Developing intergenerational curriculum for a nursing home visit
Abstract
For a kindergarten at Haverford School in Pennsylvania, service-learning begins with discussion aimed at raising awareness prior to a trip to a local nursing home. Service-learning educators who were planning this outing asked for input from others in the field on ways to ensure the success of a nursing home visit on Halloween day. Although the practice deals with kindergarteners at a nursing home, the ideas could be incorporated successfully with young children up to grade five, and the methods can be used on other holidays or service days. The ideas in this practice were shared on the K12 S-L (service-learning) e-mail discussion list in September 2003.
Issue
In anticipation of visiting a nursing home as part of a Halloween celebration, a service-learning school was looking for curriculum that would focus on increasing the sensitivity of kindergarten students to senior issues, as well as fostering dialogue between them.
Action
The Haverford School's Service Learning Resource and Volunteer Center was looking for a lesson plan for presenting an intergenerational program to kindergarteners, in anticipation of visiting a nursing home as part of a Halloween celebration. The following effective practices were responses to that request, posted on the K-12 service-learning e-mail discussion list in September 2003:
- Consider the different ways Halloween is celebrated and the different costumes worn during different decades.
- Develop questions to ask seniors about what costumes they wore when they were children and the types of treats that they received. This kind of dialogue helps forge bonds between the generations and teaches something about history in the process. Creating this type of lesson also presents a chance to talk about the ways children can show respect towards seniors, while asking questions that may be of interest to the children. [Shared by Shelley Billig, RMC Research, Senior Program Advisor for the K-12 sector of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, billig@rmcdenver.com]
- Prepare the children with photographs of folks in wheelchairs and with walkers. Talk about how sometimes older folks have trouble hearing, seeing, walking (some even might be missing limbs from diabetes).
- Practice role-playing these types of handicaps so the children can develop empathy.
- Create an atmosphere of discussion so that the children can tell each other stories about their own grandparents.
- Invite children's parents to these discussions and to the actual event. [Shared by Judy Nuss, JudithNuss@aol.com]
- Contact the local Area Agency on Aging and/or the activities director at the nursing home for information. [Shared by Lauri L Jordan, Director, Foster Grandparent Program, GECAC, (814) 459-4581, ext 462, ljordan@gecac.org]
- Literature is a valuable resource when preparing for intergenerational projects. Books that would be particularly helpful for the kindergarten grades include:
- Grandparents Around the World by Patricia Lakin (Blackbirch Press, 1999). Text and photographs provide a snapshot of the role that older people, especially grandparents, play in families in various countries, including Canada, Italy, Swaziland, Ecuador, Iraq, and Israel, as well as Native Americans in the United States. 32 pages, grades 2-5.
- Hurry Granny Annie by Arlene Alda (Tricycle Press, 1999). Granny Annie runs so fast the children have to run their hardest to keep up. But they all want to find out what the "something great" is that Annie is determined to catch. Is it a fish, a butterfly, or a baseball? Annie's joy for what is most beautiful is ultimately contagious.
- Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli (Aladdin, 1996). An anonymous valentine turns unsociable Mr. Hatch into a friend of everyone in the neighborhood. When he learns the valentine was meant for someone else, Mr. Hatch reverts to his old ways until his true friends come to the rescue. A wonderful book to dramatize with children!
- Conversation Starters As Easy As ABC 123: How to Start Conversations with People Who Have Memory Loss by Devora Kaye and Gabi Roussos (ABCD Books, 2000). Written by eighth-grade students, this ABC coloring book is a friendly guide for young people who are interacting with people who have memory loss. 29 pages, all ages. (Order online from www.ABCDbooks.org).
Context
Haverford School is a non-sectarian college preparatory day school for boys (junior-kindergarten through grade twelve) that provides liberal arts education in a challenging and supportive environment by emphasizing scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and high standards of character and conduct. The Haverford School fosters a commitment to community and to high achievement in academics, athletics, and the arts. By focusing on moral development, service to others, and the ability to deal effectively with change and ambiguity, Haverford School educates boys for life by emphasizing the joy of learning and the importance of self-knowledge.
Character development is an essential component at Haverford School, and educators there have found community service to be a powerful vehicle with which to develop character. The community service program at the Haverford School is designed to put into action the belief that, through service to others, students can know themselves better and make a difference in the world. The Haverford School offers an extensive co-curricular volunteer program, where students have opportunities to use their talents and interests in offering valuable service to others. Volunteering in a community service project offers both students and faculty the opportunity to become involved in the surrounding community and to make an impact on the lives of those in need. As a volunteer, a student stretches the boundaries of his education and, in the process, discovers more about the community, society, and the environment in which he lives. As an outcome of this volunteer effort, student leaders are borne.
In academic year 2001-2002 for example, the Lower School students didn't just learn about Save the Children's efforts to improve health, education, and development in third world countries and the United States. They also brainstormed ideas for games that the children of war-torn Kosovo could play without any toys. The project was part of a year-long effort in the Lower and Middle Schools to raise funds and awareness about a variety of causes, such as homelessness, medical research for cancer and heart disease, hospital-building in Africa, and earthquake victims in India.
Outcome
It is hoped that as a result of the intergenerational project:
- Kindergartners should feel more comfortable interacting with seniors and will develop an increased sensitivity about senior issues such as reduced mobility and other physical impairments.
- A dialogue between seniors and children will be encouraged.
- Students will learn about personal and cultural history.
- Seniors will experience companionship and entertainment.
The Haverford School believes that being involved in a Community Service Project:
- Broadens the idea of learning, embracing action as well as theory
- Encourages citizenship as a cultural value in a boy's ethical development
- Provides opportunities for experiences related to life interests
- Allows boys to share their gifts and talents with people who can benefit greatly
- Creates a sense of teamwork and respect for others
- Develops a broader perspective
- Contributes concretely to the larger community
- Develops dialogue and interpersonal skills
- Provides alternative approaches to complex problems
- Promotes a sense of community responsibility
Posted On
October 21, 2003For More Information
Resources
The K-12-SL e-mail discussion list provides a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the K-12 service-learning community. Some of the past discussions have involved project ideas, information requests, and current service-learning news. Those without web access can subscribe to the K12-SL e-mail discussion list by sending an e-mail message to join-k12-sl@lists.etr.org. This list is hosted by the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.
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