Generous: We're All Ready for the Potlatch!

We will end the generosity unit by holding a Potlatch; a First Nations celebration of wealth and generosity. The children have been busy making gifts that they will exchange with one another and today we prepared the food!

The Potlatch will be held on

Wednesday, February 25th

11:30-12:00

If your child doesn't come on this day but wishes to be included in the celebration 

you are welcome to attend with your child during the Potlatch

Each group will contribute food and the Fire Group decided to make pizza. 

Everyone joined in and shared the work. 

Excitement buzzed in the room as well as delicious aromas!

Generous: Making Our Donation

Thank you to all the families who helped the children in their food drive! 

The children prepared for the trip by loading up their bags with all that they could carry. It's a long walk to IGA and it's important that they had a load they could carry. I had a chat with the children about safety for the walk. . . 

Billy added "And you can't touch anything in the store."

Another child chimed in "That's especially true at the beer store, you can't touch anything because everything is in bottles and they might break."

Whew! glad we weren't going to the beer store!

It was a beautiful day for a walk and the children took time to stop and notice the blossoms.

We found the Food Bank Donation box and the children carefully emptied their bags.

It was a long walk back and a few children were grumbling about being tired. Just then the bus was coming down the road so we took advantage and hopped on - very exciting!!

Generous: Quilt Maker's Gift

The Quilt Maker's Gift is a story of a quilt maker who makes quilts but only gives them to the poor and homeless and a greedy king who despite a castle full of gifts is still unhappy. He is sure that a quilt is the thing that will make him happy but the quilt maker refuses unless he gives all his treasures away. Reluctantly the king gives away his treasures and in the process finds happiness in his act of generosity.

I asked the children why they thought the king would feel happy giving away his treasures and they weren't sure. Bela thought about it and said "Sometimes I don't want to do something but then I'm happy about it." We wondered if the king felt the same as Bela.

Printing a sign

The children updated Michael and Bela about our plan to collect food for the food bank. I set up a town that included a Food Bank and Grocery Store and houses. Some houses had people who had money to buy food and some had people who didn't have enough money for food. The children dramatized how people buy food from the grocery store using money and how some people who want to help the community give food to the Food Bank so people who need help can get food for free.


As they played the Food Bank soon ran out of food - perfect segue to talking about the importance of continually supporting the Food Bank in their efforts to help people in need!

"Here's the food bank"

"I have money for food"

"Thank you for the food"

Generous: Food Bank Drive

Cactus Soup is another variation of the Stone Soup story. After dramatizing the story we compared similarities and difference between Cactus Soup and Stone Soup. In today's story the villagers hid their food, dressed in rags and tried to appear poor and told the soldiers there wasn't even enough food to feed their hungry children.

The villagers were tricking the soldiers but can this could sometimes be true - can it be true that some people don't have enough food? Most of the children thought yes and Sofia elaborated and explained how street people don't have homes or enough food and we're supposed to give them money.

Another way to help people in need is to donate food to the Food Bank. The children all knew that banks keep money and I told them the Food Bank keeps food. I used plastic people to illustrate how families who have enough food can give food to the food bank and then families who don't have enough can get food for free.

I asked the children if they'd like to help people who don't have enough food and they all said yes!
"How will we get to the food bank?" Tyreese wanted to know.
We could take the bus there or we could bring our food to the nearest donation box at IGA. The children decorated a sign and went to the other groups of children to announce their plan and to elicit help.

Food Bank Donations: Please drop off non-perishable food into the basket by the door.