Vision Australia’s Kooyong team held another successful school holiday program last week, from September 30 to October 3. The program was led by paediatric occupational therapist Leo Gnavi, physiotherapist Christina Ovenden and orientation and mobility specialist Wendy Doyle. Activities were based around therapeutic goals and outcomes.
[Two VA school holiday participants drinking smoothies in a cafe]
The four-day schedule was jam packed full of fun, with the children planting herbs in a pot they decorated, building tactile maps out of Lego, and visiting a local café for morning tea. The kids also got to sing and dance along to live music by Vision Australia’s staff band!
[Children planting herbs in tubs of soil]
Sport was also on the agenda with goalball at Scotch College’s indoor sport hall, soccer, cricket and a daily game of swish.
[Children and VA staff kneeling in front of a goal net in a sports hall]
The highlight was an exclusive session at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) run by a curator and art educators. The children learned about how the gallery was designed as a fortress surrounded by water. They were provided with smaller tactile replicas of the gallery’s art pieces and asked what feelings they evoked. The children then created their own art pieces based on this experience.
[Children visiting the NGV, holding tactile replicas of some of the art pieces]
The children had a great time experiencing all the varied activities.
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[VA school holiday participant climbing a tree]