After your volunteer project, it is important for families to reflect on their experiences. Through reflection, your family can appreciate the difference you are making, discuss any challenges you are encountering and learn from your experience.

Reflection can include sharing observations, reactions, feelings and activities about the volunteer experience. There are many different ways reflection can happen including writing, discussing, drawing, and acting. Below you will find some suggested activities.

• Magic Wand - This activity uses the concept of a magic wand to help children talk about and reflect on their volunteer experience. Divide the family volunteers into small groups of 5 or 10 and have each group sit in a circle. Tell everyone that you have just found a magic wand that allows you to grant wishes, and pose the questions, "If you could grant a wish to one person, who would it be, and what do you think he or she would wish for?" and "How do you think what we did today will make someone feel, and how do you think that is similar to granting a wish?"
  
  
• Family Pictionary - Divide the family volunteers into small groups of 5 to 7 people. Have everyone take turns drawing something about their volunteer experience and how they felt about it. While each person is drawing, have everyone else try to guess what the picture represents. After each picture is drawn, the artist should talk about the picture and what it means in relation to the project.
  
  
• Book Talk - Read a storybook from the Book Talk page and lead the kids and families in discussing how the story relates to their volunteer experience.
  
  
• Reflection Questions - Choose some of the following discussion questions to get youth volunteers and their parents thinking, and have participants take turns answering around the circle.
  • What did we do today, and what did we learn about?
  • How did you feel this morning before you did the project, and how do you feel now?
  • What was your favorite moment? Why?
  • Who did you work with, and how did they respond to you?
  • What happened when ...
  • What was your biggest challenge? How did you handle it?
  • Has your opinion changed about this issue?
  • Would you like to do the project again?
  • Would you do anything differently next time?
  • What are you most proud of that you did today?
  • What will you do to teach others what you learned today?
• Reflection Tree - Have participants write their reactions to the service projects on leaves of cardstock or construction paper, to stick to a "Reflection Tree." The tree can be cut out of large construction paper and taped to the wall, painted on large paper, or adapted from a bare tree branch "planted" in a pot.
  
  
• Reflection Form - Distribute the "Reflection Form/Participant Survey" from Appendix B for children and families to fill out. This is an opportunity for them to think about what they have accomplished. Collect the forms to read feedback on the family volunteer opportunity.