It has been really interesting following the Conservation Intern Diary and I’m really pleased to introduce one for the Lodge Reserve. Carol Waller works full time in the Volunteering Development Dept and still finds time to volunteer in a variety of roles including being a Love Nature collector and an Events Assistant for the Lodge Reserve Team. Here she tells us about some fun and festive face painting with children at The Lodge Reserve...
Children’s Face Painting ‑ Kiddies Christmas Kracker event
by Carol Waller
I have recently volunteered by helping with children’s activities at RSPB events at UK HQ and I thought I would share some of my experiences. Most recently I helped with face painting at the Kiddies Christmas Kracker event. This was an event for the under-tens which combined a music and movement activity, face painting, a ‘merry meerkat’ trail and, of course, a visit to Father Christmas!
There were three of us in the face painting team. We have all been recently trained and are still a bit daunted about practising our newly acquired skills. There was no time to get nervous, however, no sooner had we set up than we had our first influx of children.
My first recipient was unsure what she wanted so I suggested a snowflake. We had decided to confine ourselves to small images on the backs of hands or on cheeks given that the children were young and we didn’t think they would want to keep still for very long. Also, we intended to get all the face painting done before the music and movement activity started so we were on a bit of schedule.
A lot of the children had their own ideas so the snowflake was followed by two snowmen and then two reindeer (just the heads!) in quick succession. Then I tried my hand at holly and berries. Eventually, it could no longer be avoided ‑ a request was made for a Father Christmas! I think it’s true to say I made a game attempt at a depiction of Father Christmas. The problem is really one of scale since there isn’t a lot of space on a small child’s cheek!
Most of the children seemed pleased when shown the result in the mirror and, more to the point, so were their parents! The golden rule of face painting is that everything looks better at a distance than it does close‑up!
In what seemed like no time the children’s music and movement kicked off and the face painting team could relax a bit. We were well-placed to observe the singing and dancing. The children seemed to have a whale of a time. They were all given a tambourine and were encouraged to join in to a selection of children’s classic songs and some more contemporary numbers.
Once everyone had walked the ‘meerkat trail’, had Christmas cookies and visited Father Christmas the event drew to its conclusion. The children seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and I got a lot out of it myself. It was a good way to get into the festive mood! I have helped with a number of children’s activities now as a volunteer and I find them thoroughly entertaining! I always come away feeling richer and that I’ve made a real contribution to the event’s success.
Want to Volunteer? Ask me!