The Great Lemonade War

Do you ever have those moments when you say, "Next year!!"  (I'm guess alllll the time, because that's what good, reflective teachers do!)

Yesterday I shared information about our "Lemonade Day" Project tied with the book The Lemonade War.  NEXT YEAR, I want to step up our game by making this project extend beyond my little classroom.  And I discovered The Great Lemonade War, a charitable giving contest to raise money for childhood cancer.  How awesome is that?  Jacqueline Davies, the author is even affiliated.  Read an interview with her here.

All the money goes to Alex's Lemonade Stand, an awesome foundation helping kids who are fighting cancer.

And THAT is totally a great reason to get involved on its own, but the winning school also get a visit from Jacqueline Davies!

So next year we'll be asking for donations for sampling our tasty treats!  I'm excited already!

Autism Speaks pt 2

We had crafting day #2 and made close to double the amount of ornaments we did last time!  Plus we're up to $130 raised so far!  All for the great cause of Autism Speaks. 

By the way, did you know autism now affects 1 in 88 American children? With the prevalance being 1 in 54 boys!? By comparison, more children are diagnosed with autism each year than with juvenile diabetes, AIDS, or cancer, COMBINED. We need to raise money to help with research, education, and support of children with autism and their families.  Please join us!

 

I also was able to get out to some local retailers today and three shops are now selling these lovely creations.  If you're in the area, stop by Kidd Coffee, Mims on Main, or Main Street Sweets for your very own ornament.  Thanks in advance for your support!

 



Autism Speaks Fundraiser

Autism is a cause that is close to my heart.  I've had close to 20 students with Autism or Aspergers in my 6 years in the biz, all of whom have been special and awesome in his or her own way.  I've loved learning about fish, Jedis, cats, trains, Shamu, American Idol, Legos, the Babysitters Club, and tiaras through their eyes.  Their sweet spirits and unique ways of seeing the world inspire me.

So I wanted to do something to support them.

A few months ago I saw this image on Pinterest from Lisa's Craft Blog and it made me think about the puzzle piece as the symbol for Autism awareness. 

And voila, our fundraiser was born.  Even better, we were able to get all the supplies donated by Scrap4Art or school staff members. 

Sweet students volunteered to stay after school and help make the ornaments.  (By the way, we had just as many or maybe more boys than girls, woot! Go, boy crafters!)  We made about 90 ornaments following the blog directions, with some creative twists.  Some students went with the small pieces, others got a little crazier with large puzzle pieces.  All were decorated with glitter and fun ribbons. 

 

 

I love the flair that only kids can bring to a project like this.  It went so well that we scheduled a second session for this week.

Now comes the fun part!  We're selling these ornaments to local retailers, families, and staff for $5.  I hope it goes well and that we're able to make a difference for individuals with autism and their families.

By the way, if YOU would like to support the cause, leave a comment with your email and I will hook you up!  Thanks in advance for your support.  I hope it helps inspire you to do what you can for the cause that is closest to your heart.

 

Pay It Forward

As part of our exciting visit with author Cynthia Lord (I'll tell you more tomorrow) we've been challening our students to "Pay it Forward" for 30 days. 

This started with two awesome teachers last year and has grown to the whole fifth grade this time around. Find our description below:

I was thrilled to be involved this year in expanding that effort.  Part of this has included the creation of business cards for students to distribute as they went out to do acts of kindness. 

 

 

Each of these cards includes a link to our Pay it Forward Project Blog.  The most exciting part of all of this is hearing the community response on our blog.  I can't wait to hear more from my students as we wrap up our challenge next week.