When many older adults were sat indoors last year, isolating during lockdown, a group of over-55-year-olds from south Devon were putting on their wellies, splashing about in mud and building friendships with a group of children and their childminders on the ancient site of Orchard Forest School in Torbay, south Devon.
Another group of care home residents were shaking maracas and singing along to old-time favourites and classic nursery rhymes with pre-school-aged children, led by musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
These are just some of the initiatives devised by Torbay council to safely bring together adult care and childcare in the face of Covid.
ONGOING FOCUS
The group sessions, which took place with up to five registered childminders and ten children in their care, are part of an ongoing focus on intergenerational care led by Torbay Council’s Early Years Advisory Team.
Councillor Cordelia Law, cabinet member for children’s services at Torbay Council, told Nursery World, ‘Before the pandemic, we had over 15 care homes taking part in various intergenerational programmes with early years providers and childminders across Torbay. We’ve been looking at ways we can safely take that forward in a pandemic environment. Some of it has successfully transferred online, but what has emerged are the benefits of outdoor programmes, both for our younger people and the older generation.’
Before the first lockdown in March 2020, eight registered childminders from across Torbay spent up to two days a week, on a rotational basis, working from a DfE-funded co-located intergenerational space at Warberries Care Home, the first of its kind to be run in collaboration with childminders in the UK.
Lorraine George, former development worker at Torbay council, was instrumental in setting up the pioneering scheme, and many of the other intergenerational schemes across south Devon, after she received funding to travel to the US in 2017 to research intergenerational co-located learning in nurseries based within residential care homes.
Although Lorraine has recently moved on to become the learning and development officer for Generations Working Together, she still works on the Torbay intergenerational projects on a voluntary basis.
During her research, she discovered the benefits of these intergenerational schemes for the children involved include:
- improvements in language development
- increased reading skills
- greater self-esteem and confidence
- development of empathy.
Lorraine says, ‘Being supported by older adults builds children’s confidence, which encourages them to try different types of learning as they feel safe enough to risk failure. It also offers them unconditional love, growth mindset, genuine interest in their achievements and praise in the process, all of which can compensate for early negative relationships.’
As for the older adults, they benefit from increased socialisation and an improved sense of well-being through a ‘surrogate grandparent role or volunteer teacher role’, she explains.
She adds, ‘It gives them a sense of purpose as they feel loved and valued by the children.’
ONLINE CONNECTION
In the absence of being able to enter the care homes because of the pandemic, many of the children have communicated with residents over Skype; sent hugs in the post (life-size paintings of the children with their arms stretched out); and some children have read stories to residents on social media.
Torbay-based childminder Michelle Reeves says parents are pleased that their children have been supported to stay in touch with their elderly friends. One of her parents says, ‘My son loves to tell us all about his Skype sessions with George – how funny he is and how much he makes him laugh. We love to hear how he’s still interacting with people even when he can’t visit.’
IN THE FOREST
Other childminders were lucky enough to be involved in intergenerational schemes that ran outdoors.
Childminder Kris Westcott and four children in her care were enrolled on the 12-week Connecting Actively to Nature (CAN) programme, which ran from April to July 2021 and was delivered by South West Family Values on the site of Orchard Forest School.
She says, ‘There’s was little social interaction last year, which knocked the confidence of some children – and was very difficult for the older generation. So it was lovely to see the children’s confidence blossom and watch them build these lovely relationships. One of the children always asked for Sue, one of the older adults, and still does, every time we visit.
‘They made elderflower cordial, built a seesaw from scratch and spent time around the camp fire with hot chocolate, marshmallows and stories. What was most striking was how much they enjoyed being helpful. They used the wheelbarrows to clear the wood chippings and helped build a dragon’s den.’
‘Real relationships were built on mutual respect for one another. Some children were shy and withdrawn initially, but I was shocked at how well they took to it. Equally, I think the older generation were shocked at how capable the children were of listening to instructions and joining in with the activities alongside them – and how much they enjoyed it. It’s an amazing project – and I would recommend it for every child.’
Dave Jones, director of South West Family Values and Orchard Forest School, says bringing together the older adults who volunteered on the site and lived far away from their own grandchildren, with the pre-school children who visited with their childminders, was a joy to observe.
‘It was lovely to see how the children followed them around the site, often like a row of little ducklings. Off they went with their watering cans for gardening activities. One little boy took a shine to Bob and followed him everywhere, even asking for him to become his granddad. They made a bench together, cutting the wood, drilling the holes and joining it together. The boy was the curious child, asking questions and helpfully holding the wood in place, and Bob took the role of a friendly teacher, satisfied that he was teaching the child a new skill.’
Starting this January, Orchard Forest School will host a new scheme, ‘Growing together in harmony: intergenerational forest school’, funded by Youth Music, which will be delivered across three terms to ten older adults and ten early years children with their childminders. The project will look at how music as the creative connector between children and older adults can improve children’s communication skills.
CASE STUDY: Rebuilding Bridges
Childminder Rachel Marshall took part in Rebuilding Bridges, an eight-week intergenerational music and song-writing project, led by Hugh Nankivell of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where pre-school children and their childminders visited residents of three local care homes for weekly music, singing and percussion groups from September to November 2021.
She says, ‘Despite the children being outdoors in the garden and the residents indoors, the connection is clear to see. It’s almost like an invisible string attached. It’s important to remember that for these children, who came to us in Covid times, this is their normal.
‘One of my three-year-olds with developmental delay has, for the first time since she’s been with me, developed eye contact with the residents. She loves music and has made real connections with the other children.
‘Their speech and language has also developed as they sing well-known nursery rhymes like ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and learn older songs like ‘My bonny lies over the ocean’. I feel that being outside has actually brought the outside in to the residents. For example, Hugh makes up songs about nature and the residents have a lot of knowledge about trees and the environment that actually connects them to it again.’
Childminder Michelle Reeves has been going into Torbay care homes with groups of pre-school children for the past five years.
She says, ‘It’s as interactive as we can make it in the current climate. And it’s the highlight of the week for many children. As we drove up to the home last week, one of my little girls who has limited speech and is shy, said, “dance, dancing”, as she excitedly associated it with the sessions.
‘We sometimes use microphones, and when one of the residents with advanced dementia sang Danny Boy, the children were awestruck. Hugh is on the accordion and Steve on the guitar. There’s lots of singing and dancing and actions. One week the children used hand paints to make an ocean; the next week we made boats, and this is always accompanied by made-up songs about the subjects. It’s so much fun – and a joy to see the benefits for both the residents and the children.’
Kathrin Paal from Plymouth University and Lois Peach from Bristol University have also been attending the sessions, in order to evaluate the importance and value of intergenerational activity.
MORE INFORMATION
- The Orchard Forest School intergenerational programme was funded by Connecting Actively to Nature (CAN), a Devon Local Nature Partnership programme, with support from Sport England and Torbay Early Years Advisory Team. It involved ten older adult volunteers, four childminders and ten children in their care.
- Rebuilding Bridges was funded by the Arts Council, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Torbay Music Hub, supported by the Torbay Early Years Advisory Team. It precedes the Make Bridges with Music programme, which took place in 2017.
- ‘Shared nursery and elder care sites will end “age apartheid”’, Nursery World: https://bit.ly/3xyktBq
- ‘EYFS Best Practice – Intergenerational practice’, Nursery World: https://bit.ly/3FY6Tds
