Healing heARTS!
To begin the activity during class meetings students discussed and shared personal experiences of times they were sick or knew someone that was. Our theme at Fairway (Go Fairway!) is focused on service learning through performing good deeds, reading on a regular basis, and running. Students keep packets where they record their progress. For this project we focused on performing a good deed. Students learned that sometimes lifting someone's spirit with a simple gesture can go a long way. Fifth grade and first grade buddy classes met three times to create a ceramic heart with a special message written on each one. Fifth grade and first graders created and painted the heart together. The hearts had a ribbon attached so it could be hung on a wall or doorknob, etc. The fifth graders took on a mentoring role that clearly boosted their self-esteem. The ceramic hearts were sent to St. Louis Children's Hospital to be handed out around Valentine's Day.