Community Outreach

The first Sunday of each month, my family visits a local retirement home with other families from our church and neighborhood. The families do all sorts of different and easy activities for about 45 minutes with the residents. We sing songs, put puzzles together, color, or even make a treat to eat. Did you know the elderly are especially fond of marshmallows? Well, these adults certainly are. Needless to say, we didn't even get to the art project because so many young and aged hands had eaten our craft supplies before we even got the directions put on the tables. I wanted to bring this positive and moving experience to my classroom this fall. While I do not have plans to take a field trip off campus, I am going to begin a program I'm calling Send A Smile.

The Send A Smile Program will be incorporated into our weekly Little Buddies activity. We already meet with our Kindergarten Little Buddies to read, write, and do math for about 30 minutes each Friday. The first Friday of the month, however, we will now write notes and decorate pictures to be sent to a local nursing home. I'm also going to suggest that my students bring artwork done at home to include in the monthly envelope. I hope that this will encourage my classroom families to step out into our community and look for ways to pass on a smile in an easy, family-friendly way.

How do you incorporate Community Outreach into your classrooms?