Lending “a hand” at Ziyamet on the last day of term
As many readres are aware a group of like minded individuals have come together with the aim of Making A Difference to the wonderful children at Ziyamet Special Needs School. Our last escapade involved starting the paintwork on the wall around what will become the sensory garden. The giant jigsaw looked a bit empty so Friday 3rd June 2016 saw many of the children, parents, teachers, head teachers and of course us coming together to “give a hand” to brighten up the wall!
Once the children were kitted out in protective clothes they were given the perfect excuse to get their hands messy by placing them in trays of paint, then leaving their mark on the wall! As you can imagine great excitement followed with many having difficulty in choosing blue over green…..or should they go for orange?? Once the adults saw how much fun the children were having they decided to join in and before long colourful high fives were being exchanged for a job well done.
Once the artistic element of the day was over it was off to a local picnic site where the BBQ was already heating. While we were waiting for the food the children (and parents) had some down time to play or relax. We took along bats and balls, musical instruments, footballs and other toys to suit all ages. So much activity was going on in the forest that day and so much fun and laughter! All the children joined in and even some of the mums had a kick about with a football, letting their hair down and laughing at their own antics. All that exercise and fresh air led to some good appetites and we were all ready for our lunch.
Our sincere thanks go to Kemal Çelebi of Çelebi Gardens Hotel, Mehmetçik who kindly provided the food, and everything needed to make the BBQ for around 40 children and adults. With kofte, lamb and chicken kebabs, salad, pide and hellim on offer all food tastes were catered for. Once the savoury course was finished a selection of home made sweet treats were on offer for all to enjoy.
After eating it was time to head back to our vehicles for everyone to make their way back home. The children were worn out but the smiles still stretched from ear to ear – there will be some sweet dreams for these sweet children tonight! What a way to end school for the summer.
Our group of helpers may have gone along today as relative strangers, who speak a strange language but by the end of the activities I think we can safely say we are now all firm friends and that we are all looking forward to our next joint adventure………….
The Ziyamet Handy Painters Group
