Dear Editor,
Never underestimate the power of children. Little Explorers Preschool is located at Cambie Community Centre. We actively seek to help our community. We discuss how important it is to help others, be good citizens and throughout the year, we collect donations for local charities. Recently, we supported the Canadian Red Cross’ Nepal Earthquake Relief by donating $2,789.71.
When the recent earthquake struck in Nepal, I wanted to talk with my Little Explorers preschool children about this event. I created a story using photos of the devastation with explanations that were age appropriate for our children. The story also included questions that engaged the children’s thinking process.
We challenged the children to be good citizens and we discussed what good citizens were. I shared a story that Fred Rogers shared after the World Trade Centre disaster. Mr. Rogers told how his mother told him that when bad things happen in the world, people become helpers. There are always people wanting to help. How could we be good helpers? We looked at the photos and brainstormed. We brainstormed how the people were feeling, how they would get from place to place since the roads had been damaged? Where were they going to sleep? What did they need?
The children instinctively knew what was needed — blankets, pillows, clothes, food, milk, water; not one mention of toys. They knew the essentials were needed most of all. We discussed ways to get these items to the people of Nepal.
“We should just go there!” they said; “We can drive our car or fly in a helicopter.” “We need to get there to help! Let’s just go!”
With these suggestions, we delved a little deeper. Nepal is so far away, it would take a long time for us to get there. Is there another idea for how we can help? With a bit of leading from staff, we came up with money being what was needed most. How can we raise money for Nepal?
One boy excitedly jumped up and shouted, “Alexis, I know what we need to do! We need to do a lemonade stand!” So, we did. The children planned and painted signs, made rules and eagerly set up their lemonade stand. Thanks to the HJ Cambie High School students, staff, parents and the public, we raised $270 from our two days of lemonade stand sales.
We decided on a “Walk for Nepal” where we would walk every morning for a week and collect donations. Our walking song was “There is a country that needs help. Nepal is its name,” which was sung to the preschool standard song “There was a farmer who had a dog.” This song impacted the children greatly – it was our top requested song for our year-end “campfire” wrap up sing-a-long.
We celebrated the children of Nepal on our last days of school as we took part in International Mud Day. This event that Little Explorers Preschool takes part in every year was started in Nepal. This year’s mud day was more tangible to our children as we have spent so much time thinking and working for the families of Nepal.
Our children really embraced this project. They loved the walking and selling and making money for Nepal. We want to say a huge thank you to all our families and the community who supported Little Explorers in these endeavours.
Alexis Alblas
East Richmond Community Association
