The children at ELFA Preschool in Serangoon spent a total of some 700 hours honing their skills to make handicraft and prepare food for sale at a Carnival on 15 June 2016 to raise funds for charity.
Children excitedly promoted and engaged with the parents visiting their booths to sell the art and crafts on the table.
They contributed ideas and planned with the guidance of their teachers. They made a DIY Bag and a DIY Candle Holder as well as yummy snacks called the ‘Fanciful Banana Boat’ and ‘DIY Healthy Cereal’, which were promptly snapped up by some 200 parents who attended the Carnival at the centre to give their encouragement and support.
Yummy! Father and child created their own snack together
Manning the “stalls” themselves, the children sold the fruit of their hard work, chatted and had an enjoyable time with their parents in meaningful bonding.
While savouring the unique experience, the children raised a total $1080.20 for the ARC Children’s Centre, which is “dedicated to nurturing and enriching the lives of children with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses in a joyful and healthy environment”.
Father and child bonded over a game of shoot the bean bags.
Their efforts were captured in a display at the ‘Start Small, Dream Big’ finale held on Children’s Day on 7 October 2016, Friday at the OCBC Sports Hub. The President of Singapore, Mr Tony Tan, was the Guest of Honour and Minister for Social and Family Development Mr Tan Chuan-Jin (MSF) the Special Guest.
During the SSDB final, the President, Mr Tony Tan and Minister of Social and Family Development, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin graced the event with their presence.
The ELFA children received a certificate of participation in the presence of 2,000 other preschool children attending the event.
Teacher and child received the certificate of appreciation on behalf of the school for actively participating in the President’s challenge.
Through this project, the children were able to put their knowledge, skills and creativity to use. They also learnt that they could find purpose doing small things for the benefit of the less fortunate.
“Start Small Dream Big” by the Early Childhood Development Agency’s (ECDA) is a President’s Challenge initiative. This year some 20,000 children from more than 300 preschool centres took part in community projects over a period of six months.
ELFA children embarked on the ‘Start Small Dream Big’ Project