On the rainy Saturday morning of 30 May, an integration festival for children and their parents was held at Municipal Kindergarten No. 1. Parents could take part in an auction, relax in the café or enjoy a tasty meal at the snack bar. The children danced at a mini-disco, painted jugs, could have their faces painted and presented wonderful outfits during a fashion show.
An interesting initiative by one of the mothers, Aneta Opała, was organising a bazaar selling toys and children’s clothing. The toys were priced at 50 groszy or one złoty each. The donors had brought genuinely nice items in good condition. Used clothes could be bought for two to five złoty. There was also a bicycle for a three-year-old for just 10 złoty, ceramic decorations and many different small items for one złoty. All proceeds from the bazaar were allocated to purchasing educational materials for the kindergarten.
The festival had two aims. The first was to make parents feel that the kindergarten is part of their own home, rather than merely a place where they leave their child for eight hours. In addition, by contributing even the smallest amount, a parent enriches their child’s surroundings. It is as if they had invested in the child’s room, making it nicer and helping the little one feel comfortable there.
The second important element was the bazaar organised for everyone interested. Nice, washed and ironed children’s clothes for ages 0 to 7 were sold for symbolic amounts. It was a real treat for any parent whose child outgrows clothes within a month. Sometimes it is also difficult to buy a child a new soft toy for 20 złoty. At the bazaar, however, beautiful cuddly toys cost just 50 groszy. If the idea proves popular, it can be repeated more than once.
Despite the bad weather, the festival attracted great interest and brought immense joy to the children, their parents and the carers from Kindergarten No. 1. During the festival, 3,609 złoty was raised, including the largest amounts from the auction—855 złoty—and from sales at the café offering homemade cakes: 805 złoty. The money raised will be spent on enriching the children’s play and learning area.
(GH information)