ChildReach has hosted a series of family fieldtrips in the past few weeks that have promoted activities such as exercising, eating healthy, arts and crafts and reading together. Making these activities into a family affair strengthens parent/child and sibling relationships, builds teamwork and other social skills in children, and also works toward creating stronger minds and bodies for every member of the family.
Exercise
Five families joined us in Golden Gate Park for an afternoon bike ride. Many parents were nervous about riding a bicycle in a congested area like the Park but were pleasantly surprised to find the roads closed to cars and a team of pedal-carriages to ride. (A portion of Golden Gate Park, along JFK Dr near the museums, is closed to cars every weekend) Entire families piled into these 4-6-seater carriages and worked together to pedal through the park. We raced up and down hills and all had a great time.
Another weekend, parent and child pairs joined us in Sausalito for a day of kayaking on Richardson Bay. I mentioned that parents were nervous about biking; that was nothing compared to how nervous parents were to strap themselves in a kayak. However nervous they were, parents kept a straight face and remembered that this was a first for both them and their children and that no matter what, they were excited about trying something new. Some of our participants couldn’t even swim. It was very courageous of them to come out and give it their all. We rowed for 4 hours, stopped on a beach mid-way, ate lunch and played games together. It was nice to be able to laugh and play on a deserted island; we could see the city from where we were but couldn’t hear it or feel the bustle. We all took advantage of this mini vacation, appreciated each other’s company, soaked up a little sun, and learned a little bit about marine life and the ecosystem of the Bay.
Healthy Eating
Diana Moscowitz, a trained dietitian, visited Raphael House and spoke to 5 families about the importance of eating good food, and of knowing what you’re putting in your body. She stressed that we look at labels before purchasing. We learned that nutritional facts can be deceiving depending on the serving size. For instance, we found that generally twice the recommended serving size is served in the morning. Parents and children joined this really important discussion on food, learned lots and asked for follow-up workshops.
Arts and Crafts
Our kite decorating activity was a fantastic success. 33 people joined us in the After Care Building to enjoy lunch and paint kites. Children enjoyed using sea animal stickers to decorate, parents liked the painting portion, and everybody loved stapling all sorts of shapes and materials on their kite-tails. Many parents mentioned that they had forgotten how relaxing and therapeutic art projects were, and how much they enjoyed working with their children.
Celebration and Education
In an effort to celebrate the changing of the seasons and the joy of learning, we held a Spring Carnival at the end of April. We set up games on the roof, including an egg hunt, had a barbeque lunch and set up a library where parents and children could sit, read, and take home as many books as they wished.
This Carnival was a chance for parents to get some great literature in the house for kids to read, learn, and build their language skills. It was also a welcome opportunity for people to gather, visit old friends and make new friends. It was one of those rare, beautiful days in San Francisco, on which 80 people came out to enjoy this event and celebrate with Raphael House.
In an effort to celebrate each other, ChildReach has been hosting monthly birthday parties for children, which involve an art activity or game and a family-style dinner with members of the Raphael House community.
