This post is part of the MLK Day of Service Blog Hop sponsored by Multicultural Kid Blogs. See the end of this post for more details and to link up your own post about MLK Day and/or doing volunteer work with kids.
We are so excited to be off from school on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! It is the MLK Day of Service. And, we thought we would share with you what we are going to do. Each of these projects does not take long to do and can be done as we go about our usual activities for the day.
4 Service Projects for the MLK Day of Service
Service Idea #1: We handed out our last hygiene while we were traveling for the holidays. We will be making 2 Homeless Care Kits in a Sock.
Service Idea #2: We have invited over an elderly friend for dinner. The boys have picked out the menu and are excited to make dinner. "We get to use a KNIFE to make dinner!" is what I heard from them when planning it out. (Hoping they don't get too enthusiastic about that.) UPDATE: We just found out that it is her birthday and we are breaking out the streamers to give her a surprise dinner!
Service Idea #3: We are also going to take flowers to a senior we met during one of our visits to the nursing home recently. For more ideas on How to Help the Elderly.
Service Idea #4: One of the last things we will do is try and do a quick clean up by the creek that we usually clean on a weekly basis. It has been too cold to be in the creek for the past couple of months. It is time for us to make the effort and check in with how trashy it has become in our absence.
I encourage you to reach out with your children to help someone today. It can be as simple as making it their mission to:
Hold doors open for others
Smile at others
Let others play first
And, Little Brother's favorite: Hand out stickers to other kids at the grocery store.
I am excited to be joining several other writers to share stories and ideas of serving others and doing volunteer work with our kids. Each of these blogs are part of the Multicultural Kid Blogs group and we are challenging our readers (and ourselves!) to take the time to do service with our children.
Earlier in the week, we read the book Each Kindness. The book discusses that a single act of being kind creates ripples of kindness that are carried out into our world.
Building on that conversation about being kind, I wanted to do an object lesson about acts of kindness, to have another conversation about how little acts of kindness can make a difference.
Do small things really create movement?
If our world was, in fact, water in the sink . . .
And, if each act of kindness was something we dropped in the water, then we have two questions:
Our first question: If small acts of kindness create ripples, can there be an act of kindness that is too small to create ripples?
Our second question: Can many small acts of kindness together create as many ripples as a large one?
We grabbed all the small things we could think of trying to test the theory and answer our questions:
Sprinkles (the kind you put on cookies, we grabbed the smallest: colored sugar)
Little rubber bands
Marshmallows (any excuse to grab the marshmallows, right?)
Toothpicks
Leaves (big and little)
And, for fun, we grabbed a fossil, too.
We filled the sink with water and started testing the theory.
First, the fossil, representing a larger service project: like pulling weeds from a neighbor's yard or visiting a nursing home.
The result: SPLASH! "Of course!" Big Brother exclaimed, "We knew that would move the water."
Second, a leaf, representing a "regular-sized" service project: like making
someone a meal, handing a hygiene kit to someone in need, or inviting a
new friend over to play.
The result: There were ripples.
Next, a toothpick, a "regular" act of kindness: like writing a
nice note to someone, taking a treat to a neighbor, or giving out a
homeless care kit.
The result: There were ripples. (The boys are extremely confident of knowing all outcomes by now.)
Then, a little rubber band, still smallish acts of kindness: like telling someone a joke or picking up a toy they dropped without being asked.
The result: There were ripples, even with a single rubber band.
Last, a sprinkle, representing the smallest act of kindness: like holding the door for someone or saying HI.
The result: There were ripples when we dropped a single a sprinkle!
Whooo-hoooooo! The boys were very excited at this result.
We, then, talked about whether all the little things, together, could make as many ripples as the single fossil did. So, we tried it, putting in a pinch of each of the items.
Lots of sprinkles made as much movement in the water as the single fossil did.
Lots of little rubber bands made as much movement in the water as the single fossil did.
The leaves did not make as much of a movement in the water, but the leaves themselves moved across the span of the sink. So, we counted that.
Lots of toothpicks made as much movement in the water as the single fossil did, and, we think, maybe even more than the fossil.
You could see the connections being made in their heads.
"So, do you think that we can help others by doing little things as well as with big things?"
Today, we read the book Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis.
Usually, Little Brother will bound around while reading, at least during part of the story. Not during this story; he was uncharacteristically calm, drawn in to the plight of Maya. Both of the boys were spellbound, just immersed in the story of how others treated Maya, those who chose not to be kind to her.
As I read the last sentence, Little Brother whispered, "That is so sad," and Big Brother (who cannot *not* help another) said, "Those kids are so weird."
"Mom, we need to make it right."
So, we pulled out paper and created our additions to the story. I told the boys, "Draw a picture of someone making it right."
Big Brother drew a picture of a figure saying to Maya, "Your dress looks nice!"
And, Little Brother created a map of events that started with a boy saying "HI" to Maya, as he picked a flower for her, and then something about a bear and . . . (frankly, I got lost in what was going on--But, he was trying to make it right, taking action in being kind).
This led to a conversation about friends, how to make friends, and how to lose friends. After some discussion, this is what they decided:
How to make a friend from the Pennies of Time Boys:
1. Learn the kid's name.
2. Learn what they like.
3. Talk to them.
4. Just be nice.
Big Brother concluded our conversation with the following observation: You know, basically you say, "Do you want to play with me?" And, that really means, "Do you want to be my friend?" And, most kids will say, 'YES!"
This post kicks off a series of service projects focused on helping individuals and families going through chemotherapy.
Posts in the Series Chemo Care Kit for Kids (you are here now)
Chemo Care Kit for Kids Bag Topper for the Chemo Care Kit for Kids (coming soon)
Delivering Chemo Care Kits for Kids (coming soon)
Comfort Items to Give Chemo Patients (coming soon)
Service Project: Giving Chemo Care Kits to a Hospital or Clinic (coming soon)
How to Help Families Going Through Chemotherapy (coming soon)
We have been working on this particular project for several months. I first started paying attention, I mean *really* paying attention, to what it was like to go through chemotherapy when we made our first sets of Chemo Care Kits. From then on, I heard from so many people on how this type of project was meaningful for them because:
1) They cared about someone who was going through chemotherapy and felt powerless to help and this project, although it can't cure anyone, it gave them something to do to show that they cared, and
2) This project TEACHES our families, our children, what it can be like to go through chemotherapy by using the experience to learn about the side effects.
It is a service project
and a learning experience for children.
Over the past 6 months, we have reached out to families that are battling cancer. We drew feedback from parents on what would be helpful for their child when going through chemotherapy. The items you see suggested are all intended to provide some comfort. To pilot this, we made 70 Chemo Care Kits for Kids! No, I am not kidding. An amazing project!
We worked with 6 other families and collected enough supplies to assemble kits, our goal was 30 kits. With the donations, we gathered 7 kids (ages 3-8) from our families and put together the kits.
We laid out the supplies in three sections on tables by group:
Items to help with side effects
Comfort items
Activity items
With our kids, we started the service project by talking about each type of item and
why it would be helpful for a child going through chemotherapy. Several
of these kids have friends going through chemotherapy, and it is important that they understand why their friend can't play right now or
may be experiencing some crazy things with their bodies.
Each kid decided to put together a kit for a boy, girl, or it didn't matter. From there, each one gathered the appropriate items for the kit.
In 30 minutes, the kids had put together 70 Chemo Care Kits for Kids ready for delivery! It went so quickly and smoothly. They rocked it! We totally more than doubled reaching our goal of 30. How awesome to have so much support from our friends in helping us with this project. Thank you! Special Thanks to the M Family, W Family, GMac Family, D Family, the R family, and the A family! You are the best!
****The day after we made the kits, the kids started distributing them to local hospitals and clinics that treat children with cancer. I am including those experiences in a different post as there are tips to communicating with potential donation sites that I need to share with you. (post coming soon)
Not everyone experiences chemotherapy with the same side effects. If
you are making a Chemo Care Kit for a specific child, reach out to that
family and ask what would be helpful. What you will find here is
information we gathered from parents AND clinics that help kids through
the chemotherapy process.
This is a great service project to do with your family, a meaningful service project to do with kids!
Chemo Care Kit for Kids
What is in the Kit?
I've put the list of items in a free printable that you can print off and take with you shopping. Click on the image below to get the list, 1 page to print.
Tips for the Kit
For each kit include:5 Items to Help with Side Effects plus an activity and/or comfort item (you can always add both an activity and a comfort item)
Buy travel-sized items.
Plan to budget approximately $1 for each item.The comfort and activity items seem to range
in price from $3-$5.Most kits we put
together cost less than $12.
Focus kits for a specific group (age range and gender:boy, girl, or either)
Make sure
all the items in each kit are age
appropriate for the same age range.(For example:cozy size-1 Spiderman slippers would be a mix-match with nail polish.)
Why the items in the Kit? I've put a simple explanation in this free printable so that you can print and have with you to reference, maybe during a family evening activity when you assemble the kits together. It is a one page document that describes the general side effects of chemotherapy and how the items in the kit will be helpful.
Click on the image below.
Besides stuff I buy at the store, what can I put in the kit?
In addition, a nice note or drawing from your children adds a meaningful element. It gives the chance for your child to share encouragement to another child or family that is going through a difficult time.
You can make several of the items, such as the comfort items. (post on that coming soon)
How many kits should our family make?
A great aspect about this project is you get to decide. Whether you choose to make 1 kit or 6 kits, your efforts in teaching your children and in giving a special kit full of helping items to someone else will make a difference. No wrong or right answer on this one.
What do I put the stuff in to make it look like a kit? Depending on the size of the items you choose, the following will work quite well:
Gift bag
Gallon Zip-lock bag (this is what we did and I'll share the printable in an upcoming post)
Cellophane bag (found at party supply stores)
Shoe-box sized plastic tote (great for kits that have reusable activities included)
I want to share with you two organizations that I've been working with and have a great heart, enthusiasm, and talent in helping families and children going through the difficulties of fighting cancer:
Focus On: The Kathryn R. Nelson Memorial Foundation, is a 100% volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to brightening the days of cancer patients and others undergoing hardships. The Foundation was started by Krista Dial, and it is named after her mother who left an amazing legacy of love and service when she passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The Foundation hopes to continue that legacy in her honor. From arranging photographers to take family photos, coordinating cleaning staff to take care of a patient's home, and creating a basket of fun for an entire year, the Foundation has meaningful and doable ideas to help cancer patients.
Focus On:
The Spotlight On Hope Film Program is a film program for pediatric cancer patients, created by Cassie Nguyen, a 7-year-survivor of brain cancer, the Spotlight on Hope Film Program consisted of a Spotlight On Hope Film Camp conducted over three days for patients of Children‘s Hospital Los Angeles. For this pilot program, Cassie raised donations cancer bracelets that were made for her when she battled cancer.
The inaugural camp, taught by multi-award winning director Ramon Hamilton and producer Jennifer Fischer, allowed patients to explore arts of green screen and special effects filmmaking. They worked in groups to create a short, green screen and special fx film. This form of filmmaking has been selected as the primary form for the program because it allows the students to truly explore any story idea they have and live out dreams through the filmmaking process. Students learn story/character development, camera technique, video and fx editing and much more. The program is currently taking place at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.
The goal is to make it an ongoing program meeting regularly (probably
weekly) over an extended period of time so that more patients can
participate.
Little Brother had a difficult week. On Thursday, he said, "Mom, my heart just hurts."
Things just were not going his way. Big Brother was hitting several milestones at once, and Little Brother was feeling left behind.
I couldn't really fix anything for him and was at a loss. So, I asked, "How can I help?"
"I really want one of those fancy breakfasts in bed."
Hmmmmmmmm. A fancy breakfast in bed. I can totally do that. On Friday, I shopped for Little Brother, getting all the ingredients necessary for a special breakfast. I also dipped into the "save for later" present pile that I have and pulled out a small animal I had been saving for him.
On Saturday morning, I whipped up the breakfast with his favorites, added *real* flowers, used real plates,and even added a fun, *breakable* glass for his orange juice.
The kids were greeted with a fancy breakfast in bed.
I had the greatest time waking him up.
Mom (whispering): Hey! Good morning! Look at what arrived for you!
Little Brother: Oh, wow. For me!
He just couldn't believe his luck. He sat there looking at the plate and moving it all around to look at for about 10 minutes before he started eating.
Little Brother: This makes my heart so happy and I am so full of
thanks for you, and you, and you, and for all these favorite things on
my breakfast!
Two things stand out for me from this experience:
1) He was able to articulate something positive that he needed to experience.
2) He was able to be on the receiving end of kindness and love. We all need to experience that!
The poem on the image above is an
adaptation of the poem, "Come to the Edge" by Christopher Logue. I
heard a similar adaptation as a teenager and have further adapted the poem to reflect
the brilliance that can result as a result of #riskrejection.
Many
times I hear that people are afraid of helping others because of the risk in putting themselves out there . . . fearing that their service or kindness will be rejected.
The risk is real, but ever so sweet are the experiences of helping another.
Recently,Amy Sullivan challenged the world with #riskrejection
and set forth a call to embrace rejection, risk being rejected.
As I sat back and read that challenge, knowing full well that the fear
of rejection = my personal kryptonite, I realized it was time. The time is now.
This life is
about putting my own inadequacies and fears aside so that I can help
others. Isn’t that what I have been
teaching my children? Kind of
ironic, right, that in the process of sharing our journey of serving with our
children that I became the limit-er on the influence of this conversation?
It was a year ago that I realized that Pennies of Time had the capacity to do more than I initially thought it would. I toyed with the idea of changing the site to increase the capacity. I prayed about it, found a complete lack of funds to do that, and let that "pushy feeling" be.
Frankly, that act of ignoring inspiration was also part of a selfish, very fearful act, in avoiding rejection. I really didn't want more attention on me, witnesses to my ever exposed mistakes.
It was seven months ago that my hunch became real life. Pennies of Time had outgrown its home. I prayed about it-again, found a complete lack of funds to do what is needed, and let that "pushy feeling" be. Timing just wasn't quite right. Sigh of relief . . . if I don't try to expand Pennies of Time, I can't be disappointed by the failure of that act.
This October, I couldn't ignore what was happening with Pennies of Time any longer. The amount of time I spend answering emails, coordinating service work, posting on Pennies of Time, networking with like-minded people . . . all of that was WAY more than I ever, ever thought would happen. I prayed about what do to, I asked a couple of smart people, I prayed some more, received an answer, and then I.GOT.SCARED!
Me, with my fears, with my real-life financial and time limitations . . . yes, if I don't face my fears, face #riskrejection, then I will officially be my own worst enemy in actualizing what I have been prompted over and over to do.
And, as I sit here writing this, I feel like throwing up and I am shaking like a leaf and I may just cry . . . with the power of making my thoughts public. This whole process might not work . . . or it may not become what I see in my mind, but I am mustering the courage to allow Pennies of Time to really become what it needs to be. It gets really, real with that my friends.
A huge part of me really likes ignoring the prompting . . . living in the land of blissful avoidance of rejection is ever so nice. At the same time, what if I faced the #riskrejection and found a better way to help families, our communities?
Pennies of Time is going big time!
Do to this, Pennies of Time needs to transition, develop a formalized structure, and expand. Since taking on #riskrejection a week ago, I have started applying for fellowships, approaching experts, figuring out how to find funding (begging for funding), and just all out feeling like I am walking around with my greatest fear exposed. I have a whole host of things that I need to learn and do.
What if I can't find the money?
What if I can't find the time?
What if people tell me NO. Laugh at me?
But, what if someone says, yes. What if I find a way for Pennies of Time to be a greater resource for others?
I won't know until I #riskrejection and do it.
{Editorial
Note from Me, Sheila: I wish you could see how nervous I am. Seriously.
I may
just throw up when this post goes live, my heart is beating fast
and furiously.}
Open to your feedback and ideas!
feel free to comment below or email me at
penniesoftime @ gmail.com
Want to #riskrejection with a group of others?
Tweet it out with #riskrejection. Share what risk you are taking!
For about a month, I wanted rainbow looms, knock-off looms, small little rubber bands that go everywhere, rubber brand bracelets, fish-tail designs, the elusive STARBURST pattern to just disappear! GO AWAY!
Rubber bandering was all the rage in my son's 1st grade class, and I couldn't go anywhere without being begged for a loom or bothered about learning to do a new design.
He FINALLY got a loom . . . and then I started seeing what was really going on . . . he and his friends were making rubber band bracelets for the kids that didn't have them. He'd go to school with one on . . . and come home without it.
"Where is your bracelet?"
"Oh, I gave it to Marion because he didn't have one," he'd respond nonchalantly. "I am just going to make another one."
"Oh." I felt put in my place. He and his friends were doing acts of kindness with those rubber band bracelets.
Over the next several weeks and over the holidays, he weaved rubber band necklaces, bracelets, and rings for friends and family members. He would beg to watch youtube videos (where 12 year olds crushed my hidden dreams of being a rubber band expert weaver) so he could learn a new technique.
He even got his dad in on the action!
I now have four carefully wrapped packages that he created to mail to friends that live far away because he wanted to make sure that they had a rubber band creation. The thought that he put into the colors, the design of the bracelet, and deciding on the length of each one was fun to see as he is thinking of others when using this newly forming talent.
As a family, our relationships were strengthened through our deliberate acts of service. Our love and appreciation for each other grew as we served alongside each other. If I had to tally out what we did during out daily service acts, I wouldn't be able to say, exactly. I lost count of the number of service hours we gave to our community as a family. I do know that:
We bagged over 250 bags of trash from the creek by our school.
We took a "magic show" to a nursing home and to a little boy who was seriously ill in the hospital.
Our most popular, and one of the most meaningful service projects this year, was creating Chemo Care Kits for those undergoing chemotherapy. Very simple kits that helped my boys understand what it might be like to go through chemotherapy. Every one knows someone that experiences cancer. This is a great project to learn about what that is and an easy project to help someone else.
In fact, we are currently putting together Chemo Care Kits for Kids. My boys have really enjoyed picking out comfort items and activities for kids to put in a kit along with things to help with chemotherapy side effects. If you are interested in more information about this new project, keep visiting the blog, sign up for updates, or "like" the Pennies of Time Facebook Page. I'll be posting ideas, free printables for the kits, and examples that we have put together.
Midway through 2013, I was blessed to find like minded people through the Kid Blogger Network and am able to share with you the Best of 2013 for that awesome group of writers and kid experts.
Below you'll find over 50 Kid Blogger Network members coming together for The KBN Best Of 2013 Blog Hop. We know you'll find tons of wonderful ideas to browse, pin and share. We'd love for you to join the blog hop and share your favorite activity of 2013 too, and make sure you're following the Kid Blogger Network on Pinterest.
Happy New Year from the KBN Best of 2013 Blog Hop Co-Hosts!
