Thursday Art Projects

Every Thursday, from about 11:30 to 1:30, Emma has art class with the first-graders, and every week, she looks for a couple of people to lend her and the children a hand with the scissors, glue, crayons, and whatever else comes to be.  The projects are nothing overly complicated for those of you of the less artistically-inclined persuasion, and you will not be expected to be capable of reproducing Rembrandt's or weaving elaborate macramé necklaces.  Generally, helping with the art project is as simple as passing out crayons, maybe cutting along a few dotted lines, and having a good time with a very enthusiastic bunch of kids.  The most exhausting part of the whole deal will probably be having to look at each individual child's work a minimum of 12-15 times so that they know you are impressed.  Does that sound so bad?

Dora the Explorer & the Prepas

For those volunteers looking to practice their Spanish, this is the one for you.  Dora, El Hato's "prepa" (kindergarten) teacher, welcomes helpers to her classroom on a daily basis.  Dora's classes are from eight a.m. to eleven a.m. every day, Monday through Friday.  Her students are all around five years old and are scarcely taller than the knees of grasshoppers.  Super cute, super sweet.  Your duties will range from assisting with classroom activities to marking homework to helping with collecting the kids.  Dora is super nice, and indeed, she introduced herself as Dora, "como Dora the Explorer", on our first meeting.  She doesn't speak English in the least, but even if you aren't particularly highly skilled with Español, she's still keen to partner up with you and fairly astute a getting her point across.  You can spend a morning with her, or if you volunteer with Dora for a week or more, you will qualify for the Earth Lodge discount.

We relish our chance to join the school and assist in the education of the children of El Hato, but there are also so many other things that a school can be.  Besides supplying educational support, we like to help the school be more than just a group of buildings for learning.  Therefore, we try to venture into fairly uncharted territories for our particular NGO.  We introduce the school to volunteers who might have some specific skill or expertise that could benefit them, and we offer you the opportunity to help outside the Plain Jane educational aspect of things, as well as take the reins of your own project (with whatever assistance we can provide you, of course).

This particular opportunity is essentially you coming up with your own operation.  Shortly after Emma and I arrive at Earth Lodge, a guest--a carpenter back home--asked if I thought the kids would like to have a clubhouse, and, well, what kid wouldn't want a clubhouse?  At the end of their travels, Nick (the carpenter) and Amanda (his girlfriend) returned for a week to build a little play place in the schoolyard.  Several dentists have donated toothbrushes and other tooth-related products to the kids, as well as giving little toothy seminars about dental care.  One computer savvy guest spent over a month reworking a fleet of donated computers into machines of operation rather than aesthetic accents gathering dust.  My parents brightened up the school with some gardening, and after visiting one of the classrooms, they supplied the teachers and students with little commodities such as storage cabinets and shelves. 

The Grunt

There is no real set time or way this works, but rather it's taking it upon yourself to ask what we are up to at the moment, how you might lend a hand.  On Wednesday afternoons, Emma might have construction paper spread across a table, a pair of scissors in her hand, and possibly a cool Moza not far away as she gets ready for Thursday's art classes.  I myself have had to trace some fifty crocodiles so that the kids could make Father's Day cards on the following day.  Sometimes you might see her laminating flashcards or making a poster, and she is usually pretty positive about someone assisting in these undertakings.  And, you can always ask what she might have coming up and what materials she'll be making, if she needs help getting stuff ready.  Don't be shy.  She's the nice one with the fading British accent and cozy personality.

Now, if you are a little more fearless and would like the test the waters in which I--Jonathon--swim (I sometimes lack the cozy personality), I am often busy with different computer-related activities, such as updating and improving our website, attempting a spot fund-raising or grant writing, or composing such drivel as you have been reading and in need of a second or third set of eyes to give it a once over.  As well, I'm the gentlemen to field any ideas you might have about what we can do to improve this or that about Las Manos, and I'll be happy to put you to task getting it done.  After all, we all like to have a grunt to get the dirty work done.