Progress Toward Our Goal

3/27/2012

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In a word: INCREDIBLE.

 We launched our service project, One Day Without Shoes, just one week ago.  Since then, not a single day has gone by that I haven't found myself reflecting on these students and their generosity with absolute awe, amazement, and gratitude. Your children have embraced this opportunity to help others with their whole hearts and I could not be more proud of them.  Check out some of their stories below!  

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Karli and her family had planned a garage sale for Saturday morning; when she invited me on Friday, I wasn't exactly sure what her plan was.  When I got to Karli's house on Saturday morning, I was greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies and the world's biggest hug from a very excited first grader! Karli was very energetic about her idea for serving others!

Karli baked cookies and muffins and sold them (along with coffee, lemonade, and handmade bracelets and rings!) at her garage sale.  She made sure to tell everyone who stopped by about her goal and where the money was going.  

Way to go, Karli!
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Anna and her sister were busy on Sunday!  They baked four different types of cookies to sell and then set up a table in their driveway.  Anna created a fabulous poster letting all customers (and walkers, bikers, and drivers!) know exactly what she was up to.  

Mr. Nelson and I had a chance to stop by that evening and we were both very impressed with Anna's motivation, her sales pitch, AND her cookies!  

Thanks for your hard work this weekend, Anna!
We can also add countless stories of Frog Room kids volunteering to do extra chores, taking care of pets, babysitting younger brothers and sisters, collecting pop cans, etc. to Karli and Anna's stories.  There is not a single student in our class who has not jumped into this project with both feet and I am so honored to be teaching (and learning!) with them.  
Please continue sending your stories my way!

More updates to come soon!
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One Day Without Shoes: Our First Grade Service Project

3/17/2012

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During the month of March, New Groningen students are learning what it means to think beyond ourselves, our school, our city, and even our country, in order to impact others.

Our first graders will be participating in a nationwide campaign sponsored by TOMS shoes (a teacher favorite!)  This campaign is called One Day Without Shoes, and the primary focus is to raise awareness of the health risks that millions of children face daily because of their lack of shoes, and the impact that this has on education. 

(Please click on the image to the left to watch a 30-second informational video on this campaign).

This issue hits close to home because of the connection with a student in the Frog Room.  Elliana's family is currently in the process of adopting two boys from an orphanage in Ghana: an orphanage where the majority of children do not have access to proper shoes.  By going without shoes on April 10, our first grade students and teachers are hoping to raise enough money (and awareness!) to purchase 1 pair of shoes for each of the 70 children currently living in the orphanage in Ghana.  
Elliana's family will be traveling to Ghana this summer, and we would love to have our hearts go with them through this service project.

Here's where you can help: Your first grader is responsible for coming up with at least one way that he/she can earn money or raise awareness - at home - to help with this project before April 10.  I am very passionate about making sure that this part of the project is student-led, so please allow your son/daughter to take the lead here. Here are some of the ideas we brainstormed together in class:
  • Collect coins at home (from pop cans, couch cushions, spare change)
  • Collect coins at church (make a poster and put the can next to it)
  • Make a craft and sell it to neighbors and friends 
  • Offer to help with extra chores around the house (folding laundry, putting away dishes, making beds, etc) for a small allowance
  • Start a lemonade stand and save the money
  • Have a car wash and save the money 
 It would be great if the majority of our donations could come to school before One Day Without Shoes on April 10; however, I am not putting a time limit on this project yet.  The kids' excitement is so high that I would prefer to step back and let the enthusiasm carry us for a little while before accidentally stifling anything!

I believe that there is incredible power in service-learning and our class will also be turning One Day Without Shoes into a full cross-curricular unit.  We will be integrating this project into all of our academic areas over the next month.  Here are some of our plans:
  • We will read, research, and watch a presentation from an "expert" about children, families, customs, and schools in Ghana and compare/contrast them to the US
  • We will complete shared informational and persuasive writing projects to inform others of our project
  • We will use technology (and the help of our 5th grade buddies) to create flyers to advertise One Day Without Shoes around the school
  • We will use PhotoStory to create videos to show to other classrooms to raise awareness, and iMovie to create a video to send to Ghana with our donations
  • We will learn about mapping skills as we "travel" from the US to Ghana and learn about the differences in climate, culture, and more
  • We will measure, mix, and cook together as we prepare a traditional Ghana meal 
  • We will estimate the approximate cost of shoes in Ghana and then will earn, collect, count, and graph donations in order to see our progress toward our goal
The primary goal of this project is to experience thinking beyond ourselves as we learn to serve others; this is not, in any way, meant to be a burden on your student or your family.  If you have any questions, concerns, or would like more information along the way, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Much more information will be coming home soon!

                                          Thanks for supporting the Frog Room as we 
        "Go without shoes, so kids in Ghana don't have to!" 

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Weather Watchers

3/13/2012

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Our first graders have been busy tracking, recording, exploring, and explaining weather patterns lately.  In fact, I've heard from many of you that your first grader was more observant than afraid during last night's tornado watch -- awesome!

Last week, we went outside with our fifth grade buddies for a time of scientific exploration.  We did not go with any set questions or assignments other than to record the temperature in 2 different places.  Watch the video below to see what we discovered!
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