Love Letters

A HUGE component of the PYP is the action piece - the one where kids take action because of something they learned.  This really comes into play during Exhibition, the culmination of the PYP, which in our school, is at the end of fourth grade.

And it's one of my favorite parts of the whole year.

To model different ways to take action, I try to involve the class in as many service projects as possible.  We've done a lot of different ones over the years, and it is always an uplifting experience.

However.

The project we participated in this year, Love Letters, was by far one of my favorites. 

I found it through the website DoSomething.org (check it out if you don't know what it is!) and loved it as soon as I read it.  The project involved making Valentines and sending them to designated Meals on Wheels locations, where said Valentines would be distributed with meals to seniors on Valentine's Day.  Many of these seniors don't have family, and are quite alone, which always feels worse on Valentine's Day.

Anyway, I sent an email to my colleagues, and many of them jumped on board, too!  We sent nearly 200 Valentines, made by kindergarteners through fourth graders, all hand made, all personal and festive.  I liked this project because it was relatable for all the kids - even the little kinders understood that they were making cards to send to people who don't get happy stuff very often.  It was an eye-opening experience for all!