Emma’s fostering blog
Big Ben
When Dan first came to us we soon learned that he hadn’t had any experiences of life outside where he came from.
He was so Inquisitive, he was like a toddler asking how this and that worked, he was 9 years old. We knew he needed to have the same opportunities as his peers and we needed to focus on fun, enjoyment and active participation.
This little boy had many interests and so it helped to plan things we knew he would be interested in. We also wanted to record the days out, activities and clubs that we were going to set up for him, so he could build on his self-esteem and see his achievements.
On a trip to London, he was excited because we became tourists for the day, he liked looking at the stars, so we took him to the London planetarium, he thought it amazing. We went to see the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham palace and he watched the changing of the guards. Dan was fascinated looking at Big Ben he had so many questions.
We took lots of great photos for his memory book and he learned about the Queen and others in the royal family and who the Prime Minister was. Then we went over on the ferry to France for the day, as a Carer this was incredibly rewarding to be part of his excitement and it transferred to me.
By sheer chance I found out you can actually have a tour inside Big Ben by writing to your local MP so I did and we had to have a security check first, but eventually we were given a date to visit Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower.
We didn’t tell Dan as we wanted it to be a surprise; we just told him we were going to London again, what a brilliant thing for him to do, such an experience.
First he had to climb 334 steps to the belfry; he had so much energy he seemed to reach the top without any effort. When he got to the top it was really great to see his face beaming with delight as he saw the workings of the clock, the giant light bulbs that light the face of the clock, and he learned how they use old pennies on the mechanism for correcting the balance of time.
On Mondays at School they tell their news, the Teacher actually pulled me aside and she told me she can’t wait to hear on Monday’s what Dan has been up to, as he does so many great things and experiences. It was the icing on the cake for me hearing that he can’t wait to tell his news.
My thoughts are new experiences enable children to learn one of the most important lessons of early life: learning how to learn, and learning that mastery brings joy and a sense of achievement.
Emma – A Blogging Foster Carer – I Love What I Do!
