Overseeing the Summer Vacation Games

It all began with a large getting-to-know-you round with 22 small children on Monday morning, lead by four instructors and three SMA trainees. Before I knew it, I had already forgotten three-fourth of the children’s names and ages (there were just too many :D) by the time we had started dividing them into play/activity groups. But then came the huge heat wave…

Water Playground in the Aue:

Discovery tour at the lake.

The instructors decided to take the kids to the water playground in the Aue on Wednesday, as it had already hit 30 *C on Tuesday, which wasn’t even forecasted to be the hottest day of the week. The children’s parents were all informed and countless water guns were hauled up from basements and prepared for water war. 😀 We arrived after a somewhat stressful bus ride and just seconds after our things were safely on the ground, the water festivities were unleashed. But it didn’t stop there. I was apparently too dry compared to the other instructors and children, so I was drenched from head to toe with water. 😀 On the way home, nearly everybody was exhausted, but happy with our water- and fun-filled day. Our ’water games’ were so successful that the creek in Nieste became the scene of ’water massacre’ round two on Thursday.

Summary

The summer vacation games with our SMA kids.

In hindsight, it was a very very fun week, although at times a little taxing on the nerves, as the energy level required when working in a daycare setting with an average group size of 22 kids a day has to constantly be at 100 percent. 😀 However, it was quite interesting to get a glimpse into the life of a child care professional. This career path should definitely not be underestimated. I won’t forget this week for a very long time and already hope to be able to “assist” again next year.