Mrs. Leslie Bardwell’s kindergarten class at Valley Vista Elementary and the residents of Royalton Woods Retirement Living joined together for some prehistoric exploration and fun on May 24. Thanks to Kathleen Williams, Life Enrichment Coordinator at Royalton Woods, residents made dinosaur fossil eggs as part of their spring program. The fossil eggs had surprises inside and the kindergartners were able to crack them open and discover what they contained. They even heard a story about animals that come from eggs.
“Royalton Woods’ partnership with Valley Vista has been invaluable to the facility and our residents,” said Williams. “Each autumn, our Veterans look forward to a heartfelt morning spent celebrating Veteran’s Day with the student assembly; it is especially exciting for the students as we are usually the only WWII Veterans in attendance. We’ve also been grateful recipients of student artwork through the Valley Vista PTA. Three years ago, Mrs. Leslie Bardwell and I expanded that relationship to a whole new level of one-on-one classroom interactions. Since then, the students have visited Royalton Woods bringing homemade stories, artwork, play performances, smiles, and laughter to our residents.”
This year, the residents were excited to turn the tables and have them make something for the students. Randall Residences, Royalton Woods’ parent company, incorporates a unique set of monthly themes into each of their Life Enrichment Departments. In coordination with April’s theme of dinosaurs, the residents assembled salt dough dinosaur eggs for Mrs. Bardwell’s students at Arts & Crafts. “We were so excited to be able to deliver them personally to the classroom and help the students crack them open – all as a huge surprise for the students,” said Williams.
“This project allowed our young students to make connections between our school and the community, while learning about science,” said Bardwell. “The young explorers showed off their reading skills by reading a book about animals hatching from eggs to the residents. This was a great all encompassing activity and a perfect way to help end the school year.”
“The residents could not have been more thrilled with the visit. The smiles, laughter, and joy were those that only a child can bring to the life of a senior,” said Williams. “The whole bus ride home all the residents could ask is “when do we go back?”