THE LAST MONTH IN PALERMO
After 9 months, I finally felt more integrated at work. I improved my Italian (and of course my English), and then I could have personal conversations with my colleagues!
While the teachers finished their programs with children for the last month, I still took care of one disable child (12 years old) and I started to create strong links with her. We did some last projects together like creating a cover for her works, or doing some decoration (flowers with paper) for summer holidays.
At school, we did a last “festa” with lots of shows (like songs, dance or theatre) made by students from each class, for the beginning of the holidays, and at the same time, we also said goodbye to the 8th class which joined the high school. I felt a mix between happy and sad feelings for everyone. With Clara, the other volunteer we said goodbye to some children, and we just realised that it was, as well, the end of our adventure together…

 

It would have been a little bit frustrating to leave Palermo without proposing my own activities to children (I mean to a whole class), BUT HOPEFULLY there was the SUMMER CAMP which lasted 4 weeks! The topic of the summer camp were the 4 elements: Earth, Water, Air and Fire.
The objectives of the activities were to make children more interested to the 4 elements by an informal way and to have fun with them (because we are on holidays!)
For the first week, we did: vegetal painting, clay and games. During the second week, we created a wooden boat and an insects’ hostel.
These activities allowed all of us to create cohesion among children and between us! It was a nice experience!

VEGETAL PAINTING
Preparation
It is recommended to prepare in advance the colour for painting, a day before it’s enough! I looked up a recipe found on internet at ‘Les petits radis’(https://lespetitsradis.fr/blog/faire-sa-peinture-vegetale-avec-les-enfants-n144). I went to Ballarò market (which is a local market) to buy some vegetables for preparing the colours: spinach for green, onions for yellow/orange, red cabbages for red/purple/pink.
Some days earlier, we began to experience the colours with Clara and Henriette at school. We used two techniques: colours by filtering with warm water or by smashing (we also used both in some cases). We used lemon juice to get a different colour: like Red Cabbage + lemon = pink.

 

Activity
I explained the process of making colours to children and we did it together. After we started to paint…each day a new painting: Day 1: the sea; Day 2: the mountains; Day 3: the wood; Day 4: the desert.
We used the vegetal paint 2 days and add classic paintings later because it was smelling bad with the temperature.
Results: children were really interested to see the colours and how to make it. They realised that they can do it by themselves by a natural way (and cheap one).

 

WORKING THE CLAY
The activity was organised with Maestra Lydia and Benedicta. Clara and me helped children to create animal and on the last day we told the legend of Colapesce and made a creature half human half fish to illustrate it.

 

GAMES
We proposed to play some games during the break time. I brought cans to do a “chamboule-tout” game and proposed games like basketball with wool balls and baskets from the school.

 

THE WOODEN BOAT “la zattera”
For the second week, we decided, Maestro Eduardo, Clara and me, to build a boat with natural materials.
After collecting some wood, we cut wooden logs to make the boat and, after, the mast. Later, we cut and paint a piece of tissue of the sailing and helped children to make decorations for their own boats.
Results: Children were really happy. It was a good activity for the summer (they will try it at the beach!)

 

INSECTS’ HOSTEL
I collected cans and natural materials from villa Trabia (a public garden in Palermo):

• first step: make a drawing to put around the can and then a sticker to protect it
• second step: make one by one a lot of material: wood, leaves, etc…
• third step: put the natural material inside and add your personal touch (with flower from the school garden for example)

The aim: to recycle the natural materials and build a protection for insects against the sun in summer or the snow in winter.
Lucie Petit