Creative Playtime

High-tech, low-tech, or no-tech. It doesn’t matter much to these youngsters as they were eager to break out the boxes of LEGO bricks on-hand and demonstrate their creative skills. Cindy Knisely, a volunteer from Westminster Presbyterian Church of West Chester, PA was in Honduras in August to support the medical team from Lehigh Valley Medical Center and First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA. She was amazed at the models these children were able to build with no instructor or instructions!

Cindy hosted a creative table and work space where children could be segregated from parents, freeing up more space for patients inside the clinic, both at the Trinidad and La Entrada locations. Cindy had the children engaged in colorful tissue paper projects, designing beadwork necklaces and bracelets, and coloring pictures with crayons and magic markers. The girls gravitated to pictures of the little mermaids while the boys colored horses and farm animals. Recognizing the meticulousness taken in working on their projects, Cindy posted their completed works on a display wall while the children smiled with pride and pointed out their “masterpieces” to friends.

One group of girls, newly introduced to an assortment of colorful play dough, quickly recognized the texture of the medium and crafting technique was similar to making tortillas, so they started to create miniature food items like frjjoles, bananas, berries, corn and leafy greens. They even created little baskets and plates on which to place and display these items.

Remarkably, the adults waiting in line to gain entrance to the clinic, also wanted to color, use magic markers and play with the dough!