Final Blog - May 16, 2017

Statistics show that kids spend more time on their electronic devices rather than with their family This was how "Kids n' Crafts" came to be. The main goal we had was to get children to spend quality time with their parents through fun activities at the library every Saturday morning. 

Although we only spent about 2-3 hours with the kids and parents, I do believe we made a difference in their lives. When we were nearing our last day, I realized that the parents spent more time with their kids with the activities rather than using their phones. That was exactly our goal, and we accomplished it.

My group and I are definitely going back during the summer (we already filled in forms). This time around I'd definitely want to read more to the kids, not just once every other week. Something I'd keep the same would be the physical activities we did after read aloud because those got the kids to calm down and not just run to every table they see. 

As I continue to grow, I hope to prevent more children from excessively using their electronic devices. I hope to let them see that there many other fun activities they can do to keep from boredom.

(After we made origami!)

(Read aloud!)

(Thank you to our mentors)

(Time for a game of Simon Says!)

(Yay, crafts!)

BLOG 10 - May 12, 2017

What have you accomplished?

We went to the library last Saturday and made hats and maracas with the kids to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! I also got to read to the kids again.

What has gone wrong?

Nothing has gone wrong.

What challenges have you faced?

It was a little hectic because there were so many kids in the station that I had. (We divided the kids into stations according to their age group). I was in charge of the 6-11 year old kids and some of them were impatient, but other than that I had a really good time!

What have you learned through the process?

I learned that although things could be hectic, in the end it's always a good time.

How have your skills improved over the past week?

I'm definitely more skilled with multitasking because that's what I had to do when we were making the maracas.

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

 I believe we are on track.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?

No adjustments need to be made.

My next action is…
We'll be going to the library on Saturday for our last day. :( I think it's going to be a great time once again because we're making cards for Mother's day!

BLOG 9 - MAY 05, 2017

What have you accomplished?

We went to the library last Saturday and some people had a presentation about birds, the same one that we had at our school during the bird season. Unfortunately I couldn't go to this one because my parents had work, which meant I was the only one who could watch my sisters.

What has gone wrong?

Nothing has gone wrong.

What challenges have you faced?

Transportation was a problem considering Joanna is our ride and she was of island, but now that she's back that won't be a problem anymore! Yay!

What have you learned through the process?

I learned that communication is very important. I wouldn't be writing this blog if my group mates and I lacked communication skills.

How have your skills improved over the past week?

I'm more skilled on communicating with my peers.

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

 I believe we are on track.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?

No adjustments need to be made.

My next action is…
We'll be going to the library on Saturday to start another set of activities for the kids. This time, we re celebrating Cinco de Mayo!!

BLOG 8 - April 28, 2017

Here's me tracing Kelly's body shape!

What have you accomplished?

We went to the library last Saturday and did activities with the children and parents. One of the activities we did was related to Earth Day. We also had to trace some of the kids body shapes because next week we are celebrating children's week so we just filled in the traced bodies with things the children like. I thought that was pretty cool.

What has gone wrong?

Nothing has gone wrong.

What challenges have you faced?

Transportation is yet again another problem. Riding the taxi to the library and back home is such a waste of money in my opinion. It'd honestly be better if I had someone who could drop me and pick me up.

What have you learned through the process?

I learned to save up for Saturday's because I spend $6 in one day just for the taxi, and I'd go to the store to buy food so I spend quite a lot on those Saturday's.

How have your skills improved over the past week?

I'm more skilled with saving up.

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

 I believe we are on track.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?
No adjustments need to be made.

My next action is…
We'll be going to the library on Saturday to start another set of activities for the kids.

BLOG 7 - April 21, 2017

What have you accomplished?

I got to help out with the Easter egg hunt!!

What has gone wrong?

During the Easter egg hunt, a lot of kids didn't get too many eggs. Some of them didn't get one at all and it was kind of sad because I knew they were expecting to get some. I don't think the leaders had expected as much kids to come since there was another egg hunt at McDonald's. 


What challenges have you faced?

After the egg hunt, everyone was everywhere. I think that was the first time I saw the children's room a mess. Everyone was scattered around and the noise was louder than usual. Another challenge would be when we were giving out prizes to people who got a certain amount of eggs. A lot of people didn't understand what the leaders were saying because we didn't have any microphones and people just kept talking over each other. 

What have you learned through the process?

Always be prepared.

How have your skills improved over the past week?

The mess the egg hunt created was so unexpected. That really taught me to always expect the unexpected. 

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

Yes, we are.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?

No adjustments are needed to be made.

My next action is… 

We're going to have another activity with the kids this Saturday.

BLOG 6 - April 14, 2017

What have you accomplished?

We had our third activity plan where we helped the kids make flowers and caterpillars. 

What has gone wrong?

During the activity we ran out of leaves to give the kids so had to cut out more and we also ran out of small cotton balls for the caterpillar, so we had to settle with using the big ones. Some kids weren't happy about that. 


What challenges have you faced?

Our communication with Ms. Celina is a challenge because we could only contact her through email and sometimes she forgets to reply or she doesn't see it at all because she's so busy. 

What have you learned through the process?

It's better to have more than what you think you're going to need.

How have your skills improved over the past week?

Working with kids has improved my patience quite a lot. 

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

Yes, we are.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?

No

My next action is… 

It's library week so we'll be working with the kids on Saturday and I'm very excited because we'll be doing an Easter egg hunt!

BLOG FIVE - April 08, 2017

What have you accomplished?

We had our second activity plan and managed to get the parents involved a little bit this time. 

What has gone wrong?

The Americorp volunteers did the read aloud because Audrey and I came kind of late (about 9:30am) so Ms. Celina chose them to do it instead and it was somewhat disappointing because we also wanted to do it. 


What challenges have you faced?

There were a few kids that were very naughty this week. Some of them didn't know how to set boundaries for personal space as well, so I had a few of them jumping and tackling me even if I scolded them. It was a bit uncomfortable I must say. 

What have you learned through the process?

We learned how to interact with kids better and how to tell them "no" in times of need. 

How have your skills improved over the past week?

We are better at telling kids 'no.' We've also improved interactions between us, kids, and the parents.

Are you on track for an on-time delivery?

Yes, we are.

What adjustments need to be made on the timeline?

We need to change the part about the movie because we learned that we won't be in charge of it. We also want to extend our project up to May 13 because we want to host an activity before Mother's Day. 

My next action is… 

We'll be going to the library on Saturday to start another set of activities for the kids.