Ardeer Primary School has been getting into the Christmas spirit, delivering handmade woodwork games to Estia Health Ardeer nursing home last week as part of its community outreach program.
The school has been conducting weekly visits to Estia House for five years to meet with the residents, but this year decided to add to the program via a woodwork class at the school to make games in time for Christmas.
School chaplain Robert Nansen has been running the woodwork program, and said the first year of it had been a huge success.
“We had 40-50 kids put their hands up to be a part of it, which in a school of 126 is pretty good,” Mr Nansen said.
“We had about 15 kids from grades three to six for this first year, and it’s been great to see the kids improve their skills in woodwork and also playing the games with the residents when we delivered them. I think things like this strengthen the link between the school and the house, and a lot of the games are good for cognitive stimulation for the residents so the benefits go both ways.”
The students made games such as hookey, dominoes and naughts and crosses, with many of the tools and timber donated by the local Bunnings.
Mr Nansen said the school was already planning to continue the program in 2017.
“They [Estia Health Ardeer] were rapt with how the games looked, and they were keen for us to continue the woodwork program again,” he said.
“Maybe we’ll look to expand it, maybe build some stuff that they might need like a chicken coop or a rabbit enclosure.”
Ewen McRae
