May 9, 2014 Culminating Reflection

For my Capstone Project, I volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club Paradise Valley. I chose this place because there are up to 50 kids that attend there and I thought it would be a great experience to volunteer and supervise and assist the kids with whatever they needed. In the future, I want my career to be involved with working with kids. During this project, I had to learn how to communicate with the kids and interact with them because I was new and I didn't want to be a stranger to them. It was difficult communicating with them at first but once days started to pass by, they got used to me and communicated with me. I wanted to build a relationship with the kids and not be strict with them. What I did was at times I would try to act like a leader to them and show leadership skills so they know how to behave and listen and other times be a friend to them and play with them and have fun.

What I gained from my Capstone experience was that it is not easy working with kids. You have to think things through, especially what you are going to say to the kids and learn how to approach them to get them to pay attention to you. Also, I learned how to have better patience by being more calm and understanding and watching how my mentor would deal with the situation. I learned to understand that kids are way younger than me and their mentality is by far different. They do certain things because they yet have to learn how to behave. I also learned how to handle situations when doing projects because things would get hectic and in the beginning I would not know what to do because there was too many things going on. When I first went to the Boys and Girls Club, I was nervous because of how the kids were going to act towards me. I was not able to communicate with them because I had poor interacting skills. I began to talk to them and got out of my bubble and interacted with them later on.

The challenges I have encountered during this experience was dealing with patience with the kids. I have always had a bit of patience so I was not able to handle it in the beginning. Once I began watching how my mentor dealt with the situation I started to do the same and it would work. Another challenge I faced was leading activities and hands on projects. It was difficult getting the kids to listen to instructions when I would be doing a project with them. Many kids would ask me multiple questions at the same time and I would not know what to do. I learned to have leadership skills and made them behave properly by asking me a question one by one. Once time passed by, they would listen to me more which was great because I was not getting frustrated and impatient. Also, they would leave everything a mess and it was hard for me to get everything organized like how it was before. What I did was politely told them to clean up after themselves and they payed attention and did what I had instructed them to do.

April 30, 2014

Yesterday I went to the Boys and Girls Club and unfortunately, it was going to be my last day. For yesterday, the kids just did their homework. After they were done, since it was extremely hot, my mentor decided to play with the kids and poor water on them. I assisted with the game by lining up the kids and making them go one by one. The game was very simple and easy. We had a bucket and a ball, the kids had to throw the ball in the bucket and if they were able to do that, the person that is sitting on the chair got water dumped on them. Many of the kids got wet because it was easy to make a score and they were really hot so they wanted to make it in. If no one would make the ball in, the kid that's sitting down in the chair would sit until someone makes a score. I thought it was really fun and a nice way to interact with the kids and seeing their reactions when they got water dumped on them was just priceless! I enjoyed being with the kids and I'm glad I was able to do this experience. I learned interacting skills and gained a bit of leadership skills because it's difficult controlling the kids and making them listen to instructions. After we had our fun, we played other games. Later on, they all came to me and hugged me and said bye. I'm most likely going to come back and visit them!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 33 hrs 30 min

April 18, 2014

Yesterday I went to the Boys and Girls Club and on Wednesday the kids usually do an art project but they didn't because they were misbehaving that day. So, yesterday the kids got the privilege of doing art and cooking. Not that many kids wanted to do art as much as cooking which I thought was weird. The art project was to make a Easter bag and decorate it. I instructed the kids on how they were supposed to do the bag and it was simple so they weren't asking questions and it wasn't hectic. I made an Easter bag myself so I could do it with the kids and so they could watch how they're supposed to do it. When we were done, I helped the staff with cooking because many kids wanted to cook since we were making mac and cheese bun burgers with fries. The food turned out to be really good and everyone including myself liked it! Later on, the kids were coloring their egg and decorating it by putting sparkles and drawing on it. Some kids were mixing the colors and surprisingly the colors would turn out better than if they didn't mix it so their egg would come out really nice!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 31 hrs 30 min

April 9, 2014

Today I went to the Boys and Girls Club and since it's Wednesday, the kids did art. One of the staffs and I split the kids in half so one half went to one table and the other went to the other table. Not all the kids wanted to do art so the ones who did stayed in the room and the others went outside to play. The art project they had to do was simple, the only instructions the staff and I told the kids was how to paint, not make a mess, and if they needed help to ask us. The kids were able to draw anything they wanted. When the kids were done, they made a bit of a mess but they helped and cleaned it up so we didn't have to tell them because they already knew. I'm glad the kids are getting close to me and listening to me because in the beginning they would barely listen to me. But anyway, it was nice seeing them paint whatever they wanted to paint.

Time logged for this session: 2hrs
Total time logged: 29 hrs 30 min

April 4, 2014

Today I went to the Boys and Girls Club and once I got there I started to help the kids with their homework. When everyone was done, they were going to do a science experiment. I helped one of the staffs with the experiment and we separated half of the kids and put them into two groups. The first group went up and I was passing out the cups and soap that were needed for the experiment. The staff brought the dry ice that she had bought and put it on the table. She placed water into the cups and the kids added the amount of soap they were supposed to add. Then, the staff placed the dry ice inside and steam and bubbles began to come out which I thought was really cool. I've seen that experiment before but I didn't know how to do it. After they were done, the kids were really fascinated by it and then the second group came in. The staff and I did the same routine and at the end the two tables and floor were extremely wet and soapy. We were supposed to do the experiment outside but it was raining so we did it inside. At the end, even though it was a mess, it was cool to see and know how to do the experiment. I enjoyed doing it with the kids and seeing their reactions!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 27 hrs 30 min

March 31, 2014

 Today at the Boys and Girls Club, the kids had to do p.e for 30 min. They ran laps and I was telling them how much they had to do and I watched them to see if they weren't cheating. After the kids ran, they played freeze tag and I explained how the game went and this time they were barely interrupting and they actually listened to the instructions and what I had to say. I've noticed that the kids are getting closer to me and are talking to me more because I go there almost everyday. They aren't shy with me anymore but sometimes they have a problem with listening but that's understandable since they're just kids. It was 4 o'clock so it was time to do homework and many kids needed help so I helped them. Since it began to rain, the kids couldn't go outside so we stayed inside and watched frozen after they were done with their homework. Frozen is a really good movie so we were actually watching it besides the kids that were in trouble and were supposed to be reading. I'm going to be going to the Boys and Girls Club a couple of days more because I enjoy being there with the kids!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs 30 min
Total time logged: 25 hrs 30 min

March 26, 2014

Today at the Boys and Girls Club was an event called Academic Award. The plan for the event was to bring the kids parents and give them awards but my mentor didn't have the awards because the teachers haven't done the awards so the event was cancelled. Once I got there, it was p.e time so I was instructing the kids to run laps and run/walk back and forth. Later on, they played the game capture the flag and I told them the rules and they actually listened whenever I would say something. After having them do p.e, they had to break a pinata that was meant to be done on Tuesday but there was no more time. I told the kids to go in a line and to not get close to the person that's hitting it. It was very difficult getting the kids to understand because they would want the candy so bad that they would just ignore what I would say. It was getting me frustrated how I kept telling them to back up because I didn't want them to get hit and they would disobey but I guess it's okay since they're just kids. Some kids weren't done doing their homework from earlier and many of them asked me which was surprising. Tomorrow is Family Night and I'm excited to see what happens!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 23 hrs

March 25, 2014

Today, at the Boys and Girls Club, we had an event called Taco Tuesday. It was an event for all the kids and their parents/family to come and enjoy tacos that we made. My mentor, the staffs, and I helped clean and organize the tables, fix the library section, and cook the meat. Once families started coming in, the staffs and I would help serve drinks and put in the meat in their tortilla or the shell kind. I kept going back and forth because the taco shells would run out and the staffs and I had to make more. I've gotten close to the staffs really fast because they're pretty close to my age and they went to south city a couple years ago and they are very nice and welcoming. After we all ate, we cleaned and put everything in its place and we made it look better than how it was before. It was a fun day and also busy but it's okay! Even though I didn't observe the kids and see how they act towards me, I wanted to help the club and I wanted to see how the event would turn out and it was good!

Time logged for this session: 4 hrs
Total time logged: 21 hrs

March 24, 2014

 Today the kids and I got to see how the rock/hard candy turned out and it looked crystally! I thought it looked pretty cool. I asked the kids if it tasted good and they said it did. This week is Boys and Girls Club week so each day they have an event. Today was community service so the kids had to pick up things from the floor and help the community. I told them where to pick up things and instructed them to do things. I was surprised on how they were listening to me because in the first week they would barely hear me out. Anyway, I thought it was nice how everyone was helping the community and doing it for a good cause. After that, I played with the kids and conversated with them. I thought it was a good, fun day with the kids! My next task will have something to do with tacos because tomorrow, Tuesday, is Taco Tuesday.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 17 hrs

March 21, 2014

On Thursday, I wasn't able to do a science experiment because my mentor was sick so he didn't go to work. But, we did a science experiment on Friday and the experiment was to do rock candy. There wasn't any groups but anyone who wanted to do it could and there would have to be a limited of four people in the kitchen. To do the experiment, you had to boil the water for a while and add food coloring, all the kids were able to put food coloring if they wanted to but not too close because the staff and I were scared that they would get burned. Then, you would have to add vanilla extract and mix it. Finally, the staff poured it in the kids cups and they put how much sugar they wanted to add. They didn't eat it because it wasn't hard so they have to wait till Monday to see how hard their candy is. I thought it was a great experiment and nice to know how you do it. It's crazy how anyone could make it because of how simple it is. Later on, the kids and I made a poster so we can hang it up inside the Boys and Girls Club. We also painted our hands and printed it on the paper. I thought it was fun and the kids and I really interacted.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 15 hrs

March 19, 2014

Today at the Boys and Girls Club we did an art project. Every Wednesdays the kids do an art project. This project was painting a portrait of yourself on cardboard which sounds fun! The kids that wanted to do the project were split in half because they all didn't fit in one table. This time there was more kids that participated on doing an art project. One of the staffs and I were helping pour the paint in the cup. After that, we just let the kids paint themselves, there weren't any instructions because it was simple on what they needed to do. It was nice seeing them paint and be creative. Most of the kids that did the project were girls and three of the girls drew princesses which was so cute! Once in a while I would tell the kids to not make a mess because it was paint and it could spill all over the place. This week I've noticed that the kids started to talk to me more which was good because I don't want to seem like a stranger. But anyways, after they were done and the paint dried up, the staff and I were cutting the outside of the painting so we could hang them up around the room and just decorate it. I thought the portraits were cute and it looked similar to the kids especially this one portrait that this girl named Bella made, it looked exactly like her! The kids are such great artists and it was fun watching them paint and helping them. My next task will be doing a science experiment with the kids.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 13 hrs

March 17, 2014

I went to the Boys and Girls Club today and on Mondays they don't have activities so I helped the kids with their homework. This time more kids actually asked for help. I was surprised because last week barely any kids asked me for help and I thought it was because I was new and they didn't know me. The kids were making conversations with me and actually interacted with me. Since it's St. Patrick's Day, the staffs and my mentor decided to play scavenger hunt with the kids. I was helping them hide the "gold" and the 1st graders were supposed to look for it. I was giving the kids hints so they won't have to go all around and get tired of looking for it. I thought it was so adorable how they were all determined to find it. This girl named Isabella ended up finding it and she was so happy. Then, they were supposed to look for something else and on the computer I wrote, "It's not in the trees, look by little pieces of woods. Mr. Green." as if it was an email from the leprechaun giving them one hint in order to find the other bag. At the end, this kid named Jose found it and he was happy as well.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 11 hrs

March 14, 2014

Yesterday when I went to the Boys and Girls Club, the kids had came from sign hill because they had a field trip there. On Fridays they do cooking class so I was on time for that. My mentor said to help one of the staffs and guide the kids through the cooking class. They were making this treat sort of like rice krispies but there was also lucky charm cereal included. It was also green because we put food coloring and we made it because St. Patrick's Day is coming up. I helped with mixing things, trying to get the kids to control themselves, and call in another group. There were 3 groups of 6 or 7 and it's a small kitchen so it was a bit overwhelming. The kids were very impatient and the staff and I let some kids mix and put food coloring and all of them would want to volunteer. Sometimes when I would call the the next group number no one would listen which was frustrating but I kept saying it and they listened. At the end of cooking class, I tried the krispies and they were very good and it was easy to make! Later on, I watched the kids and then played with them.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs

Total time logged: 9 hrs

March 13, 2014

Today was my third day going to the Boys and Girls Club. The kids had a field trip to the movies at Tanforan so I attended. I went to the Boys and Girls Club first instead of going straight to Tanforan so we could go all together. There was only 16 kids that were able to go and I had to count the kids and take them inside the van so we could go. The ones that weren't able to go stayed with one of the staffs at the club. Once we got to the movies, I counted how many kids there were again to make sure no one was missing. One of the staffs was with me because there was too many kids to handle. I took the kids to get the food they wanted and helped them with it. Later on, we went inside to watch the movie and we watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman. It was a really good movie and the kids and I enjoyed it. It had many scenes about history which was interesting. At the end of the movie, I took the kids to the bathroom so they won't get lost and we waited for the kid's parents to come and pick them up. I thought it was a good day with the kids and I got a bit closer to them.

Time logged for this session: 3 hrs
Total time logged: 7 hrs

March 12, 2014

Today was my second day at the Boys and Girls Club and the kids were still shy to talk to me because they don't know me. I got there when it was homework time so my job was to help the kids that needed help but just like Monday, not that many kids asked me. Some came to me and talked to me and asked what my name was again and they were friendly. My task today was to do an art project with the kids and one of the staffs was there to help me. Whoever wanted to do art were with the staff and I and not that many people wanted to do art. There was 10 kids who wanted to do it and 5 were with me and the other 5 were with the staff. Even though there wasn't as many kids with me, they kept asking me how to do the project after I had given them instructions and it was getting hectic. This meant that they didn't pay attention earlier. At the end, they made a pot of gold as a project because St. Patrick's Day is coming up. Although it was kind of hectic, it was a good experience helping the kids make something.

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 4 hrs

The First Day March 10, 2014

Monday was the first day I went to the Boys and Girls Club to see the kids and watch what they're doing. I wasn't nervous at all because I knew the person that ran the club because he used to work at the other Boys and Girls Club at Orange Ave when I was in elementary. Also, I recognized the staffs because they went to South City a couple years ago. Anyways, once I went inside, my mentor and I discussed on what I was going to be doing for that day. What I did was watch the kids, help them on their homework if they needed help, and interact and play with them and see how they act towards me. Not that many kids asked me for help maybe because they didn't know me. Most of them were nice and some communicated with me. Others were shy and just played with their own friends. My next task will be to do an art project with the kids and I am looking forward to it!

Time logged for this session: 2 hrs
Total time logged: 2 hrs