A week of summer enrichment activities engaged 47 students in Palomas this month.
This month, 47 children enjoyed an engaging week of summer activities in Palomas. They learned new skills, got some healthy exercise and ate a nutritious meal each day. This week-long summer highlight resulted from the ingenuity of our staff and the generosity of the Gila Friends Community and the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.
Each day, the children participated in seven classes. These enriching topics included mental health, nature, computer, first aid, arts and crafts, nutrition and sports.
Our staff produced three classes as brand new offerings:
- In the mental health class, Cecy, the instructor, focused on having children learn to recognize their emotions and practice some simple ways to release negative ones.
- The nature class focused on learning about how plants grow and how different vegetables benefit the human body.
- In the computer class, children actually opened up a computer, broke it apart, and put it back together again. As a result, they could understand better how a computer works.
The morning of learning ended with a nutritious lunch for the children. As an example, one of the lunches was empanadas made from soy granules and vegetables from Border Partners’ garden along with a drink made from fresh fruit.
As children prepare to resume a school year, many are concerned about losses in learning due to COVID disruptions in the past two school years. These disruptions have been particularly difficult for impoverished families who lack the technology and resources to supplement the children’s education. A week of enriching instruction and structured activities will boost the students’ school readiness and help them begin a school year well. We’re grateful to all our supporters for providing this important opportunity for the children.
