Sharing Space Program

Residents from Algester Lodge, Bundaleer Lodge Nursing Home and Pre-Prep students from Ipswich Junior Grammar School have been participating in an intergenerational learning programme called Sharing Spaces. This partnership programme with Junior Grammar Early Education Centre, Algester Lodge and Bundaleer Lodge Nursing Home involves residents traveling to Junior Grammar EEC to enjoy a morning of activities and fun with the children of the EEC. Algester Lodge and Bundaleer lodge residents interact with the children from the school through story time, craft activities, and cooking experiences.

Both the residents from Algester Lodge, Bundaleer Lodge and the EEC children benefit from this experience. The children get to make new friends, increase their awareness of the elderly, develop empathy and have fun enjoying meaningful activities. The children are able to develop their social skills through the programme whilst having fun. Likewise, the residents of Bundaleer Lodge were able to engage in positive and meaningful activities where they can share their own knowledge, experiences and skills. It is a refreshing experience for the residents at Algester Lodge and Bundaleer Lodge; the time spent with the younger generations allowing them to get in touch with their youthful side, stirring fond memories of children and grandchildren.

The residents embraced the student’s broad imagination, which was transferred into works of art, craft and cooking. Furthermore, it is a wholesome and culturing experience for the younger children, as they eagerly awaited stories from the residents, who gladly shared recounts of, what the children called “the olden days”. The opportunity for children to hear about the experiences of the residents who have grown up in a drastically different time is incredibly important, allowing for an enhanced sense of gratitude for traditions and cultures that often go underappreciated in an increasingly technology dependent world. This immensely positive experience would not be possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of both carers of Algester Lodge, Bundaleer Lodge and the teachers of Ipswich Junior Grammar School EEC, who coordinates the programme and make the activities possible.