowers made of tissue paper. For the kids who really struggled with Origami, They loved the success allowed them to experience.
......
Monday, July 14,
Her face wrinkled in frustration, In front of her a neon pink square of paper creased in intersecting folds.
Eight-year-old Karla, had stopped smiling.
Around her, 16 other children furiously folded paper this way and that forming Origami boxes with varying success. The tension in Karla’s forehead seemed ready to squeeze tears from her eyes.
Seeing this through my lens, knowing the other teachers were busy, I stepped in to help. Identifying a missed cut, an extra fold, I helped her correct her mistakes and get her started on a fresh box.
Suddenly it clicked. Her little hands picked up speed, folding this point to the center, creasing here, cutting there.
Karla began folding as furiously as her classmates, folding each little box a bit more precisely than the last. When it was time to move on to the next activity, Karla had amassed six Origami boxes and had relocated the smile on her face.
Success!
When I work with this program for some inexplicable reason I find myself having to explain the purpose of arts and crafts. I am not an elementary teacher, however I know that these projects teach basic skills such as using scissors, paints and pens, teach children like Karla, to stick with a project until they get it and get better at it. These and other projects to follow teaches children to think creatively (not always present in Mexican schools) and ultimately to have these things reinforced with success.
AND such projects give the kids something different and fun to do in the depths of a hot and humid Guaymas summer.
Tuesday, July 15.
It’s the little things.
Many of the children here wear flip-flops as shoes. IF they have nice shoes those are reserved for school and church. On other days, many simply go without.
Yesterday a little girl approached Renee, the lead teacher, with a broken flip flop.
Knowing very well that fixing the only part of the shoe that keeps the foot in place would not be possible, Renee immediately thought of the bag of shoes that her own daughter had outgrown. She had brought the bag along for donation and realized the solution lie in her own suitcase at the volunteer house.
The little girl exploded in surprise and delight as Harvey, one of the managers of Franciscan Causes, laced up a pair of tennis shoes on her little feet.
Today’s agenda included a number of activities fitting for the level of every child. Coloring and painting.
The children attacked the first project, an unadorned, cardboard, Lone Ranger-style mask waiting to be colored. They poured out their creativity, applying colored pens and stick-on shapes designs from simple to complex.
Those masks stayed on their faces or foreheads until they left at 10:30.
At another table, beach balls, stenciled with outlines of flowers and fish, awaited customization by the kids. After explaining the day’s activities to the children, Renee started some of the kids on their beach balls. Veronica’s face lit up with uncontained joy when it sank in that not only was the ball for her to keep, but that she could decorate it as she saw fit.
Children have so little in the barrios. Receiving such toys is so rare that it is usually outside their realm of expectations for them to ever hope for such things. Top that with one that will contain your own artwork?
Think of your own childhood delight on your birthday or Christmas, combine that into one delirious package and that would be the Veronica’s reaction.
……
Did I mention that Guaymas is HOT?
Guaymas is a place with the heat of Phoenix and the humidity of New England.
Working in the classroom, the din of our comfort masks that of children being creative.
Six ceiling fans, and four floor fans create the illusion of cooler air in San Benito, the mission’s meeting hall. The class runs from eight in the morning until ten with the intention of avoiding the worst of the heat. In spite of this effort, between the five Mexican helpers, we four adults and the 26 children in attendance, we consume maybe four gallons of water each day.
------
Wednesday,July 16.
Missed half of class running to andd from the photo lab (gotta love the speed of digital) to finish off portraits for the picture frames the ids were making today. The hit of the crafts projects however was the flowers made of tissue paper. For the kids who really struggled with Origami, They loved the success allowed them to experience.
......
Comments
Nice blog. How fun to see what You, Herve, my dad and the gang have been up to. Say hello to everyone for me....Allyson