My service learning project is going great so far. I really love working with the elderly, especially the Alzheimer's patients. I've been doing about two activities a week the past couple of weeks, and every week we do the same one. Basically we take big baloons and throw them to the elderly person and they hit it back. It really doesn't sound like much, but to them it must be a lot of fun because they are always smiling. The little movement it takes to move their arms is great for them too. Another activity is taking a foam bat and having them hit the balloon which is on a string. I was surprised with how well they all did this. One patient in particular couldn't move her wrist or arm enough to fully the swing the bat. All she could do was lightly tap on the ball with the bat. It was really sad to see that she could barely move, but when I rolled the balloon to her she could really kick it! It surprised me that she had so much more movement in her legs when she is even in a wheel chair. A few of the patients are better off than others, so I took about 4 of them and put them in a small circle and had them kick a ball back and forth to each other. They were sitting though because they have pretty bad balance. They did really good kicking the ball and were smiling and laughing the whole time. I also help with just moving the patient's arms and legs up and down, so they get some movement since most of them can't move them much on their own. It is really a weird feeling to feel how stiff they are and how hard it is to move their joints.

While talking with one of the patients, she asked me what my name was and where I was from. I told her my name is Kayla and I grew up in Green Bay, and she asked if I liked it and I said I did. She then answered well that's great and gave me a big smile. I walked away and came back about two minutes later, and I was surprised that she asked me the same exact question, and had the same responses. I know this is from her dementia, but it still surprised me.

This past week I went in on Wednesday since I had some time, and I hadn't been there since the friday before. I was very surprised when one of the patients who's dementia is pretty severe came up to me and said," Oh your back again!" She then asked what we were going to do that day, so I really think she rememered me. That was such a great feeling because I felt like it really means something when I come in and spend time with them. Even though I work there, the patients don't remember who I am, and always aske me my name, so it was great to know that doing the extra activities was giving us a better relationship.

Cellular Respiration On Track #2

It was another productive week for our group. We met at the library Thursday, April 17th from 3:45-5:30pm to continue the work we've already started. Steven, Steph, Liz, and I brought more information to the table and began, as a group, the discuss the specific outline for our animation and the narration to go along with each step/slide. We found it easy to artistically interpret what information we wanted to get across during glycosis, the kreb cycle, and electron transport stages, but it was difficult to put this information into terms and words that could be used for a variety of biology classes at all levels. There are a lot of technical terms so we worked on breaking down the information to be more suitable for learning and for teachers who are looking for a basic understanding for their students. Liz has spent the past week working on the backround template for the slides and next week we will begin making masks and seperate slides that will eventually run together for an Imovie. This weekend I am going to try to find additional information on the Kreb cycle to see if we can interpret this more easily. Our group is going to meet again on Tuesday after class to do some computer work and gather our thoughts on some lingering issues. Overall, I'm happy with how our project is turning out but we certainly have a lot of work to do yet.

Sunshine and Schmeekle

This week, Lauren and I ventured out to Schmeekle again to check out how it looks since we've had such nice weather. The trails were almost all dried out from the rain and snow, so we got to work clearing out extra brush and debris that could get in the way of bikers, runners, or people just walking and enjoying the scenery. We picked up A LOT of litter as well, which really enhanced how pretty the environment is out there. In addition, we looked around for a type of weed, which is an invasive species in Schmeekle, but we didn't see any. We actually walked in pretty far since it was so nice out, and saw a variety of wildlife including ducks, several birds, a few rabbits, and a small rodent or two. It's a great feeling to be helping out in Schmeekle, especially with the nice weather because we're helping others enjoy wildlife without having to step over a bunch of litter and debris. It's also good to know that the animals don't have to deal with it either. It should be fun to go out there more now that it keeps getting warmer!

Service Learning- YMCA

Last Monday at the Y, there were only two kids working out, so when they were done, I went to the other section of the room and played air hockey and pool against James who come to Family Prime Time. I learned that his father is a physical therapist who works in Stevens Point, which I found interesting because that is what I planned on going into. It was fun switching up what I do from working out to having fun, it was a good change of pace. In my time at the YMCA, I learned all that kids can do to get into or stay in shape from a very early age. The Y offers many programs for the kids ranging from the machines that only work by resistance, to exercise programs that involve running and being aerobically active. I believe that this volunteering has helped shed some light on what I want to do with my life. I learned that I really like working with kids and I also like making muscled work correctly, so I think my thoughts about becoming a physical therapist are very good, maybe I should specialize in pediatrics. Based on the service I had, people can really make a difference in the community. I found myself looking forward to Mondays because I got to go volunteer at the Y and have a good time doing it. The people who work there have a really sweet gig. They get to play with the kids or help them work out and they get paid for it.

Where Debot Goes #3

Our project on Where Debot Goes is working fairly well. Tyler found out that the HEC is free, we just have to sign up for a certain time. Last week we met and planned out what we all would be doing. We all agreed to take different parts of the digestive system and to explain how that part works, one of the most common problems with it, ways to keep that part healthy. This weekend we are going to put together all of our information on a poster and get ready to hopefully present next week or the week after that.

Update

The bathroom notices have worked pretty well they haven't been torn off the walls so I see that as having a positive response to them. Working together with the other guys has been fun we get along with each other really well. Now we are starting to put together a strategy for our dorm board stats and facts. Also starting to plan for the question night in the dorm. Both should go very well and be very benificial for the people that stop by or observe the notices. The sicknesses we are researching are very interesting and I am learning some new things about them that I never knew about before. Some of the ways to treat them are very cool and the medicines can be sometimes be very advanced. Hopefully things will continue going as smoothly as they have been for the rest of the year.