Volunteer

Showing kids in West Ham Park how to plant vegetables.

Felt like I was combining two things I like gardening and teaching kids.

Really enjoyed it – that fact it was sunny definitely helped though.

The little kids seemed really interested and enthusiastic.

I am enjoying being a science partner – I go to school for an hour every Friday lunchtime and try to chat to one or two pupils about science – my other partners are not so good at attending. We talk about all kinds of things. Recently, we have covered the greenhouse effect, food, energy, pH, acids and alkalii’s basically stuff that my partner has covered in lessons recently. Although sometimes I do go off on one… Last friday I started talking about DVT and then move on to veins and arteries and explaining how respiration worked. This makes me excited about science again after so many years.

Also my partner said the nicest thing – that she really enjoyed the lesson on Friday. This made me smile for the rest of the day…

I love that my company supports me doing this.

The last three Fridays I have been volunteering as a Science partner at a school close to where I work. So far this has been really interesting and rewarding. I get to read and relearn bits and pieces of science before talking and mentoring my partner in these things. I feel like I am building a valuable bond with my partner and that this is a productive use of both of our time.

Now I must prepare for next week – she is interested in learning about germs and viruses and stuff like that (or so she said).

... and it was excellent fun.

Trying to explain it sounds kind of crazy though.

I paid £35 pounds to go to a field and dig up scrub (small trees) so that the field can develop into a meadow and get certified as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientfic Interest) and be protected from development. We used a tool called a mattock which is kind of live a pickaxe, spade, axe tool – this was cool and felt kind of macho but because I am not used to manual labour – it really messed my lovely soft hands up – I am thinking of putting up photos but it is kind of gross so I probably won’t. Anyway we spent from 10-4 on Saturday scrubbing in this field on the Cliveden Estate in Buckinghamshire and then 10 – 1:30 on the Sunday. I also got to use a 3 tonne winch to haul out a really big stump.

Seriously though met an interesting bunch of people – varying from 26 to 65 with a great diversity of backgrounds and stories to tell – really positive and interesting. Ate well, drank, played Trivial Pursuit, chatted, cooked a mean vegetable lasagne and mousaka. And the warden had the nicest dog in the whole world – called Jet – he was a Lab-collie cross and super friendly.

All in all – it makes a change from the run of the mill and it seemed useful. I think I will definitely do another – lets see if I can convince one of my buddies (or maybe even my sister or dad) to come with me. One of the girls brought along her mum and this seemed like a super idea…

Mmmmm manual labour is good but it makes your back ache.

Excellent – have booked myself on a National Trust working holiday – where I will clear the grounds/meadow of a stately home for a weekend. This sounds like a damn pleasant way to spend a weekend at the end of september…

Anybody else interested:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-trust/w-volunteering/w-workingholidays.htm

Here’s hoping for an Indian summer so that it will be even more fun!