ACTHA CHARITY of the Month
Driving Magic
ACTHA Monthly | 34
It is 9:00 Friday morning and volunteers from Driving Magic, Inc. are preparing for a Magic Workshop: driving instructors are communicating lesson plans, horse handlers and certified drivers are busy grooming and harnessing, student assistants are staging teaching aids in the arena, on trails and in carriages, and activities volunteers are setting up art and crafts, refreshments and the picnic area. There is a little competition among volunteer teams for who will most quickly and thoroughly complete safety checks to be the first to enjoy warm-ups; and there is always a great sense of anticipation and sincere joy as 10:15 draws near, the time when the buses and cars from a local school’s special education class will arrive. While the teams perform final checks and test teaching aids on the sensory trail, the buses arrive. While many workshops are for teens or adults, this week 5 buses emerge carrying 25 pre-school students from Fort Daniel Elementary. That is when the magic begins for students, teachers and volunteers alike. Regardless of students’ special needs, each experiences this moment in a unique and profound way–the sight of horse-drawn carriages entering the arena, the thunderous sound of horse hooves, the trembling of the earth as carriages pass by the waiting area, the smell of the countryside that envelopes them, the pumpkin patch where they will be taken to by horse-drawn carriage to pick from a field of preschool-sized pumpkins.
special education class will arrive. While the teams perform final checks and test teaching aids on the sensory trail, the buses arrive. While many workshops are for teens or adults, this week 5 buses emerge carrying 25 pre-school students from Fort Daniel Elementary. That is when the magic begins for students, teachers and volunteers alike. Regardless of students’ special needs, each experiences this moment in a unique and profound way–the sight of horse-drawn carriages entering the arena, the thunderous sound of horse hooves, the trembling of the earth as carriages pass by the waiting area, the smell of the countryside that envelopes them, the pumpkin patch where they will be taken to by horse-drawn carriage to pick from a field of preschool-sized pumpkins.
Carriage Driving for Individuals with Disabilities
By Jennifer Lindskoog,
Founder & Executive Director
Inc. are preparing for a Magic Workshop: driving instructors are communicating lesson plans, horse handlers and certified drivers are busy grooming and harnessing, student assistants are staging teaching aids in the arena, on trails and in carriages, and activities volunteers are setting up art and crafts, refreshments and the picnic area. There is a little competition among volunteer teams for who will most quickly and thoroughly complete safety checks to be the first to enjoy warm-ups; and there is always a great sense of anticipation and sincere joy as 10:15 draws near, the time when the buses and cars from a local school’s special education class will arrive. While the teams perform final checks and test teaching aids on the sensory trail, the buses arrive. While many workshops are for teens or adults, this week 5 buses emerge carrying 25 pre-school students from Fort Daniel Elementary. That is when the magic begins for students, teachers and volunteers alike. Regardless of students’ special needs, each experiences this moment in a unique and profound way–the sight of horse-drawn carriages entering the arena, the thunderous sound of horse hooves, the trembling of the earth as carriages pass by the waiting area, the smell of the countryside that envelopes them, the pumpkin patch where they will be taken to by horse-drawn carriage to pick from a field of preschool-sized pumpkins.