.png)
I am a coach at Trinity Road Primary School, and recently we had our “Play Your Part” day with the students. On the day, we took our 14 students to Manor Lodge Care home.
When we arrived, we met with Lyn, the Lead Lifestyle Coordinator, who introduced us all to the care home and briefly spoke with the students about the residents at Manor Lodge. We were all then taken to the main dining area, where the residents were already waiting to start their day with the children.
The first task of the day for the pupils involved painting, colouring and general arts and crafts activities. The students were all encouraged to get involved with the residents by chatting with them and helping them with their artwork.
The first task of the day for the pupils involved painting, colouring and general arts and crafts activities. The students were all encouraged to get involved with the residents by chatting with them and helping them with their artwork.
After this initial activity, the students were tasked with setting up the dining area for the residents to use at lunch time. Students were split up into small groups and given their own dining table to work on. They had to set the table up with flowers, glasses, napkins and cutlery. Some students were getting quite creative and folding up their napkins to look fancy for the residents! It was at this point in the day where we were finished with our indoor activities. The children had already said their goodbyes to the residents, and we had a break for lunch.
The final activity of the day had us all out in the garden; the weather had finally improved so the students were able to do some planting. Once again, students were split into small groups and had to work together to plant the flowers. As the day came to an end, the students spent the remainder of their time in the garden by exploring the different plants, bird boxes, and spending time with one another in general.
Overall, the students had a fantastic time and loved spending the first half of the day with the residents. In fact, many of the students were eager to go back inside to spend more time with them, playing games etc.
At first, a lot of the students were nervous as they didn’t know what to expect from the residents and from the day as a whole, but they all worked hard on their communication skills and managed to finish the day with a sense of pride and a lot more confidence too.
I believe that most students finished the day realising that it’s okay to feel nervous; they all know that as long as they are able to overcome those initial difficult feelings, then they are able to accomplish a lot throughout this programme.
- Emma Reddington, Yes Futures Coach
A BIG Thank You to everyone at Manor Lodge Care Home for having us!
To find out more about how your students could get involved with the Yes Futures Programmes, please contact Sophie, Impact Manager: sophie@yesfutures.org, 07908 687779 or visit our website.
If you're interested in becoming a Play Your Part partner, please contact Helena, Head of Programmes: helena@yesfutures.org.