The Fun Continues at Step by Step!

Although I normally work with the kids in the 2 and 3 year old room, this past week I decided to mix it up and help out in the older kids' room (ages five and up). I'm so glad I did! Although I love the 2 and 3 year olds, getting a chance to meet new kids and other volunteers was a great opportunity. 

The 5+ year old room at Step by Step. 

In the 2 and 3 year old room, it's almost always controlled chaos. The kids are so excited to be there, they can't really control themselves. There's a lot of laughing and screaming, with the occasional dirty diaper or tantrum. The kids in the 5+ year old room were a much different story. First of all, they didn't have diapers, and they know how to tell someone when they have to go potty. They can also feed themselves without needing any assistance, which was a nice change. Another difference I noticed was how the kids wanted to play. Often times with the 2 and 3 year olds, they move to and from toys very quickly. Their attention span is just as short as their little bodies, making any organized activity next to impossible. 

The older kids are an entirely different story. All of the kids are in elementary school, so they know how to sit and do an activity, like coloring. This week, the activity for the older kids was to color and write out a plan for how to help their moms each day of the week. The kids came up with their own ways to help, offering things like "doing my homework" and "giving my mom a hug." One of the kids brought his math homework to do. In this playroom there was a piano and a whiteboard, and those quickly became the target play areas for the kids. One of the girls had been taking piano lessons, so she was able to play us all a song. Her eagerness and excitement to show off her skills was adorable and brought a smile to everyone's face.

The kids and volunteers of Step By Step thank the coordinators with one big group picture. 

When I first came to college, I never would have guessed that the highlight of my semester would be volunteering, or playing with kids. But after working with the amazing people at Step by Step, I can honestly say that those Thursday nights are my favorite!

Everything I Hoped .....
                             And More....

Josiah and I in the 3 and 4 year old room.

      Step By Step, has been the greatest thing that has happened to me since I have been her at UK. I am absolutely in love with the whole program and the idea of giving women that confidence to do what they need to do. And if college students can simply help by just watching their kids for an hour or two, then i am all from it. Every time I go to Step By Step, I am usually with the 3-4 year olds and I love it. They are old enough to talk and ask for what they want, but they don't have all the sass that older kids have. When I first went, I instantly feel in love with this kid named Josiah. He and I bonded so much and every time we see each other, our faces light up and we give each other a big hug. He is the highlight to my Thursday nights; in a way Step By Step, has become an amazing stress relief for me.

Josiah and his new log house.

    
     So... A simple day volunteering at Step By Step, is  first having the kids get dropped off by their parent and when that happens, they immediately charge the play area and starting getting to business. We usually allow the kids to warm up to use and then we walk on over and start playing with them. They get served dinner and after dinner they continue to play. Not only is this a free time for the kids, but it is also a free time for us college students as well. My most enjoyment would have to of been when I got to teach Josiah how to build a log cabin and how to match up all the logs so that everything fit together. He was so proud of it, that he showed everyone and wanted me to take a picture of him next to his house. I mean just look at that smile! He honestly is the highlight to my Thursday nights.

      However, with all this being said, Step By Step, has taught me that I am very lucky to be in the position I am in. And even though I get mad at my parents sometimes, I am very lucky to have them supporting me and backing me up. A lot of these women do not have that and the only thing that is helping them is Step By Step. Although that is a sad truth to this reality, I am very honored that I am able to be apart of this program. I was talking to one of the mother and she asked me what kind of enjoyment I get out of Step By Step. I looked at her and simply said the fact that I get to help people out and put a smile on kids faces, what not to love about this place. She looked at me and responded, "Because of people like you, we able to feel comfortable to be here and not be afraid of being judged."

*QUINN INCARDONA*

Momma's Baby is Growing UP

Momma's Baby is Growing UP

        I have now had the opportunity to attend two sessions at my Service Learning Organization, Step by Step, with my third session being this upcoming Thursday.  Overall, it has been a very positive experience and has allowed me to work with children of all ages who come from challenging backgrounds or experiences, one of my greatest passions.  During my first session, I worked with the three and four year olds.  They were full of energy and I could tell that they loved the extra attention from the volunteers.  They loved having so many different play mates and expected us to be just as full of energy and imaginative as they were.  I especially enjoyed playing with the children in the “foam room,” which is simply an indoor playground with slides, swings, and obstacle courses.  It was so rewarding to see the huge smiles illuminate the faces of all the children as they ran around and enjoyed interacting and playing with one another in a safe environment. 

        During my second volunteering session at Step by Step, which is where I’d like to place the focus for this particular post, I worked primarily with the babies, most being between 3 months and 1 year old.  There was one particular baby who was very fussy and I was given the task of keeping her calm.  Initially, I was intimidated by this task and doubted my skills.  However, I collected myself and started with taking her outside to get some fresh air.  This change of environment and a more comfortable atmosphere automatically calmed her down to an extent.  I also rocked her back and forth in my arms as she continued to relax.  Seeing that I had helped the baby feel more relaxed reassured me that I was working well with the child.  I don’t know how often the baby experiences this sense of calmness, so it was wonderful to know that I had helped her feel more relaxed, even for just a short time.  After she calmed down, I took her back inside and played with some of the other babies and simply gave them the attention that they always crave and may not always receive at home.  One little boy was very quiet and reserved for the majority of the time.  However, as we (the volunteers) continued to talk and play with him, he slowly started to come out of his shell, as he was becoming more comfortable around us.  It was a special moment for me to see him finally let loose a little bit and be able to enjoy himself.  I don’t know how many opportunities he has to feel relaxed and to just be able to play, so knowing that I had given him that opportunity was an amazing feeling.

           In conclusion, I feel optimistic about the rest of my semester with Step by Step.  I am looking forward to learning more about the children I work with and, more importantly, learning from the children I work with.

Pictured above is a child who attends Step by Step sessions
and is around the same age group as the children that I
usually work with.  Photo taken by volunteer Maggie Stull.
For additional photos of the facility and children, visit the Step by Step website
 at http://sbslex.org

  

Don't grow up on me!

          After tonight, I have spent a total of 10 hours volunteering with Step By Step. I still absolutely love it. I look forward to Thursday nights. Holding a baby definitely counts as a form of stress relief, and as a full time college student taking 19 hours, doing research, and working 12 hours a week, stress relief is something I don't have time for. I know Step By Step was created as an organization to help young, single mothers in our community, but I think it honestly helps me just as much. How did I not know about this earlier?

          Throughout these past couple of months, I have gained a LARGE amount of respect for these mothers. Don't get me wrong, I love children, and I am so grateful for this opportunity, but at times children can be a lot to handle. They cry and wiggle around and pee and poop and constantly need attention. I mean have you ever tried spooning out four scoops of formula into a bottle that you forgot to uncap before hand with a crying baby on your hip? Being a mother is a legit skill. Not only are you taking care of yourself, but you're responsible for taking complete care of another human being; I can barely make sure I eat every couple hours and shower once a day and I am almost 19 years old. I spend 2.5 hours in the infant room at Step By Step every other Thursday night, and by the end of the night I am so drained; happy, but drained. I don't know these mothers continue to take care of their children 24 hours a day, for over 18 years! And to think, some of these mothers have more than one child. This absolutely shocks me! On that note, I think I have a lot to learn before becoming a mother. 

          I am so thankful to have the opportunity to interact with these wonderful mothers and children. I love every single one of them in a way that I cannot describe. 

Don't let that cute face fool you, he really only likes hanging out with me because I let him suck on my fingers. Tonight's mini-lesson was how to "selfie". I wonder if they will still be taking these when he becomes my age...

A Night At Step By Step

Our three and four-year-old playroom

My Thursday nights at Step By Step are always unpredictable in the absolute best of ways. Whenever I step through the doors of Immanuel Baptist Church, I never know exactly what excitement lies ahead of me; for an entire two and a half hours, I have the privilege of taking on the roles of best friend and playmate to a handful of bright, passionate kids. If there's anything I've learned over the past several weeks, it's that the children at Step By Step have unbreakable spirits. Despite any hardships that may exist in their lives, these toddlers always come into the playrooms with an inspiring sense of wonder. I truly believe that people of any age could benefit from taking note of their innocence, as well as their genuine love and desire for fun. From 6:30 to 8:30, they do what kids do best: simply be a kid. 

As a volunteer in the three to four-year-old age group room, I get to interact with a few different children on the regular. Although it varies from week to week, the common faces in my room include Samara who is four and Karan who is five, but has a preference and attachment to the volunteers in our room. Samara was the first child I ever met at Step By Step, and is always one of the first to arrive. Let me tell you: I have never seen such a fiery little girl in my entire life. Samara isn't afraid of speaking her mind (but she always has the funniest things to say), has an imagination out of this world, and never seems to slow down for anyone or anything. She's independent, she's loving, and she's a complete blast to play with. This past week, she, another volunteer from a different CIS course, and I orchestrated an oh-so-dramatic game of pretend where she was a princess being stolen away to an evil witch's castle. I was the goodhearted queen/mother. It wasn't enough for me to come to her rescue only once, but rather at least four times - apparently life as a princess is dangerous! Samara never fails to make me laugh until my stomach hurts and I hope I can continue to see her larger-than-life personality blossom throughout the rest of the semester. Seeing her eyes light up when she sees the volunteers arrive does my heart good. On top of everything, a night is never complete without her comically rolling down the window in her car and yelling goodbye to us in the parking lot.

I spent a lot of time in particular with Karan this last Thursday. Unlike Samara, she's much more timid, but incredibly smart. She's bubbly and giggly and one of the sweetest kids I've ever met. We played a lot of different games together this previous week; we played cashier with a bright pink cash register toy and colored pictures of rainbows. Karan's thought process is precious. When we were coloring, I asked her, "What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you know?" and without missing a beat, she replied, "I want to be queen Elsa" (don't we all?). When we finished our coloring pages I asked if I could take a picture of our finished masterpieces and she approved, proudly demonstrating how well she could write her name. Eventually she became the photographer, leaving me with a lot of pictures of herself, the ground, the wall, other people, the table, our snack for the night, cotton balls, and more.

Above: Karan's rainbow

Karan requested that we transitioned into the "monkey room", which is the foam indoor playground. With Keya's (the program director) approval, our room took the kids into the playroom. I am constantly amazed at how much energy exists in such tiny humans. After chasing Karen around for about fifteen minutes, it was eventually time to call it a night. Seeing the kids being reunited with their moms is rewarding and heartwarming; there is so much love.

I'll be back at Immanuel Baptist this upcoming Thursday for another night of make-believe and crayons. There's always an adventure waiting to be made.