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Volunteer Week at Eagle Hill Lodge
A Kinder Welcome
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
The eight children who attended this event along with their parents/caregivers at Mundare School on April 18 wore happy expressions on their faces.
Programmer for Kalyna Family Resource Network Lamont County Region Erin Ballance explained, “These children will be attending Kindergarten in the fall of 2024.”
When asked what were the activities and stations that were offered and what each involved?” This program is built on the Talk, Read, Create, and Play Everyday model. It focuses on experiential learning that helps develop children’s literacy, math, creativity, physical, and social-emotional skills and competencies. Our stations include:
· Talking & Reading Together – Families are invited to read a book or two while practicing the three C’s: Cuddle, Conversation, and Choice.
· Creative Exploration – Children are encouraged to colour, draw, and cut with scissors.
· Mathematics – Families are invited to count, sort, identify colours, and make patterns using building blocks.
· Noticing Print – Children are encouraged to play a matching game with magnetic letters and numbers on a cookie sheet.
· Healthy Choices – Families are encouraged to talk about packing lunches for school and what that will look like as well as engage in conversation with healthy choices. Children take part in an activity where they get to pack an imaginary lunch. This also helps caregivers identify what their children might like in their lunches.
· Music and Movement – Children are invited to practice their gross motor skills to move through the sensory path.
· Social and Emotional Learning – Set up to introduce the idea that conversations happen more easily when seated shoulder to shoulder rather than face to face. Families are encouraged to play with playdough as they engage in conversation about how their child’s day is going.
· The Kinder Welcome program offers families resources and teaches them how to engage in play-based learning with their children. Each child also gets to take home a bag filled with items that will help them practice this at home while developing skills that are important to experiencing success in their first year at school.
This program is also run in partnership with Mundare School and their Kindergarten Orientation Day which means that families also get a chance to meet their teacher and learn more about the school they will be attending in the fall.
The highlights from the event were the partnerships that we have formed with the schools in our region are wonderful. But my favourite part of this program is seeing the excited faces of the children as they move through the stations. They are so excited to go to school.”
An Afternoon of Fine Arts Fun
Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent
Residents of Lions Golden Villa and guests were treated to an art show by local artist Mary Harasewich and a music performance by Sunshine Romeos on May 2.
When asked about her journey with art. Mary said, “I have been doing artwork since Grade One and people across Canada have bought my art.”
During this time, Sunshine Romeos performed a variety of traditional folk and country favorites which all received an appreciation applause from the audience.
Merv Zemlak and Frank Koopmans are the only members who regularly play music and sing. The rest of this group just got together this time.
When Merv was asked about his background in music. “My dad bought me a guitar when I was 12 and I got my first accordion when I was 14. It was around this time that I started performing music. When I got married, I had other priorities. About 20 years ago, I started performing again. My favourite part is making people smile.”
Frank mentioned that he finds it very therapeutic. “Many years ago, I was in the police force and we had a little band together where I played the drums. Then I got married and had three kids; so I was more interested in being with my family. I just started performing again about four months ago when I moved here. My favorite part about performing is making people happy.”
