Adventurers Share and Build Connections

Denielle was excited to teach children in the Adventurers Room about Lamu and engage them in an act of service. As an introduction, Denielle showed students where Lamu is on a map and shared her photographs of life on the island. Immediately, students noticed how life there is similar to and different from their own. This kind of activity helps children “build deeper connections,” says Iris Vargas, Denielle’s co-teacher in the Adventurers Room, and these connections create a foundation for meaningful service.

When Denielle showed photographs of students in the local elementary school, she said, “They like to read, just like you, but they don’t have a lot of books… I wonder what we can do?” After a moment to think, children began to speak up: “Maybe they can check out books from our library,” one said. “They can come and pick out books they like,” and “We can bring them books,” others chimed in. Eventually, the children agreed to pick out books from their home libraries to send to the school. Word quickly spread, and each class in Pre-Primary School has participated in the collection.

This week, the children were surprised when Denielle’s friend sent a video of the school’s Kindergarten class singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Seeing and hearing the students from Lamu had a deep impact on children in the Adventurers Room. After watching the video, children beamed with excitement saying, “We should send them a video too!” They recorded two videos, one featuring the same song sent by Lamu students and another featuring “Open the Door.”

So far, the Adventurers Room children have collected over 20 books to send. Additionally, students are learning about a different country and culture as they communicate and build connections.