Joyful Giving

Looking for a way to share the joy of giving with your kiddos? 

First, talk about finding happiness in giving, as well as receiving, and share stories of the joy that comes from gift giving. There are some great stories that will help teach this lesson - two that come to mind are A Chair For My Mother by Vera Williams and One Winter's Day by M. Christine Butler.

A Chair For My Mother tells the story of a family saving up coins in a jar after they lose everything in a fire, to save up for something special. It shows how all the little coins come together to purchase something wonderful.

In One Winter's Day, Hedgehog's nest blows away and he is left with only his hat, scarf and mittens. As the story goes on, he gifts these to other animals who need them more than he does. At the end, he is rewarded for being such a good friend. 

Then, try this: 

Send a note home that invites everyone in the class (or at home) to contribute coins for a class giving project, and explain why this is so important. Children can get very caught up in the “receiving” part of the holidays, but may need a nudge to discover the joys of “giving.”

Contributions would be up to individuals and would be private, with students each feeling a part of the project, whether with just a few coins, or more. *tip: have coins on hand for those unable to bring in from home, so that they can feel a part of things too. 

Talk with the children to decide what type of giving they would like to participate in as a class - possibilities could include food, toys, clothing, etc. Maybe even chart their answers to decide together. 

Next, choose some kind of container, and decorate it for whatever theme you want to convey to your students. If you are collecting to buy mittens or hats, you could find pictures and cover a plastic container. If your coins are going towards a toy drive, try using an actual toy for a container - maybe a small doll house or container truck :) 

Make sure there is an opening for change to fit in and to be held for as long as your drive will take. If you are in-person or hybrid, you can place the container in your classroom. If remote, choose a day/time(s) to accept secure donations each week outside of school, leading into the holidays, with proper social distancing.

When all the coins are collected, purchase and display the items purchased, so that the children can feel the happiness that comes with giving gifts - you can send out photos, have them make cards, and even write about the experience! It all helps to make this a memorable event - and inspire a lifetime of giving :) 

Have fun!

Kiddo Cooking - Make Some Applesauce

Every year, around the holidays, we try to cook with the kiddos. Applesauce has become a favorite, as it is (almost) universally yummy to all, and kids LOVE to chop.

Making applesauce together can be a fun, and educational, thing to do as a group or even remotely, with supervision. However, or wherever, you are learning this year, group projects are great for building community ... and for fun cross-curricular work. 

When you make applesauce, you can do math when you count up how many apples you have, or look at patterns with different apple colors. You can write together about the experience and read lots of great books about apples. Cut the apple in half to examine the seeds, stem, flesh and skin - like a scientist!

And ....

Share the spirit of Thanksgiving by cooking and sharing with others - it is the greatest lesson for your kiddos. 

If you’re comfortable sharing the cooking process these days, you can start your kiddos off with peeled apples or show them how to work an apple-peeler-corer device, if you have access to one. That’s always a big hit! In the past, we’ve had students bring in a washed apple in a plastic ziplock, if they are able - do what makes you comfortable. 

Children as young as preschool can dice apples from slices with a plastic knife, as long as there is proper supervision. You don’t want any knife-dueling to break out :) Chopping is a great fine motor exercise, and gets the “helper hand” involved to hold things steady. 

Scooping the chopped apples into a group crockpot (on low), with a little water, will get your room smelling delicious! If you have cohorts, some could do this at home and then contribute - or refrigerate and do it on consecutive days with different cohorts. A variety of apples, sweet to tart, makes a nice flavor with just a pinch of cinnamon added to taste. Turn up to high and cook for a few hours (or take home overnight) - then mash up into a fine pulp. I use an immersion blender, but you can do this with whatever you have on hand. Have small containers on hand to give each helper a way to take and share the fruits of their labor. 

If a shared dish is not feeling comfortable, try having each student put their diced apples in a small container with a little water and a drop of lemon or orange juice to help with freshness. When they get home, send directions to transfer to a microwave safe mug or dish and microwave for a few minutes until soft enough to mash with a small fork.  

Encourage your students to share this dish with some family members, in the spirit of Thanksgiving. 

While you’re waiting for your end results, engage your students in a craft! Make a holiday placemat with a traced handprint turkey in the middle, and fall color strips of construction paper to snip and arrange in patterns around the border. 

Or try a Thankful card - help your students spell out things they are thankful for on a folded card to bring home to families. It’s a great time to remind ourselves of the special things we might take for granted - family members, special foods, pets, etc. 

Parents - you can do this at home, too! Your kids will love helping and take great pride when their dish is shared on the holiday table :) 

Have fun!

Spreading Joy, not Germs, in Your Early Childhood Classroom

A peek into any early childhood classroom should give you a snapshot of joy and exploration. These days, with precautions against infection in the time of Covid-19, things are surely different ... but the joy and exploration can continue, with a lot of creativity and flexibility :)

Circle time looks different - we can't be sitting close together in a circle on the rug and giving high fives and cuddles .... but we can have the same community feeling and fun with some small adjustments! 

If you are in-person -

• Incorporate alternate seating in the form of a wipe-off seat cushion or individual beach towel. Spread your friends out in a larger circle or other formation.
• Start your day outdoors, if weather permits, with the same seating options.
• Continue to get your littles up and moving, wherever they are, with motion-based activities to keep them on task.

Whether you're in-person or remote, greet each other using some innovation - “throw” a pretend ball (complete with some great sound effects) from one to another, calling their name, to greet around the circle. Give long distance high fives as air-fives or, in-person, use yard sticks with foam hands on the ends to pass around. (Follow with a squirt!)

Sharing is sometimes easier when your friends aren't "on the spot" - let them choose (or make) a full-sized or finger puppet to be their sharing tool, and then they can keep that puppet for the week in a cubby or other secure spot. Trade them in on the weekend for "puppet quarantine." Watch the joy as they start to open up!

In person, share the pen during circle or message time by just tweaking the procedure - a quick wipe down by the teacher between uses lets friends all participate and collaborate. Keep some disposable gloves and wipes available at your easel station and you won't end up with sore hands. 

Authentic interactions can still take place, even through plexiglass partitions or screens when all are playing/working with separate toys/materials. Encourage students to display what they are working on and have a "question wand" to get it going. Glue a BIG, bright question mark on a dowel/stick and use it to tap someone on the shoulder. They will look around and ask a friend a question (or two) about what they are working on. Once this gets to be a regular thing, you can fade the wand or use for special occasions. (Adapt for remote screen use.)

Remember, these young friends don't have pre-conceived ideas of what school is - so make it joyful, interactive, and full of exploration - just like every other year!

Good luck :) and have fun!!