Tidings of Comfort and Joy

A week ago, I mentioned my students had made holiday cards for the patients at our local VA facility. Students from Kindergaten to 5th grade made over 100 cards.

Today, these cards and many others were delivered to the patients. They were thrilled, and I'm thrilled the cards were such a hit. I cannot wait to share this with my students in January!

Sharing the Joy

My school is somewhat of an odd duck. We're a charter school in a low-income school zone. We are also America's Choice and Title 1. We have alot of chiefs and many hats to wear. While our students have every advantage at school, many have little or nothing at home. I wanted to encourage them to look beyond their own circumstances. I wanted them to see other people who need support and assistance as well. I decided my Wednesday classes would make holiday cards to take to the local Veterans' Administration hospital.

The kids actually enjoy the process, and after some explaining, really don't mind they are making something for someone else. Like all my projects, I provide support, step by step, as these students haven't yet developed the skill to work without close direction. We're working on becoming more independant, but we're not there yet. For the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, we made cards with wall paper sample trees. I LOVE wallpaper books. They provide a variety of styles and prints, but only in a small amount, perfect for encouraging choice and design selection.

Our procedure was:

The kids really did a nice job with the lesson. And, like many of my projects a glitter bath was a requirement.



And, I apologize for the formatting of the pictures in this blog. I'm not sure what's going on!