#REAL Kids from Lynn are going to Gordon College

This Saturday, May 3rd, the #REAL kids will be going to Gordon College to see where our volunteers study, live, play and learn about the neighborhood of a college campus. Rebecca Hugal has worked very hard to plan a morning for our children and families with a visit to the Gordon College library (they also have a children's library); some basketball with players from both the women and men's basketball team; a visit to a dorm to see where they sleep (no parents) and ending with pizza!
#REAL families going to #REAL college!

Rebecca Hugal has done a great job facilitating and volunteering at The REAL Program. She is a social work/sociology major at Gordon College.

Oh The Places We'll Go!

This is the helicopter cockpit control panel made from our boxes that we bring in our food from My Brother's Table and Traditional Bread as part of our own version of Family Dinner Project. Children who attend The REAL Program at the Boys and Girls Club in Lynn also bring home dinner for their entire families to allow more conversation and sharing about their day at school and at The REAL Program. Stay tuned for much more about the #REAL movie but thanks to the creativity of Jay Keshavan we have a a very #REAL -looking control panel.

Language and stories developed when children are given the opportunity to create things on their own  are so powerful. The above photo is part of our helicopter cockpit that children worked on with the guidance of a college student, a teacher mentor and each other. The concept of our movie "Helicopter to Hawaii" started with a discussion about movies. It was a revelation to the children that a movie is a story just like a book and that someone started to write that story. We took that seed of an idea and we asked about the main character(s) and the setting for our own movie. The engagement was the highest we have ever seen by about 8 children. Our settings were to take place in Transylvania, South Dakota, New York, under the sea, Afghanistan and Hawaii. It was the beginning of an adventure. (to be continued).

Danielle and Jonathan at Work for #REAL

Apologies are due to Danielle Kunis of #Gordon College for naming her Sara in the photo with Jonathan in the last post.
Danielle is a wonderful, cheerful first year student who finds delight in working with the youngest children at The #REAL Program. We often find Danielle in the middle of a board game or coloring with our art-inspired group when we are indoors but we also find her in the middle of a jump rope game or Duck, Duck Goose outside.

Jonathan is a preschooler who enthusiastically joins us every Monday and Wednesday at Congregation Ahabat Sholom. Jonathan's first language at home is Mandarin so when he first joined us he spoke only with his school aged cousins until recently. He was understanding everything for a very long time. When our young students enter the building their next step is to get a bushel basket to place their belongings in (our version of a portable locker or cubbie) and they enter what we refer to as study hall. They almost have it down that everyone sits down at a table and we take the attendance for the day. The next question is who has no homework today. Invariably, Jonathan says, "Mr. Brown. I don't have any homework today." It simply makes everyone smile.

SERVICE LEARNING! PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Sara and Jonathan at The #REAL Program. All this next week we will be shouting out to our young volunteers from #Gordon College; #St. Mary's High School, #Swampscott High School, #North Shore Community College, #University of Maine at Farmington. The students who understand service learning is more than doing community service for "hours" or resume builders are the #REAL future! THANK YOU AND SHARE THIS WITH ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
#Follow us at TheREALprogram.blogspot.com

Glen Urquhart School in Beverly Farms to host the FIRST REAL FUNDRAISER

The fundraising committee of the board of The REAL Program, Inc visited Glen Urquahart School this afternoon to start the planning for our first fundraiser on Saturday, 10/18/2014. Thank you to GUS' Head of School and to all the faculty who welcomed us today. Some of the faculty even offered to join our fundraiser committee and to help plan book drives for the children who do not have them in our Essex County. 

A great game of Duck Duck Goose often played in preschool but most of the kids don't get preschool so we play and learn.
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR FIRST REAL FUNDRAISER
10/18/2014

#REAL HAPPY EASTER AND 

#REAL HAPPY PASSOVER

SAVE THE DATE! REAL FUNDRAISER AT GLEN URQUHART SCHOOL, BEVERLY FARMS-10/18/2014

SAVE THIS DATE

The First REAL Fundraiser 

will be held on 

10/18/2014 

at Glen Urquhart School

74 Hart Street 

Beverly Farms

Tanya is a REAL kid!

Today is Registration Day 

at 

The REAL Program

Summer:  

July 7-August 22

Academic Year at Congregation Ahabat Sholom;

September 15-May 13

Contact Jan@therealprogram for details

Dedicated Professionals and Enthusiastic College or High School Students Work Together

The REAL Program works with schools of higher education and high schools where students are seeking community connections through meaningful service learning.  Committed students work with young children to role model, teach and learn together. Dedicated professionals provide guidance and experience as mentors in this intergenerational model.

  The REAL Program provides teaching, listening and sharing opportunities for future, current and retired educators who are interested in making a difference. These are people who socially invest in our communities through teaching and mentoring young children.

Highly qualified and motivated volunteers of all ages work with bright and energetic children. Sharon Fosbury is here.

REAL Laughter and FUN

The REAL children played, planted seeds, read, did homework and enjoyed some REAL fun.
www.therealprogram.org

It's the Beginning of April and REAL is Ready for Summer!

We Love to work and play together at The REAL Program

Amaya, Micaela and Talise are all great students at The REAL Program where children come for help with homework, reading and fun games (indoor and outdoor), sewing classes, English classes for parents thanks to a very dedicated team of volunteers~~