IP READING ELSDORF
The first Intergenerational Program Reading in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, took place in July 2010. Twenty students of the elementary school Elsdorf performed for thirty senior citizens of a nursing home.
For an introduction of the pilot session, a children-orchestra performed two songs on a stage. Subsequently, the 3rd and 4th graders presented their individually chosen readings to the inhabitants of the nursing home.
Between and after the reading blocks, several of the elderly shared some of their experiences which were often related to the readings. They also answered a string of questions.
The children, the seniors, the school administration, and the nursing home administration all agreed that this program is a great intergenerational platform and that it should be repeated. We are just preparing the next series of sessions.
