Summer Volunteering

A local church has organized two after school programs for at risk elementary students in the district I teach at.  Whiz Kids and L.I.F.E. both involve tutoring and mentoring for these students.  The Youth Pastor at the church has continued a free summer program for the at risk students.  We (my kids and I) decided to spread the Wonder of Wonderopolis about once a week with some of the kids.  The summer program is so popular the Youth Pastor has to rotate who comes on what day.

Yesterday was the first day for us to volunteer.  We decided the theme would be about "friendship".  Betsy read one of my favorite books, Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, we shared Wonder Wonder #301 How Do You Make a Friendship Bracelet? and we showed the kids how to make friendship bracelets.  The kids had fun talking about what kind of pie they would make for an "enemy" and sharing about their best friend.  They enjoyed learning the history of the friendship bracelet from Wonderopolis.  For some of us, friendship bracelets look easier to make than they actually are.  Some of the kids even invented their own technique for making a friendship bracelet.  Ben, Betsy and I decided volunteering was a great way to spend a summer afternoon, giving back to other children!