Fun and games for Rancho Bernardo and Poway children, seniors

St. Michael’s School fourth graders and area seniors have once again joined together to play games, learn about healthy habits, nutrition, exercise and one another.

The second annual Rancho Bernardo/Poway Intergenerational Games returned to Rancho Bernardo Community Park on April 16. Throughout the morning, 34 seniors and 62 students visited activity stations where they did various physical activities — like tossing a Frisbee into a basket, arm exercises and tossing beanbags into a target — and educational projects. The latter included planting a tomato or basil seedling, which they took home to grow; and learning about healthy food options.

As they visited each station and ate lunch together, the teams — mostly one senior paired with two students — shared information about their lives to enhance their understanding of life for their counterparts.

“I learned how to play a lot of new games and a lot about my buddy, Chris,” said fourth grader Eva Wilson. “I learned that he’s from Canada and when he was in fourth grade he started speaking good English because before he had an accent, but now he speaks it perfectly.”

Eva said the gardening activity was her favorite because she got to plant the seedlings, which she planned to grow at home.

“I enjoyed all the stations and it was fun meeting someone not my age because (my buddy, Sandy) had a much different life than I do,” said fourth grader Jack Terry. “I learned about life before I was born.”

As for his favorite activity, Jack said it was bowling because “it’s always a fun sport.”

Rancho Bernardo resident Helena Hyman said she returned to participate as a senior buddy at the games because “I had such a good time. I really enjoy the idea of it too, meeting (young) people. They give me such delightful ones.”

While Hyman said she found some stations a bit more challenging than others, “they all were fun. My teammates (Sophia Derienzo and Brooke Kinnar) were just outstanding.” She added the girls dubbed their team, “The Awesome Three.”

First-time senior buddy Dan Hughes, a Rancho Bernardo resident, said he learned about the games through his volunteerism at Turtleback Elementary School.

“I like volunteering and working with kids,” he said. “If you want a lot of fun for a day and excitement, this fills the ticket.”

The free Intergenerational Games are part of the county’s Live Well San Diego campaign and coordinated by the North County Intergenerational Council.

Lisa Lipsey, the council’s chairwoman, said the stations were balanced in terms of physical demands so all participants could participate. She called the event “awesome,” said it ran much smoother this time around and she was already thinking about Earth Day-related activities to incorporate next year. These could include teaching about zero waste lunches, water conservation and wind energy, she said.

“This is a great opportunity for (the students) to learn about another generation,” said Jessica Bischalaney, a St. Michael’s School fourth grade teacher. “They get to know and learn about someone else’s life experiences ... like what school was like (decades ago).”

Bischalaney said because St. Michael’s kindergartners through fourth graders have regular interaction with senior residents at Sunshine Care in Poway, they are often more comfortable interacting with older adults than other children their age who do not have similar experiences with seniors.

Georganne Grotey, a volunteer organizer last week, started the first Intergenerational Games in North County eight years ago while director of the senior center in San Marcos. She said the games are an opportunity to teach children about older people that they might not normally encounter.

“Many don’t have grandparents nearby,” she said. Grotey added the activities also are an opportunity to break stereotypes because they show children that seniors can also do physical exercises and other activities.

“It’s a fun day for everybody,” Grotey said.