Simple Joys

Photos, handprint pictures – both common things in the United States of America.  Believe it or not I took over 3,000 photos during our trip to Guatemala. J  On the other hand, a family is lucky to have 1 picture of their child in Guatemala.  When you go into a home, if there is a picture, it is a 4”x6” unframed photo. The edges are curling up and the colors are fading due to exposure from the weather.  However, it is hung up in a place of honor – and normally one of just a handful of personal momentos in the home.

During our trip we went to 3 preschools (in Panajachel, El Barranco, and San Antonio) and had the chance to do two crafts with each of the kids.  Funds that we raised during the year leading up to the trip helped cover the expense of the crafts.

For the first craft, we took a picture of each child, printed it on-site, and then let the kids decorate the foam frame it was on.

The second craft was organized by our volunteer, Nan.  She had found some canvases and brought lots of paint  - and baby wipes.  (We always have to think about if we will have access to certain resources – such as clean water.)  Many of our volunteers helped the preschoolers with their masterpieces.  We painted their hand yellow and placed it on the upper edge as a sun.  We then painted their hand green so they would have 5 flower stems.  Last the kids could choose the color they wanted their flowers to be – roja, azul, amarilla, rosada… (red, blue, yellow, pink…). 

I loved how both crafts came out…and there were lots of smiles on the kids’ faces while doing them.  In addition, both crafts helped with fine motor skills and allowed them the opportunity to have a different sensory experience with the paint.

What was also great was that the 8 children that were on the trip had the opportunity to serve.  For example, some tied on aprons.  Others helped mount pictures on the foam and then helped the preschoolers put the foam stickers on their photo frames.  Other times the kids helped paint the preschoolers’ hands….and then others wiped their hands clean with baby wipes so their clothes stayed clean.  All in all, it was fun for both sets of kids – whether they live in the US or Guatemala!

We’ll let the pictures tell the story….