Kids Learning Service

Surprise! I'm not perfect. Yes, I went to the salon the other day and actually sat down and relaxed for an hour and a half (!!!) and have lovely, bouncy curls now, but this is how my life really looked at the time... It was the first time in 6 months I've had my hair even trimmed, and sadly it was obvious, my husband was stuck in a parking lot for 3 hours in a different state because of snow, my children were farmed out: one at swim team, she had a ride home but had to borrow my house key because she lost hers (which incidentally, one guess who got locked out at 7 a.m. the next morning?!), one on the way back from a high school competition, but had no ride home from the school because I was sitting in a salon chair, one away at college but I couldn't remember if she'd checked in to let me know she was still alive (a requirement for her moving away), and the youngest safe and content at a friend's grandparent's house (I usually don't ask if my kids ca

One of the teachers I work with asked for help in finding ways to tie service into their curriculum (the quintessential definition of Service Learning). The class was already painting portraits of their pets (seen in the background of the picture to the left) for a fundraising auction for Guide Dogs for the Blind . I was lucky enough to find an amazing volunteer from our local chapter that gave us some additional ideas for service that will be incorporated into next year's unit as well. The night of the art auction was a great example of project-based learning. The unit was actually a  poetry unit, one of the poems they studied was about a boy that adopted a dog from an animal shelter. Each student read an original poem based on certain author's styles (such as Robert Frost). The art teacher talked about the art techniques and math skills used in painting the pictures, and of course, the community partnership and service was a big part of it. Service ways you can serve an

On the train with my littles and my nieces When I started this blog, I wanted to do more than just make a list of things other people could do. I knew that meant I would need to try out new service ideas. This week I decided to get off the train on the way back from the gymnastics meet we were attending to give out valentines to people who are homeless. Do people who are homeless  need  valentines? No, but  everyone  needs something to make them smile and forget hard things they are facing. I teach students that you should assess needs to ensure that service is meaningful and appropriate, so in this instance I asked myself: What is a valentines treat that is portable, somewhat healthy, and filling? How can we make it themed without giving out cutesy cards they would have to store or get rid of? If you remember from my first post, I am surrounded by amazing people doing amazing things. One of those people told me about a volunteer they met at the Burrito Project . He bring

Sorry if the title got you excited to be a volunteer at the Super Bowl. They really might need volunteers there, but living in Salt Lake, I wouldn't know for sure. If you've heard, let me know below. What Super Bowl service describes is ideas for squeezing service with your kids into a busy life. These ideas can be done by your kids while you are making dinner, on a rainy day (or during the summer when they need a break from the heat), during layovers at the airport (or other loooong waits with kids- just pack some paper and colored pencils or crayons. Take a manila envelope already addressed and stamped and you can throw it in a mailbox before you board so you don't even need to take it with you), Sunday afternoons, while the kids are watching TV, or yep, even during the Super Bowl. (These are also great ideas to do for school, scouts, church and other groups). Yesterday, my daughter, A, and I did service for soldiers, hospitalized children, seniors, and kids needed