Little Hands Big Hearts

As part of our Acts of Care initiative, our K1 and K2 children were invited to the Queenstown Multi-Service Centre to perform for the elderly and present them with snacks generously donated by the school. Beyond bringing joy through their performances, this meaningful experience provided the children with an opportunity to interact and connect with the elderly – teaching them to nurture empathy, show care and respect for others. During their conversations, the elderly shared a simple but genuine challenge — they were wondering how they could conveniently carry all the delicious snacks home. This sparked the children's curiosity and desire to help. Upon returning to school, the children discussed the problem with their teachers and brainstormed possible solutions. Together, they came up with an idea: “We can make bags for them!”

This idea soon led to another question , How could we make the bags? Through discussion and research with their teachers, the children discovered that old clothes could be repurposed into reusable bags. Families were invited to contribute unwanted clothing, turning the project into a collective effort involving the children, teachers and the families of our children. Together, they began transforming old materials into useful bags for the elderly, putting care, community and sustainability into action.

As part of One SSDB, our Senior Lead Teacher and Senior Teachers returned to the Multi-Service Centre to share the children's initiative with our community partners. During this conversation, another concern emerged: some of the elderly shared how the weather could affect their skin.

The teachers brought this real-life problem back to the children, leading to another round of meaningful discussion and brainstorming. Drawing from their own experiences, one child shared that their parents used aloe vera gel to soothe their skin. Inspired by this idea, the children worked alongside their teachers to research aloe vera, learning about the plant and its soothing properties. To deepen their learning through a hands-on experience, the children and their parents came together to plant aloe vera, giving the children an opportunity to observe, care for and understand how the plant grows. This collaborative experience also encouraged families to be actively involved in the children’s Acts of Care journey. Building on what they had discovered, the children then explored how aloe vera could be transformed into a simple gel for the elderly. Through experimentation, observation and several trials with their teachers, they successfully created their first trial batch of aloe vera gel, turning an idea inspired by a child’s personal experience into a meaningful act of care for the community.

The journey eventually came full circle when the children returned to the Multi-Service Centre with the reusable bags they had created. This time, instead of simply presenting a gift, the children and elderly came together to make aloe vera gel, creating an opportunity for meaningful intergenerational learning, connection and shared experiences. What began as a simple visit grew into a meaningful journey of Value-in-Action. By listening to the needs of others, identifying real-world problems and actively developing solutions, the children experienced what it means to contribute to the Common Good. Through these Acts of Care, children learnt that even small ideas can create a positive impact when families, educators and the wider community work together. Ultimately, the experience reflects our vision of Nurturing Hearts — empowering our youngest children to grow into compassionate, thoughtful and socially responsible individuals who recognise that they, too, have the ability to care for others, care for the environment and make a difference in their community.