Sensitizing training: Visszhang Kindergarten, Tihany

On Monday 18th November 2013, we did our first sensitizing training among kindergarteners through the tender of the Norwegian Civil Support Fund. Our Organization visited the enthusiastic children of the Visszhang Kindergarten with 4 of our dogs.

We thank Burányi Virág for the photos!
In the first part kids were introduced to the lifestyle of disabled people. We put a plush bunny in front of the children sitting on small chairs. Then, we asked them to pick them up without standing up or raising their bottoms. It was not an easy task, since it was difficult for them to not stand up when they leaned forward. With this exercise the children got to see how hard it is for disabled people to pick up objects. After this Cooper, the service dog demonstrated how it picks up objects to hand it to its owner, even the smaller items such as a coin. Not only did we show the kids how dogs pick up objects but we also demonstrated how they pull down gloves, as well as pack objects. Cooper was asked to pick up those plush animals which the children could not place into a box. Both the kids and Cooper enjoyed the exercise.
Kuku, the hearing dog came with us as well, who demonstrated how it gives signals to its’ owner if the alarm-clock switches on in the morning, if someone rings the doorbell or if they call out her name. Of course we involved the kindergarteners in the game, we asked them to shut their ears. After this, we talked to them in order to make them feel what it is like to not hear normally when they are being talked to.
In the end of the program T and Nyafi our learner therapy dogs invited the kids to a little game. Everyone could pick a card from the dogs’ trace. There were cartoon characters on each card, which all had their pairs, so the children were asked to find their partners. On our sensitizing training we could not skip the petting of the dogs either. As a farewell they were allowed to give the dogs reward besides caressing them.
Location: Visszhang Kindergarten, Tihany, Visszhang street 21.
Our presenters: Mányik Richárd and his service dog Cooper, as well as his learner dog T, Loványi Eszter and her hearing dog Kuku, Czirják Helga and her learner dog Nyafi
Our helpers: Hölvényi Zita, Burányi Virág and Mali Era

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