Children at the Helping Hand Home residential treatment center in Austin, TX learn new skills and try new things during each summer’s Discovery Time. This year, TimberTown brought a building project that required teamwork and a little creativity.
The residential treatment center at Helping Hand Home for Children is designed to help kids ages 7-14 who have undergone severe abuse and neglect transition into a healthy home environment. HHH has been transforming the lives of children in Austin for over one hundred years, and TimberTown Austin was fortunate to be a part of this summer’s Discovery Time: where children in the RTC take part in various learning activities and experiences.
This year we brought two building projects to work on with the kids: birdhouses for the younger children and planter boxes for the older children. For the planter boxes, three groups worked together to assemble and paint cedar planter boxes using hammers, nails, and paint supplies. Each group demonstrated excellent teamwork and enthusiasm when building and painting their projects, especially when it was their turn to use the hammer! The finished planter boxes were then placed around the HHH grounds so the children could plant flowers in them during another Discovery Time.
The seven to nine year olds each assembled and painted their own birdhouse, which they were able to keep. This project helped develop hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to follow instructions. The kids also loved being able to paint the birdhouse and make it their own.
All in all, Discovery Time was a huge success and we can’t wait to go back next year! For more information on Helping Hand Home, the residential treatment center, foster care, or adoption services, visit helpinghandhome.org.
