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Cranbrook Care delivered chickens and wisdom to Cool Bananas children
Freya Lucas
May 08, 2023
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Residents of aged care provider Cranbrook Care recently attended the Cool Bananas Early Learning Centre in Box Hill to deliver some baby chickens as part of concerted efforts by the provider to foster intergenerational connections.
In the lead up to the delivery, residents from all four Cranbrook Care locations carefully watched over and nurtured eggs in a series of humidors over the Easter period, waiting for hatching day when their newborn feathered friends would be delivered to the children at Cool Bananas, who will help raise them and eventually collect their eggs for the early education centre’s cook to use when preparing meals. The children were so excited to see the arrival of the chicks from Cranbrook Care’s Bella Vista Gardens residents Janet and Ken, who provided some sage advice on how to gently and quietly handle the birds.“The chicks are in good hands here, be gentle and give them lots of love.”
Chicks Daisy, Sunshine, Frango and Big Bird are settling into Cool Bananas well, making themselves at home in the specially prepared chicken coop, which has been recycled from the children’s old cubby house to form the new chick sanctuary.
While waiting for their feathered friends, the children have all been involved in planting out ‘chook-friendly’ garden beds, and painting brooder boxes for the hens.
For the next six weeks, whilst the chicks grow stronger, they will be looked after indoors by the four-year old children from the Dolphins classroom. The Cool Bananas staff say the chicks provide a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn about care and responsibility.
“We have implemented a delegation roster where four children a day will be responsible for the daily tasks of feeding and watering and looking after their new feathered friends,” said Cool Bananas staff member Rebecca Murphy.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership and the children have delighted in meeting Janet and Ken, and of course their new fluffy friends.”
The intergenerational connections program is the work of the Cranbrook Care team, with CEO Lee Carissa outlining its role as part of a broader schedule of activities helping to bridge the divide between the generations, and to create new and meaningful opportunities for older residents in care to connect with their communities.
Aside from chicken rearing, children have been working with residents on a creative storytelling and art project, with the Cool Bananas children creating paintings to send to their older friends at Cranbrook Care Bella Vista Gardens, William Cape Gardens, Bayswater Gardens and Lansdowne Gardens.
The residents had the opportunity to take inspiration from the painting they received to imagine a story to accompany it, which they wrote down and shared with their young artist – a rewarding exercise which encouraged both groups to tap into their creativity.
Ms Carissa believes the partnership offers both emotional and cognitive benefits for participating Cranbrook Care residents, who have been keen to get involved.
“We have been working with Cool Bananas for a while now, and the reception from our residents and the children has been fantastic to see,” she said.
“We are really proud of this partnership which is successfully connecting young children with our residents through hands-on creative activities which help share stories and build connections between younger and older generations, something which is particularly important for residents who may not have younger family members close by.”
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