2019.03.01
“My sister’s scream is over 110 decibels when she sees a cockroach, and it causes discomfort for my ears.” “We can’t wear earphones for too long or we will hurt our ears.” These were children’s sharing of their knowledge about sounds and hearing
In August 2018, Children’s Hearing Foundation (CHF) organized the first “Hear the World”, a summer camp that aims to popularize the science of sounds for children. Third- to fifth- graders experienced the profoundness of sounds, learned knowledge about hearing, and gradually became the pioneers for maintaining hearing health.
How are sounds relayed? By how many decibels, the measurement of sounds, will our ears be hurt? Children can not become the pioneers for hearing health without knowing these answers. Through carefully designed theme activities and games, participating children gradually achieved the tasks and made new friends as well as learnt from the games. We would like to share with you the highlights of this exciting three-day camp.
Learning knowledge about ears and sounds
The first round of activity is Having Fun with the Sounds, which helped children get interested in the science of sounds. Children were excited during various do-it-yourself games that made them compare loudness and frequency of the sounds as well as identify different parts of the ear organ. They were surprised that learning could be so much fun!
The second round is Experiencing Sounds in Life. In the Kaohsiung Cultural Center, children explored all kinds of sounds they could hear. When they heard a loud sound, they used sound pressure meters to measure the decibels of the sound. If there were softer sounds, the children listened carefully and recorded different volumes and tones.
Empathizing with hard of hearing people
Now the participating children all passed the basic step and were about to advance to the next level! After becoming a little expert of sounds, they needed to learn hearing loss as well. Children may get along with classmates or friends with hearing loss at schools. They can’t be the best pioneers of hearing health if they do not learn to respect and understand the people with hearing loss.
It is actually not difficult to help children have empathy for people with hearing loss. Participating children decided to wear earplugs while listening to the camp counselors speak when they were all on the train. After this experience, the children said, “I did not know that it takes so much effort to hear when the sounds are unclear.” ”It feels tight in my ears with earplugs. I think wearing a hearing aid would be very uncomfortable.” They also found that listening with patience can be a strong power to make speakers feel at ease. After two days of activities, our participants had become more and more mature.
Last, but not the least, came the presentation time! Through group discussions, the children went on stage to demonstrate their teamwork and creativity through a situation drama. They confidently shared their learning during this camp; the children not only made beautiful posters but also performed how they would protect their ears as well as communicate with people with hearing loss. The camp had a perfect ending with a successful result that participating children have become little pioneers of hearing health.
