Community Service Ideas?

[NewJodi0506]

I am looking for a class community service project for my 5th graders! I am looking for any past projects you have found to be successful. One of my students has set this as her goal to help our class with a project so I would like to give her some great ideas!

 

[Ali]

blankets

One year my class made blankets. They've become quite popular in my area~you get 2 pieces of fleece material, cut around the edges like the teeth on a comb, and then tie the two pieces together. It's great because it involves no sewing.

I put the students into groups of 3-4 so they could work together on a blanket. To buy the material a note was sent home in the Friday newsletter explaining the project and asking for donations. The parents really liked the idea. Our school social worker found homes for the blankets. We did this just before Christmas.

Good luck

 

[cbaird]

Teen Leadership (jr. high) teacher

My Teen Leadership class in the Houston, Texas area promotes a "Pay it Forward" week. (idea from movie, a must see!) We purchase ribbon (1"), paint, and small safety pins. We spend several weeks cutting ribbons into approx. 5 inch long strips. Then we paint a word students choose on ribbon. We have used positive words like "awesome" and "smile". We print out a small paper giving directions to kids once we tag them. (Example: YOu have been tagged as "awesome"! We ask that you PAY IT FORWARD and let 3 other people know they are awesome. You can purchase 3 tags during lunch this week for 10cents. YOu may only purchase one time and you must be wearing a tag to purchase a tag. We ask that you wear your tag all week and let's see how something awesome can spread thru out our school)

Project begins when I give my students in this class a tag. I ask them to pay this gesture forward by tagging three more people. I then give them 3 tags to pass on. (note that the class discusses who they will tag to ensure that we are reaching a few students in 6,7 and 8th grade. We also tag custodian, teachers, and other staff. This is such a great learning process for them. THey discuss tagging kids that they think might not get tagged, teachers that are not as popular that might not get tagged, etc. ) Once my students have tagged 3 people, students at our middle school campus begin "paying it forward" by purchasing tags for 3 more people during lunch. My students take over the selling of these as well. This grows like a wild fire. By the end of the week, everyone has the spirit of making a difference and passing something on that feels good. We charge a dime just to help pay for some of the ribbon. This activity is extremely popular. At the end of the week, my students make an announcement thanking everyone for participating and challenging everyone with the thought of what our world could be like if we "payed it forward" with kind gestures and acts. Great learning project for my class.

 

[Nat]

food bank

last year, our grade 5 students accompanied the grade 1 students to the food bank. while there they put stuff on shelves, and learned about the food bank...i 'm not sure what else they did...I wasn't there that day...

we had little goups of about 12 kids at a time... the kids liked it.

one year, we had the grade 6 students give out lunch at the soup kitchen...a place where homeless people go for a meal...

nat

 

[NewJodi0506]

Wow!

I just love this idea! I work in a 3-5 school and our staff is really focusing on bringing a much more positive atmosphere to our school. I think my students could really get behind this idea! Thanks again, I'll send an update when we've done it.

 

[Jennmcg]

Ideas

Our school has raised money for the local Habitat for Humanity program and provided refreshments for workers as well. We have also held diaper drives for local low-income daycares and food drives for the local food bank. If you live close to a residential area, you may even consider having kids work to rake leaves, pull weeds, etc. in an elderly couple's yard.

 

[Kacie]

5th grade ideas

We do a "Giving Tree" each holiday season. I place a lighted tree in my classroom and my students bring in needed clothing for the approaching cold winter. They bring in gloves, mittens, hats, stockings, scarves, and so on. They get to decorate the tree with the donated items. The items are then donated to Social Services or even taken to families in the school that may need them. My students enjoy this one a lot.

We have also created items for local retirement communities and nursing homes. Every other week my students make "Thinking of You" cards, write poems, or even create stories. Then we make a craft to go with them. I deliver them on Friday afternoons to start their weekend off right. Later in the year we plan to sing to them in December and then they are invited to our graduation at the end of the year. For many who no longer have grandchildren, they take in some of them as their own. It's a great thing to watch.