Q and A Big Panel Continued...

Half way through our panel discussion.  Here are two more questions and answers for you on this Monday morning.  Enjoy the week everyone!

Question 5:  What do you do to celebrate birthdays and holidays?  Do you give a gift?

BB – Erick:  I bring cards, gifts and candy for birthdays and holidays.

BS – Jen:  My Little Sister’s birthday is a couple days before Christmas so I usually get her a couple of smaller items such as lotion from Bath and Body Works, a $5 gift card to Starbucks, or maybe some fun socks or something like that.  I gave her an ornament as well that reminded her of our time together.

BS – Mary:  We have not experienced the holidays together yet, but my Little had her birthday a few weeks after our match meeting.  Since we had just met a few weeks ago, I thought it would be best to send a nice card in the mail wishing her a happy birthday.  Next year, I may do something more but felt that was the most appropriate at the time.  For the holidays, I might get together and do something more special, such as Pursuing Picasso or Bead Happy.  My Little has been asking to do pottery so the holidays might be more fitting to do this type of activity together.  As far as gift giving, I know my Little likes to shop so I might give her a gift card to her favorite store and we could go shopping together so she can use the card or buy her a new book since she has expressed an interest in reading.

Question 6:  What is the biggest improvement you have seen with your Little?

BB – Erick:  Improved skills in all areas of school – reading, writing, math, etc

BS – Mary:  With the new school year, I have seen a change in my Little’s feelings toward school and friendships.  Last year she had troubles with a few classmates and now moving into middle school she has already made new friendships and has a more positive outlook on school.  I was hesitant with how middle school would be for her, but am happy to hear her response every time when I ask her about school and classmates.  I plan to continue to talk to her about school and help boost her self-confidence by encouraging her to follow her interests and give her more of a voice.

Q and A Big Panel Continued...

Happy Friday Everyone!  Here are two more questions from our panel discussion:

Question 3:  What are your favorite activities to do during the winter months?

BB – Erick:  Same as above (question 2 posted on 11/3/11)

BS – Jen:  We went sledding one time and had lots of fun until we froze!  We went ice skating once at the BBBS outing and that was fun.  My Little had to hold my hand because I was a bit unsteady and didn’t want to fall.

BS – Mary:  This will be our first winter together so I’m not entirely sure what we’ll do, but we have talked about visiting the different museums in the area.  When we were first matched, I received the BIG Card and the Key Card which will get us into the local museums at a discounted price which is helpful.  My Little has taken an interest in reading as well so we will visit the library and participate in the library events when we can.  I noticed the BBBS office also has movies to check out so I’m sure we will spend time watching movies and baking together. 

Question 4:  What is your favorite memory or favorite outing?

BB – Erick:  One time I got to go to the gym with my Little Brother’s whole class a couple of years ago because they had done well on an assignment.  We played a bunch of games in the gym.  I also enjoyed the paper airplane flying contests with him.

BS – Jen:  We made shirts one time and drew/wrote on them.  It was about what we have done since we have been matched.  That was fun!  Otherwise sledding was fun, the Halloween party put on by BBBS and the scavenger hunt at the mall was fun too.

BS – Mary:  The favorite memory I have so far would be the outing we had at Palmer Family Center.  We used the BIG card and went mini golfing, go carting and jumped on the bouncy pillow.  All at a discounted price!  We had a great time and had many laughs as we tried to pass each other on the go carts.  I would also say a favorite would be when we play board games together and attend BBBS events with other matches.

Q & A Big Panel Discussion

As we mentioned yesterday, we would like to use a portion of this blog to further educate our Bigs.  Why not get started right away by presenting the information we gathered during our Q and A panel with seasoned Bigs.  Unfortunately, we could not hold this training in person, but have no fear, the information is here! 

We asked a total of nine questions to our panel of Bigs from the School Based and Community Based programs.  Each day we will post two questions and the responses we received.  If you have any comments or questions you would like to ask our panel please let us know!

Question 1:  What has been your biggest struggle with your match?  How did you handle this?

BB – Erick:  Getting my Little Brother to open up about personal/family stuff and how he is doing with school.  I just kept talking to him and asking questions without being too pushy.  I developed a friendship and trust.

BS – Jen:  I think our biggest struggle is finding time to hang out.  My Little Sister has many activities, sports, etc she is involved in.  She also spends every other weekend at her dad’s house.  I try to be patient with her and flexible with her schedule.  I think we get along great so it is nice to have a friend.  I think it is good she is involved in a lot, she is well rounded. 

BS – Mary:  I cannot say I have had a big struggle at this point in my match.  However, I have learned to plan as much in advance as possible on my end to be sure I find the time to meet with my Little Sister on a regular basis.

Question 2:  What is your favorite thing to do on your visits?

BB – Erick:  Play games – cards, dominoes, board games, games on the iPad.

BS – Mary:  My Little loves to do crafts so we find some crafty thing to do together often.  We love going to the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) office and picking out items in their resource room as well.  This past summer we would check out games and craft items and then head to a park to play the games or put together the crafts.  It was a great way to get outdoors.

Wordless Wednesday

Halloween Party, Oct. 18, 2011
Many thanks to George Wyth State Park, John Deere and Bill and Geri Dix!

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WELCOME!

We are so excited to enter into the blogging world and look forward to the journey ahead.  This blog was created as a way to further extend our connection with the volunteers we serve and our faithful supporters.  So please continue to follow The Big Blog and offer up your questions and comments along the way.  We appreciate your time and dedication to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa – you are changing how children in our community grow for the better, forever!