Residents at Old Charlton House residential home were very pleased to welcome Year 3 students from Lanesend Primary School. The children brought books from their school to read to the residents and it was a magical experience to watch. The children were extremely confident, walked straight up to the residents and started to share their books with them, which then led to some wonderful conversations. The children really engaged with the residents and were all focused and on task, and the residents reacted to them most wonderfully. Some residents used to be teachers and it all came flooding back to them which led to some reminiscing later that day. Some residents are living with dementia and they sat forward and listened to the children and looked at the books with them; it gave staff goosebumps to see this interaction. For the 2nd session, the children brought some giant bauble templates and everyone decorated them with fingerprints. 1 of the residents has very poor vision and the girl working with her, Alys, took particular care to explain what they had to do and assisted June with putting paint on her finger and showing her where to press, which demonstrated the thoughtfulness, kindness and care these children have. Isla said:
“My favourite thing was creating a Christmas bauble with a lady called Mary. We took it in turns to draw patterns. We had a lot of fun together.”
Jess McQueen, teacher at Lanesend, said:
“The trip to Old Charlton House has given our children amazing experiences of sharing their love, kindness and thoughtfulness. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the residents and learning about their lives.”
Activities Coordinator at Old Charlton, Debbie Webb, said:
“Working on intergenerational projects is so beneficial for our residents, who love engaging with the children. The children were beautifully behaved and so polite, a real credit to the school. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with the school next year”.
