The Casa Búho project aims to give children and young people access to education, books, knowledge, and the pleasure of reading. The focus is also on strengthening personality and social skills. This week showed how important it is to talk to one another and exchange feelings, thoughts, and concerns. Cohesion and mutual consideration are crucial for harmonious coexistence. Casa Búho wanted to bring even more love to the village, and due to an episode of political violence in the neighboring town, the theme and the book “Time to Embrace” by the multifaceted author Patrick McDonell were spontaneously chosen.
The week began on Tuesday with the Baby Mini Búhos with a fun activity where the babies pressed their handprints into salt dough. The mothers showed great perseverance, as some babies found it more interesting to destroy the dough with their fingers. It was a lot of fun.
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Leaving a little handprint.
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Abdiel preferred to play with and feel the dough.
In the afternoons with the older kids, we designed heart pendants with candle wax.
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Some of the wax hearts.
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Meilyn proudly shows her final result.
On Wednesday, we first drove to the Alfredo Villarreal school and offered the children the chance to talk about the current topic of violence. The students discussed it openly, and together they embroidered a card with a heart. In the afternoon at the Puerto Machalilla school, we continued with a workshop that we are currently conducting with the class. This day was about healthy relationships. I will report in more detail about this unit in a separate blog post about the workshop soon.
Seventh-grade students from the Alfredo Villarreal school.
On Thursday, we visited the first grade at the Puerto Machalilla school, where they drew a picture of a friendship and made the hair of the two people from pencil shavings, and drew symbols they associate with friendship. A special highlight was a short meditation to promote awareness and the subsequent dancing in soap bubbles that floated throughout the entire classroom. In the afternoon, the older Baby Búhos made peace kites from old hangers.
Chiquiturris from the first grade at the Puerto Machalilla school.
In “My Reading Afternoon,” two books were selected that we want to prepare as a play for the family celebration. We read a book about Cerdita (a pig) and Geraldo (an elephant), who have a very funny friendship, so that each child could think about whether they would rather play a lead role or a supporting role. Soon we will hold a small audition to assign the roles. The participants also painted bowls and designed heart frames on Friday afternoon with lots of creativity and love.
Also on Friday, at the San Isidro school, the focus was on reading magazines, which they love very much. They reflected on the theme of cohesion by designing a heart with salt painting.
Laura reads with Nataly during our session as every Friday.
With the Peque Búhos, we made transparent paper candles that can make the home glow with vivid colors.
At the end of the week, the Big Búhos (teenagers) from Casa Búho finished reading “Holes” on Saturday morning and were sad that the book was over.
In fact, we had assumed that not as many children would come to the project this week, since all the exams are happening at the schools this week and next. It was all the better to see that Casa Búho was very well attended this week too. And once again, a week felt like it had only been 2 days. Incredible!
Laura dressed up as Geraldo.