You're Never Too Little to Change the World

This may go down as my favorite week leading and volunteering, ever.  At the beginning of the school year, selections for Student Council were made, but neither Mia nor Ava were chosen as their class representative.  They both came home disappointed, which I fully understood.  I can vividly remember the day in 3rd Grade when my teacher decided to draw names out of a hat to select Student Council Representatives and mine was not chosen.  As I looked at their disappointed faces and heard their worries about not being able to participate, I knew we had a teachable moment.  I assured them that I understood their feelings and then encouraged them to do something positive with their disappointment.  We talked about all the different ways they could help around the school and decided they should create a proposal for a new club so more students could get involved.  It was no surprise to me that my little enviornmentalists wanted to start a recycling club.  We brainstormed what they could do and even created a mascot: Riley the Recycling Rainbow.  The following day at  school, they made their proposal, but were saddened to learn that Student Council representatives are in charge of recycling.  This time the disappointment was looking more like frustration so I knew there was more work to be done.  After another round of brainstorming and planning, they had a proposal for a Kindness Club.  Back to school they went with a list of monthly service projects in which students could participate.  The Guidance Counselor and Assistant Principal listened to their ideas and agreed to help them with the next steps in creating the club.  It was a bit of a process figuring out exactly how the Kindness Club was going to operate, but I couldn't be happier with the result for my girls and their schoolmates.

Teachers nominated 4 students from each class to participate in our first project.  On Thursday, I walked into the space where we'd be gathering and was so proud to see that my girls successfully turned their disappointment into action.

Their brains may be filled to the brim with science facts like their dad, but it's in moments like this the parts of me sprinkled throughout find their way to the surface.  

 

Each student received the name of a first responder in our community and 

created a holiday card for them.  I loved reading their messages of appreciation and am excited to deliver the cards this weekend.

Honestly, what could be better than this? 

Over at Eliana's school, the PTA and school librarian were busy leading a week-long service project.  We proposed this idea at the beginning of the year and watching it all come together made me so happy.  Students donated birthday party supplies (cake mix, frosting, party favors, sprinkles, candles, etc) and worked together to create Birthday-in-a-Bag kits for our local assistance center. Before assembling the bags, we read a story about spreading kindness, discussed how everyone has a birthday, but not everyone gets to celebrate with with cake, presents and parties and thought about how it might feel to not have those things on their own birthday.  To watch preschool, kindergarten and first grade students practice empathy and get excited about making sure everyone in their community gets a birthday party was the best!  

We are so grateful for the parents, staff members and administration who made all of this possible.  

Our community's littlest learners assembled 100 Birthday-in-a-Bag kits and learned that you're never too little to change the world one kind act at a time.