Well, we had a planning meeting on Friday and have come up with our first projects.
We are decorating the school's small breastfeeding room as our first project. We have had a comfortable sitting chair and a lamp donated, and one of our group has created some lovely artwork for the walls. We plan to have a breastfeeding coach/lactation consultant who will do a small seminar at the school and we will unveil the breastfeeding room at that time.
We are also fundraising to purchase water tables for each of the seven older classrooms. We have found someone who will build them for us, so next week we are going to make sugar cookies and sell them at two of the local Montessori preschools in Santiago. With these funds we will purchase the materials need to build the materials, which will cost 10,000 pesos per table (about $20 US).
Future projects were discussed: we will be contacting the high school art students about volunteering to paint the murals, and a draft letter to potential doners.
Finally, we started talking about a Christmas party at the school, but no plans were finalized.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Adopted by a Brownie and Daisy Troop!
The "Jardin Infantil El Roble La Pintana" Montessori Preschool has been adopted by a Brownie and a Daisy Troop!
Daisy Troops 639 and 621 in Miami Lakes, Florida, as well as the local Brownie Troop here in Santiago, Chile have adopted the school this year. The girls are going through their closets and toys looking for things to donate.
Thank you girls!
Daisy Troops 639 and 621 in Miami Lakes, Florida, as well as the local Brownie Troop here in Santiago, Chile have adopted the school this year. The girls are going through their closets and toys looking for things to donate.
Thank you girls!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Our Visit to the School
Today we went on our first trip to the school. We took a full van load of donated toys and items to the school. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far!
Some of the Donations as We Unloaded the Van
These pictures are of their interior courtyard that they use for their playground. Notice how empty it is!
The grounds are also in bad shape, covered with large weeds and rocks. The kids were playing in this area when we arrived. While we were touring the rest of the school, a group of volunteer parents, armed with shovels, began working on part of the grounds to prepare it for planting.
Here are a couple pictures of one of the classrooms - what I believe was the 2 year old class. The children were all very well behaved and seemed to be having a good time.
Most rooms were very bare. One of the older classrooms (3 or 4 year olds) literally had tables and chairs and nothing else. The teachers were working with the bare minimum of materials.
Some of the Donations as We Unloaded the VanHere are a few pictures of the school. As you can tell, it's brand new, and has still has that "fresh paint" feel to it.
These pictures are of their interior courtyard that they use for their playground. Notice how empty it is!
The grounds are also in bad shape, covered with large weeds and rocks. The kids were playing in this area when we arrived. While we were touring the rest of the school, a group of volunteer parents, armed with shovels, began working on part of the grounds to prepare it for planting.
Here are a couple pictures of one of the classrooms - what I believe was the 2 year old class. The children were all very well behaved and seemed to be having a good time.
None of the rooms had their shelves installed yet. The school adminstrator said these were still being built.
Most rooms were very bare. One of the older classrooms (3 or 4 year olds) literally had tables and chairs and nothing else. The teachers were working with the bare minimum of materials.
We toured the school, asked the adminstrators tons of questions, and brainstormed many things we could do for the school. Among the ideas were to help them landscape their grounds and make them safe and child-friendly; get plastic playground equipment for their courtyard; paint murals on the walls in the hallways; purchase "water tables" for the classrooms; and create activity centers in each of the classrooms.
The Group of Ladies that Toured the School
Monday, October 6, 2008
Clean Out Your Kid's Toys for a Great Cause!
El Jardin Infantil El Roble La Pintana is a new preschool that needs help.
This new Montessori preschool was built and is funded by the government - they built the building, pay the teachers, and the kids go for free. It is in the WORST neighborhood of Santiago (think inner-city but in a third world country). There are 300 kids from birth to age 6, in eleven classrooms. The school was a six year project and finally opened just last month.
The catch is this: they are in empty classrooms! They are given virtually no funding for supplies, toys, books, you name it. They literally have nothing. So, they are looking for donations.
Specific type things that were mentioned: puzzles, craft supplies, books, baby blankets, toys. Stuff that has some kind of "educational play" value. From my limited experience, they set up "stations" in these classrooms so think in that kindof direction.
We are looking like dress-up clothes, maybe plastic kitchen type stuff, animals/farm-type toys, kitchen toys, baby toys, dolls, etc.
Any picture books are fine, even if they are in English. Mostly they are looking for bright pictures with really good pictures. Of course, any children's books in Spanish would be great.
They have no decoration or artwork for the walls! So any pictures/posters, anything to make a preschool classroom pretty and appealing to small children would be great.
I asked about craft supplies as well. Crayons, markers, construction paper, playdoh, whatever preschoolers like to do crafts with.
And if you're getting really ambitious, they even mentioned they are looking for play equipment for their yard, which has nothing.
All that we ask is that of course whatever items that might be "used" still be in very good condition for a classroom.
And of course if you don't have stuff to get rid of, but would like to hit up dollar stores, Walmart, or Target, etc.; feel free to do that as well!
If you are in the US, we have volunteers with a US mailing address where you can mail stuff and we will receive it here. Then we can take your things to the school when we go visit in a couple of weeks.
This new Montessori preschool was built and is funded by the government - they built the building, pay the teachers, and the kids go for free. It is in the WORST neighborhood of Santiago (think inner-city but in a third world country). There are 300 kids from birth to age 6, in eleven classrooms. The school was a six year project and finally opened just last month.
The catch is this: they are in empty classrooms! They are given virtually no funding for supplies, toys, books, you name it. They literally have nothing. So, they are looking for donations.
Specific type things that were mentioned: puzzles, craft supplies, books, baby blankets, toys. Stuff that has some kind of "educational play" value. From my limited experience, they set up "stations" in these classrooms so think in that kindof direction.
We are looking like dress-up clothes, maybe plastic kitchen type stuff, animals/farm-type toys, kitchen toys, baby toys, dolls, etc.
Any picture books are fine, even if they are in English. Mostly they are looking for bright pictures with really good pictures. Of course, any children's books in Spanish would be great.
They have no decoration or artwork for the walls! So any pictures/posters, anything to make a preschool classroom pretty and appealing to small children would be great.
I asked about craft supplies as well. Crayons, markers, construction paper, playdoh, whatever preschoolers like to do crafts with.
And if you're getting really ambitious, they even mentioned they are looking for play equipment for their yard, which has nothing.
All that we ask is that of course whatever items that might be "used" still be in very good condition for a classroom.
And of course if you don't have stuff to get rid of, but would like to hit up dollar stores, Walmart, or Target, etc.; feel free to do that as well!
If you are in the US, we have volunteers with a US mailing address where you can mail stuff and we will receive it here. Then we can take your things to the school when we go visit in a couple of weeks.
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