Sunday August 15, 2010. I semi finished my scuba certification. I took the last two tests and scuba dive in the Big Falls pool.
I am looking for new PCVs who are willing to finish the course with me. It is 300 US dollars. I really want to be officially certified and right now I am just kinda…
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sick :(
Again the week of August 9 to Friday the 13 I was sick. The nurse said I had a sinus infection: my symptoms were bad cough, stuffy nose, and headache.
I stayed in the Charleton Hotel in town for 2 days. I had unlimited internet access; therefore, I wrote to everyone back home and literally wrote on everyone’s wall lol… well mostly everyone.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
I stayed in the Charleton Hotel in town for 2 days. I had unlimited internet access; therefore, I wrote to everyone back home and literally wrote on everyone’s wall lol… well mostly everyone.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Karaoke in PG
After the whole week of Preschool workshops we celebrated with a little karaoke!!! Lots of fun!
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
TFABB Preschool Workshop
Some things I learned about cognitive development were:
Cognitive development is the of thought construction processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
Cognitive development includes information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory.
When focusing on a child’s cognitive development, it is important to consider the following:
Pre-School children are often egocentric
Young children tend to focus only on what is apparent, ignoring other relevant attributes.
Young children may have difficulty accepting the idea that nothing can be undone.
Young Children may have difficulty with the idea that the amount of a substance remains the same, despite changes in its appearance.
Children often attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories!
Young children may ask lots of questions about human behavior and natural things.
Provide materials such as art, blocks, dress-up clothes are arranged for self-exploration
Encouraged children to learn through play (e.g., make up songs, games, etc.)
Provide scaffolding and guided participation activities where children learn from others who guide their experiences.
Physical development:
Gross Motor Development
This is the area of physical development that most parents think of first -- the child's general ability to move around and use the various parts of his body. Activities like rolling over, crawling, walking, running, and jumping are gross motor skills. These skills usually involve using the entire body or several parts of the body at one time.
Fine Motor Development
This term refers to skills that require smaller movements and more intricate capabilities. A generalization that is often made is that fine motor activities are skills that a child does with his hands. While this is not totally accurate, it is true that most fine motor activities involve a child's ability to use his hands properly. Overall, when we say that a child has appropriate fine motor skills, it means that he can use his hands appropriately for a child of his age.
2 year olds can:
Children become more comfortable with motion, increasing speed, and coordination. Most begin to:
Run forward
Jump in place with both feet together
Stand on one foot, with aid
Walk on tiptoe
Pull toys with string
Climb stairs holding on with two feet on each stair
Kick ball forward
Children are able to manipulate small objects with increased control. Most can:
Build tower of 6 blocks
String large beads
Use spoon well
Turn pages one by one
Imitate circular motions when shown by an adult
Paint with wrist action, making dots and lines
Roll, pound, squeeze, and pull clay
Hold crayon with whole hand (fingers straight)
3 Years Old:
Movement and balance improve. Most children can:
Run around obstacles
Balance briefly on one foot
Push, pull, and steer toys
Ride a tricycle
Use a slide without help
Throw a ball overhand, but catch clumsily
Children's precision of motion improves significantly. Most are able to:
Drive pegs into holes
Draw crosses and circles
Manipulate clay by making balls, snakes, etc.
Unbutton buttons
Build tower of 9 blocks
Draw person with head
4 Years Old:
Children are now more confident, and most are able to:
Walk backwards
Jump forward many times without falling
Jump on one foot
Walk up and down stairs without assistance, alternating feet
Turn somersaults
Play catch with a large ball
Standing broad jump
Children continue to develop their fine motor skills. Most can:
Cut with scissors (not well)
Copy squares and crosses
Draw person with head, feet, and body
Hold writing utensils with 3 fingers
Dress/Undress independently (except ties, buttons)
String small beads
Not switch hands in the middle of an activity
5 Years Old:
As they head into school, most are able to:
Hop and skip
Climb stairs holding an object
Walk on a straight line
Bounce and catch a tennis ball
Swing by him/herself
Balance on one foot
Children develop skills that will help them as they enter school and begin writing. Most can:
Build tower of 12 blocks
Tie shoes
Draw angled lines and triangles
Draw a person with a head, body, legs, and a face
Cut on straight lines
Print simple letters
Color in lines
My favorite part of the workshops was where they showed what an actual preschool looks like. We walked through a day of preschool. TFABB were the teachers and everyone else pretended to be a 3 or 4 year old. I got lots of ideas for centers to use in my classroom.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Michelle’s PG Bday Party!!!
Michelle, a PCV, turned thirty. They had a huge bash at their house. They had corn whole games, jungle juice, and a variety of good food. We had lots of fun. I hadn’t seen many of the volunteers (except the GLOW PCVs) because I went to the states and I was busy in Laguna with Festival of Arts, Football Marathon, and other school activities.
After Michelle’s party we went dancing!!!
Side note: 2 PCVs were robbed and mugged in PG. That made me surprised because I believe Punta Gorda is a safe town.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
After Michelle’s party we went dancing!!!
Side note: 2 PCVs were robbed and mugged in PG. That made me surprised because I believe Punta Gorda is a safe town.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
CAMP GLOW!
Peace Corps volunteers brought four girls from their GLOW club. I brought four girls from Laguna!!!
This camp was a leadership camp for about 30 Belizean girls, ages 10-14, from all over the country. Camp GLOW was held at Camelote Camp in the Cayo District of Belize from July 20-24, 2010.
The three main goals of camp are:
1. To build self-esteem
2. To promote self-expression
3. To enable self-reliance
PCV camp councilors (including me) utilized fun and interesting ways to bring out the best in participants. The girls looked forward to a variety of art projects, skits, music, writing, dancing, and sports to gain new skills as a leader in their world.
The cost of camp is free to all campers (food, housing, transportation, and supplies are all fundraised). PCV Christen did an excellent job fundraising.
The camp was beautiful (not like camps I attended in the states). It had air condition and hot showers!!! Campers get their own bed, shared bath, a bag of supplies that they will use for camp and a T-shirt on departure. There were three meals a day and two snack. PCV Emily did an excellent with the food part and cooking.
PCVs and I were excited to see outgoing, positive girls who were willing to try and learn new things, and meet new people.
My four girls from Laguna were lucky to receive an opportunity to travel to a new place, and meet peers from all over the country. They were able to relate to girls their own age and create lasting friendships!!
PCV Camp overall went well! I taught the girls Yoga!!!... I have never taught a yoga class. That also went well!
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Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
This camp was a leadership camp for about 30 Belizean girls, ages 10-14, from all over the country. Camp GLOW was held at Camelote Camp in the Cayo District of Belize from July 20-24, 2010.
The three main goals of camp are:
1. To build self-esteem
2. To promote self-expression
3. To enable self-reliance
PCV camp councilors (including me) utilized fun and interesting ways to bring out the best in participants. The girls looked forward to a variety of art projects, skits, music, writing, dancing, and sports to gain new skills as a leader in their world.
The cost of camp is free to all campers (food, housing, transportation, and supplies are all fundraised). PCV Christen did an excellent job fundraising.
The camp was beautiful (not like camps I attended in the states). It had air condition and hot showers!!! Campers get their own bed, shared bath, a bag of supplies that they will use for camp and a T-shirt on departure. There were three meals a day and two snack. PCV Emily did an excellent with the food part and cooking.
PCVs and I were excited to see outgoing, positive girls who were willing to try and learn new things, and meet new people.
My four girls from Laguna were lucky to receive an opportunity to travel to a new place, and meet peers from all over the country. They were able to relate to girls their own age and create lasting friendships!!
PCV Camp overall went well! I taught the girls Yoga!!!... I have never taught a yoga class. That also went well!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Back Home in BELIZE
When I arrived in Belize I was so determined to open a preschool. I went around to all the parents and got the signature of all the parents who have 3 and 4 year olds in Laguna.
The ministry of education turned me down and said I don’t have enough kids to start a preschool. I had 16 three and four-year-olds. The education department said that I needed 15 four-year-olds and at least 10 three-year-olds. Uhhh I was disappointed, but I didn’t give up.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
The ministry of education turned me down and said I don’t have enough kids to start a preschool. I had 16 three and four-year-olds. The education department said that I needed 15 four-year-olds and at least 10 three-year-olds. Uhhh I was disappointed, but I didn’t give up.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Saying goodbye to Andrew
It was really tough to say good bye to Andrew because I had an amazing 2 weeks with my boyfriend. Of course I cried… and Andrew showed his emotions too!!! Yay!
Flight home was long, but no major troubles this time. Thank goodness. However, when I arrived at Atlantic City Airport the lady at the desk said my flight is not for today because the lady in Cancun canceled my returning flight. She figured it out though and I left that day.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Flight home was long, but no major troubles this time. Thank goodness. However, when I arrived at Atlantic City Airport the lady at the desk said my flight is not for today because the lady in Cancun canceled my returning flight. She figured it out though and I left that day.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
Ocean Drive =OD… a fun bar and club
Andrew has an awesome job this summer working at the OD. I went to SIC (Sea Isle City) a lot this trip home. It was bizarre listening to all this music I don’t know. All the latest hits, which I used to know all the words to every song when I left.
I got to party with Maura, Bear, Lea and Hoff. First at the beach and then at the OD! It was great to see them. I had a blast. Lea taught me the words to all the songs lol.
The most special moment at the OD was when Andrew requested LauraLea (an awesome singer) to play one of her own songs for me!!! It was so memorable… I cried. Thank you again Andrew!
The last day I was in the states I went to an OD BBQ it was lots of fun. They had corn whole and a new game I just learned about.
It was hard to say bye to all my family and friends again. It was harder this time than a year ago because I was so excited about Peace Corps. Now I know what to expect and it is kinda old news even though I love this Peace Corps Belize experience. It is just sad to leave loved ones.
Side note: A lot was bizarre when I went home. Seeing stop lights, traffic, super markets and the excess in the United States.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
I got to party with Maura, Bear, Lea and Hoff. First at the beach and then at the OD! It was great to see them. I had a blast. Lea taught me the words to all the songs lol.
The most special moment at the OD was when Andrew requested LauraLea (an awesome singer) to play one of her own songs for me!!! It was so memorable… I cried. Thank you again Andrew!
The last day I was in the states I went to an OD BBQ it was lots of fun. They had corn whole and a new game I just learned about.
It was hard to say bye to all my family and friends again. It was harder this time than a year ago because I was so excited about Peace Corps. Now I know what to expect and it is kinda old news even though I love this Peace Corps Belize experience. It is just sad to leave loved ones.
Side note: A lot was bizarre when I went home. Seeing stop lights, traffic, super markets and the excess in the United States.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
4th of July at my Grams!
4th July was wonderful I got to see more family. I saw my Uncle Bill and Aunt Erin. I also got to chat more with my Godmother Aunt Donna.
We all sat outside had BBQ and chatted.
Boardwalk
I made a trip to the boardwalk with Kelly. We got Lime Ricki water ices. MY FAVORITE! We walked the whole board walk. I got to hear more about Kelly’s and Aubrey’s life!
Aubrey and I then made a surprise visit to Andrew’s work at the OD.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
We all sat outside had BBQ and chatted.
Boardwalk
I made a trip to the boardwalk with Kelly. We got Lime Ricki water ices. MY FAVORITE! We walked the whole board walk. I got to hear more about Kelly’s and Aubrey’s life!
Aubrey and I then made a surprise visit to Andrew’s work at the OD.
Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.
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