HomeBlogKids Educational Session at Children's Hospital - January 2008
Educational Session at Children's Hospital - January 2008
Friday, 07 March 2008
Late January, Stephane and Jean-Philippe visited the kids and teachers of the Hospital School Program at the Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. Their first trip was intended as an introduction of the project 'Le Flying Fish' - a sailboat race from San Francisco, CA to Kaneohe, HI to happen in July 2008. The kids were mostly between the ages of 7 and 15 years old.
Stephane and Jean-Philippe started with a visual presentation, showing things like the start at the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco and the equally picturesque finish near the Kaneohe Bay in Oahu. Stephane and Jean-Philippe spent a lot of time answering questions that couldn't wait till the end; such as "How do you sleep? What do you eat? How long will it take? Can you see dolphins or sharks? Why do you do this?"
The kids learned some interesting facts about their environment; such as the Pacific Ocean being the largest ocean: almost half of the Earth's water surface and about a third of the Earth's total surface area. They also learned about Point Nemo 'the place in the ocean that is farthest from any land' and its location.
JP pointing to the start of the Pacific Cup
The kids got to play a little game, which was to select the most important items to bring with them if they had to jump in a life raft in an emergency. Their answers where very astute, and it was amazing to see how much those kids new about the basic gears sailors use on boats. Sitting next to the kids where parents and caretakers who got captivated by the project and couldn't resist asking questions as well.
Getting the kids out of their hospital beds and having them completely captivated by a topic new and fascinating to them frees their imagination and lets their dreams soar. It was a very rewarding experience for both the kids and the participants of Sailors on a Mission.
Stephane and Jean-Philippe's next educational session at the school will be focused on sailing, with a lot of fun hands-on activities for the kids. Sailors on a Mission plans to return to the school once a month until the start of the race.
