Sierra- UCP - Day Four

On Thursday we got to volunteer with the children at the Hand in Hand building. This program caters to kids from birth to around 3 or 4 years old. I worked with the kids that were about 2 and a half to 3 years in a class called the Grasshoppers. Everyone there was so adorable and welcoming! The staff was so friendly and I could tell that they really cared for the kids. The classes weren’t only for children with disabilities. In fact, it seemed like there were more able children than those with disabilities. I think they mix the children because they want the kids to have a normal childhood experience and don’t believe in separating them based on their levels of functioning. Immediately when I walked in there were two girls named Tamira and Gia that became attached to me and made me sit with them anywhere they went. Tamira, especially, followed me around everywhere and had the cutest smile. Later on, another girl named Julia arrived and she tended to be more attached to me, as well. The boys were a little more difficult to talk to because they seemed to be more reserved and shy. But eventually I got most of them to open up and they were all so sweet! A couple of the boys were a little ornery and liked to cause trouble, but still so adorable. But the child that completely stole my heart was a little girl who had cerebral palsy. Although she had limited motor functions and couldn’t speak, she would walk over to me and just plop down into my lap whenever I was sitting on the floor. During naptime, I lay down next to her and patted her back to calm her down. She never did calm down, but I enjoyed spending the time with her.

When they woke up from their naps, we played on the computer, which they really enjoyed. Then they had activity time and we went into a room indoors because it was too cold outside. The room had a small playground set and ball pit, along with other smaller toys. I played with them and chased them around until it was time for us to leave. It was really hard to say goodbye!