CAS Retreat 2013 Reflection

CAS Retreat 2013 Reflection

The AISJ painting volunteers consisted of Myself Enya, Neringa, Eilif, Anjali, and Raquel. The children at Sunnyside Primary School were in 4^th grade, 5^th grade, and 7^th grade. They were overjoyed when they discovered we were painting. The AISJ team introduced ourselves to the children and explained the activity we were going to participate in. We separated the children into five groups each with a partner into the five painting stations that was conducted by one AISJ student. Each student’s assignment was to paint a portrait of his or her friends face. This activity was aimed at building team skills and using art as a method to express oneself. I myself discovered through observation of the various paintings that the children painted happy faces throughout their pictures with bright colors. Also, they were very innovative with the colors provided to mix and create their own colors. Each student was in full throttle of participation, enthusiastic, and you could hear lots of giggling and happiness. The overall experience that was felt by all AISJ volunteers was camaraderie and teamwork. I feel we completed the learning outcome “working collaboratively with others” that was aimed for; as we all took part and helped where needed. Through having a plan and sticking to it as much as possible allowed us to utilize time efficiently and ensure quality-painting time for the children and success in the activity. A specified learning moment I had when I was working with a young lady was helping draw the eyes of her friend onto the paper. I saw and felt great satisfaction and gratitude from the student. It encouraged her to continue painting her portrait with confidence. We did not plan nor expect the children to be older than grade 4; therefore, we modified the painting plan to accommodate the interests of older grades. Instead of painting the big five, we chose to make it more personal and interactive for the children by painting a portrait of their friend. Another slight problem was an insufficient number of paintbrushes for each child. To improvise quickly we as a team decided to make it a bit more creative by using our own hands. The kids seemed to be delighted with this as it was a more hands on approach. However, they even began to paint their own faces. This had to be stopped immediately because; the paint was not suited to be used as face paint. Also, I would change the location in which this activity took place. A location that provided tables and chairs to accommodate the children to sit, relax and paint. One other thing to point out would be to inform the children to write their name and class on the paper before they begin to paint. This would ensure the children would receive their painting at the end of the day. I realized by working with six children all at the same time was quite overwhelming to meet all of their demands. At times it might have exceeded my own limitations. Overall, I think that this activity benefited the community. I learned a great deal about how much energy these young children have and the different needs that arose from each child. I learned that when three of the children are talking to you at one time that I must address to them I could answer only one of you at a time. So, patience was a virtue there. On a return visit, I will note that we need a sufficient amount of materials including not only the paint brushes and the paints but the paper towels, newspaper, and cleaning supplies. Some of the conflicts that arose during the activity that I noticed was children running around after they finished their paintings disturbing the ones that were still painting and accidents with paint and water through silly playing. We resolved these issues by reiterating the no running rule inside of the building and by enforcing monitoring the children while they were painting more closely. For future goals, when we have groups of children of six or more there should be two AISJ volunteers interacting and teaching the children. What I take away with this experience is despite a few problems the overall project was positive, effective, and rewarding. The children’s faces, attitudes, and participation displayed this clearly.