Project 20

EARTH DAY- GIVE A TREE

What We Did:

Planting a tree is one of the classic Earth Day projects so we came up with this project that could help encourage others to celebrate Mother Earth by growing something green.  We have some very large Coast Live Oaks growing by our house whom's acorns have produced many seedlings this year.  The seedlings wouldn't have survived the gardeners whacker much longer so we re-potted about 16 Oak seedlings into plantable pots.  We took some to playschool to share and sent the rest with Dad to the office.  Hopefully these native trees will continue to be a source of life and happiness and, in our case, tree swings. 

How Long it Took:
45 minutes


How Much it Cost:
$6 for plantable pots.


Would We Do It Again?
Yes.  Fun, easy, hands in the dirt kind of fun.


Next Time:
Cross our fingers that we'll have have more seedlings :)

References:
http://www.earthday.org/

Project 19

ADOPTING GINGER

What We Did:

After one of our few trips to the animal shelter we decided that we wanted to try to help one of these homeless animals.  It didn't take long before we found a spunky little puppy to rescued from an unknown future.

How Long it Took:
Just a couple of hours for the adoption but with this project your in for the long haul :)

How Much it Cost:
$110 for the adoption and license.

Would We Do It Again?
Yes. It felt really good to get her out of the conditions of the selter and to provide her with a safe, physically and emotionally rich environment. As our vet put it "this dog won the puppy jackpot". The dog is happy, the kids are in love and I'm trying to become a dog person.

References:
http://www.adoptapet.com/
http://www.petfinder.com/index.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/adopt/tips/adopting_from_shelter_rescue.html

Project 18

ETHIOPIA READS POSTER

What We Did:

We found this brilliant program called Ethiopia Reads.  Their mission is "to create a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books".  One of the ideas that the program has listed a way that we can help is to make posters of the front cover of a favorite book to hang in their library.  Since we don't have a favorite family book we took a fun trip to our library to explore some of the classics, especially those with simple cover designs.  After we read many books the kids choose their favorite and got to work painting the poster board blue.  I did all of the rest (see Would We Do It Again below :) We are going to laminate the poster and send it off.

How Long it Took:
4-5 hrs.

How Much it Cost:
$1 for the poster board.  We used paint that we already had.

Would We Do It Again?
I'm going to have to say no, at least not with the expectation of it being a much of a family project.  After the initial painting fun nobody was into the project except for me.  Ruby painted the letters a little bit but was done in 5 minutes.

I had a good time though :)

Next Time:
Wait a few years.
References:
This site has a list of 20 ways that we can help Ethiopia Reads locally. 
http://www.ethiopiareads.org/help/community
http://www.ethiopiareads.org/home

Project 17

HEARTS FOR HAITI

What We Did:

We wanted to try to raise a bit of money for Haiti in their time of need, so we created little Valentine's Day  flower pots to sell.  We painted some aluminum cans and tied a strip of scrap fabric around each and then hot glued  small painted cardboard hearts onto the fabric.  We drilled some dain holes in the bottom and planted a spring flower in each. The signs are just painted cardboard cutout hears taped to bbq skewers.  We set the flower pots up for donation before and after church.

How Long it Took:
This one took a while.  With the help of my sister and her pre-teen kids our family managed the whole thing in about 3-4 hrs.

How Much it Cost:
$4 for the flowers.  We raised $38 for Haiti :)

Would We Do It Again?
We would.  We all felt good about creating something beautiful together and raising some money for people in need.

Next Time:I'd make location arrangements earlier and give advanced notice to the buying audience.  I think this would be a fun idea for Easter and plant wheatgrass.  Maybe try to set up next to a Farmer's Market?

References:
http://www.uusc.org/content/major_earthquake_devastates_haiti_uusc_uua_launch_relief_fund

Project 16

LESS TRASH- For one week

What We Did:
After watching another week of the garbages truck going up and down our street we decided to try to not buy anything that would end up in a landfill for one week.  We felt that we could serve Mother Earth (including all of those that rely on her) by consuming less waste and reducing the effect of their production. We tried to include all package groceries, toys, products, to-go containers, ect.

How Long it Took:
A few minutes or thinking ahead, creative improvising and however long it took us to get over going without.

How Much it Cost:
This one saves you money :)

Would We Do It Again?
Yes.  This service project made us much more mindful of the amount of trash that we produce and helped us find more creative ways to reduce our waste and be kind to the earth. Ruby said that she really liked this project but didn't want to do it again for a while :)

Next Time:
Be OK with inconsistancies!

References:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill

Project 15

BEGGING HIS BREAD

What We Did:

On the way home from the park we drove past a elderly man begging for money.  The man reminded us of Giovanni from The Clown of God and we felt like we could help, if only a little.  We drove home and filled a bag with some nurishment (oranges, almonds, raisins, rice milk and some cookie dough from the fridge) for this man.  Ruby and Max also wanted to include some money from their allowance.  I through in some toothpaste and floss but sheepishly pulled them out with the almonds and raisons when we realized he didn't have any teeth.

How Long it Took:
20 minute

How Much it Cost:
A few things from our cupboard and $3.25.


Would We Do It Again?
Yes, keeping in mind what we learned this time.


Next Time:
Many people begging do not have many teeth, so nuts and raisons are worthless to them.  In the future I'd love to have a few little kits already assembled in our car to hand out to people begging. 


References:

Project 14

RECYCLE KIDS ART PROJECTS

Recycle Kids Art Projects Into Children's Hospital Greeting Cards

What We Did:

Oh, what to do with those wonderfully artistic pictures that you don't want to throw away but --wow -- how many can you save?  With three little kids we have a large stash.  So this idea is one of my new favorites. We transformed 4 paintings into 10 colorful greeting cards for children in the hospital.  I wrote "inspiring" messages on the inside of the cards and the kids added some more color.  We followed the instructions on making approprate cards for patients at  the Los Angeles Children's Hospital and dropped them in the mail to hopefully brighten a child's day.

How Long it Took:
Maybe about an four five minutes with cutting included.

How Much it Cost:
$2.40 on postage

Would We Do It Again?
Yes! . . . I just love the idea of a young patient getting a little card sent up to their room with their meal.  It was supper easy, rewarding for all of us, inexpensive and it cuts down on clutter.  We took digital photos of their work just so it wasn't too hard to let go of.

Next Time:

References:
I'm sure that most Children' Hospitals have similar programs.  I have a fondness, for many reasons, to this one in L.A.
http://www.chla.org/site/c.ipINKTOAJsG/b.4952897/k.93A4/Greeting_Cards_for_Patients.htm

Project 13

TRAIL BEAUTIFICATION

What We Did:
We packed a plastic grocery sack in with our picnic and headed down the Bob Jones Bike Trail to pick up litter on the trail.  .The kids found plenty of litter along the path and had a nice trash bag for their own trash.

How Long it Took:

Well, the bike ride took about 2 hours but I can't say we spent more than 15 minutes picking up trash.

How Much it Cost:
$0

Would We Do It Again?
Yes . . .  It was so easy and at the end it felt good to put all that litter in a trash receptacle..

Next Time:
Bring along hand sanitizer!

Project 12

CARDS FOR THE CARDLESS

What We Did:
Here is a great project to tuck away for the holidays next year. 

You know how fun it is to get holiday cards in the mail?  Yeah, well some people don't.  So we printed 30 extra Holiday Cards to personalize and send to people in our community who need to be remembered during the season. Sadly, we just never got around to getting the cards out :( We learned again that the trick (as with all holiday cards) is to START EARLY!

How Long it Took:

It would've taken us about 45 minutes once we got all the addresses.

How Much it Cost:
About five dollars for printing and then stamps for 30 cards, about 15 dollars in all.

Would We Do It Again?
Yes . . . for the first time.  It's not much extra work if you're already writing up your holiday cards.

Next Time:
Start earlier -- like Thanksgiving!

References:
Community or church leaders seem to know those who tend to get overlooked.  Senior care facilities are a good bet too. 

Project 11

PLAYING SANTA

What We Did:

We let each child choose a new toy, walked it over to a Toys For Tots Drop Box and dropped the toys in.  Easy! The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

How Long it Took:
45 minutes
How Much it Cost:
The minimum toy value for this drive is $10 per gift.  We found a store that was having an amazing sale and just let the kids play santa and give what they most wanted.

Would We Do It Again?
Yes...It is just fun and easy.  In our town the drop off boxes are very conveniently located.  The kids loved  the idea of playing Santa and really enjoyed scouring over the toy store.  Jane rode the hobby horse she choose all the way to the drop-box, gave it a kiss and put it in.

Next Time:
We wouldn't chance much.

References:
To find a Drop-Off Box near you, http://www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys.asp
To learn more about the program, http://www.toysfortots.org/

Project 10

A CHRISTMAS TREE

What We Did:
We took a family trip to a Christmas Tree lot to choose a tree to give away. We called our local Women's Shelter in advance to see if they had a family in need of a Christmas Tree and to arrange a good drop off time. This is a time for developing  new holiday traditions for many of the families in this shelters and we hope that this tree will help.

How Long it Took:
We spent about an hour looking around the Christmas Tree lot and about 30 minutes to deliver the tree.

How Much it Cost:
$75 which included a "life-time" guarantee tree stand.

Would We Do It Again?
Yes . . . Of course the kids loved the complimentary popcorn and the experience of shopping around the Christmas Tree lot -- especially since we are restricted to an artificial tree due to allergies. 

Next Time:
I really wanted the have a homemade card on the tree and a box of homemade decorations to bring along with the tree but I just didn't get an early enough start on it. 
The trick with donating through a Women's Shelter is that you can not take things directly to the family.  The tree needs to be in water about an hour after being cut. With all of the tree transporting involved, it might be better next year to still have the experience of picking out a tree and then getting a gift certificate, or choosing a tree and having the family pick the tree up from the lot.

References:
http://www.womensshelterslo.org/ or search for one in your neighborhood.

Project 9

A GUEST AT YOUR TABLE

What We Did:

Through a local UU congregation, we decorated a donation box as our table centerpiece for the next four weeks. Everytime that we sit down for a meal we make a contribution and have a chance to reflect on the rich abundance of our lives.  Our donation goes to a set cause, but you can use this idea to come up with your own charity donation. 

How Long it Takes:
We are doing the project for four weeks.  It took us twenty minutes to decorate.

How Much it Cost:
The donation depends on your level of comfort. 

Would We Do It Again?
Yes!  It helps us to feel truly grateful at mealtime.

References:
We are doing this project with a local UU Congregation http://www.uusc.org/guest .  If done independently, you could donate to any organization you'd like.

Project 8

PUMPKIN BREAD FOR VETERANS- The Fisher House

Project sumbitted by the Goldblum family ---Florida

What We Did:

Supporting America's military in their time of need, a Fisher House is "a home away from home" that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time -- during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. A Fisher House offers dining and lodging facilities to families of veteran and military patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. We baked and delivered some Apple Pie and Pumpkin Bread to the Fisher House residents.

How Long it Took:
Cooking Prep-time & Clean-up (2 hours), Bake Time (1 hour). Delivery (We hand delivered the baked goods to a near by Fisher House)

How Much it Cost:
$20

Would We Do It Again?
Yes...This project was an introduction into the concept of military (those honorable persons that keep our home and America safe) to our four year old daughter. Her questions and our explanations both taught and reminded us of what these remarkable men and women in uniform do and why we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

Next Time:
The Fisher House does seem to keep their kitchen stocked with coffee and snacks. Perhaps what the resident families may prefer is home-style meal, maybe some warm rotisserie chickens or even frozen lasagna dishes.

References:
Find one of the 43 Fisher House locations http://www.fisherhouse.org/.

Project 7

Feel Better Soon

What We Did:
We made some Feel Better Soon Cards.  During the Cold and Flu Season it isn't hard to find someone who is under the weather (school, park, neighbors, grandparents, church, community).  We just made a few cards to let the person we choose know that we were thinking of them and hoping that they'd get to feeling better.

How Long it Took:
30 minutes

How Much it Cost:
the cost of postage

Would We Do It Again?
Yes.  It is a super easy way to remind us of the value of caring about and taking that little extra step to connect to someone around us.

Next Time: x

References: x

Project 6

HALLOWEEN PARADE

Thanks to all of our friends who particpated--for taking time out of their busy lives to serve others.

What We Did:

With the kids dressed in their Halloween Costumes, we went to a local Senior Care Facility to spread some festive cheer.  I arranged a time with the facilities activities director in advance.  This allowed for a guided tour of the welcoming patients rooms and avoided any of the patients who wouldn't be interested in the activity.  We brought some little plastic Halloween trinkets for the children to hand to the seniors as a way to bring them together.  We followed up our parade with a Halloween party at one of the participating families homes -- which was not servicey at all but sure added to the day's memorability!

How Long it Took:
45 minutes to an hour to interact with all of the interested patients.

How Much it Cost:
$6 on plastic trinkets (very optional, see next time).

Would We Do It Again?
Yes!  Most of the children were very engaged and felt good about the service that they were providing.  Some of the kids were over it sooner than others depending on their age and social skills. I think the activity accomplished what we hoped it would,  a small chance to bring children and seniors in our community together and  for both to enjoy each other.

Next Time:
ohh... lots of next times. 

1. Prepare better emotionally.  The activity wears on your heart and brings up lots of questions, not so much for the kids as for the adults.
2. Don't give out small plastic objects that can be put mouths.  One of the seniors with dementia thought it was candy.  Maybe candy next time.
3. Show up on time :)

References:
I just searched on line for Senior Care Facility and found http://www.seniorcareconnection.com/.  They directed me to a few good places.

Project 5

GIVING BACK

Project sumbitted by the Goldblum family ---Florida

What We Did:
A nearby arts museum has a children's library which hosts story-times, cooking classes and crafting lessons. In addition to the well stocked book shelves, the library has set out an assortment of toys and puzzles to entertain\educate the smaller children. We made a thank you card for the staff and donated some new educational toys for their collection.

How Long it Took:
Shopping (30 minutes), Assembly (15 minutes). Delivery (we gave the gift to the librarians while attending story time)

How Much it Cost:
$20

Would We Do It Again?
Yes...Our 3 and 4 year olds are very fond of this particular library and the kind, enthusiastic librarians. They did grasp that they were giving a gift of appreciation and support.

Next Time:
The library would, I'm sure, also appreciate gifts of new children's books or dvds.

References:
Find a local library at IES National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/librarysearch)

Project 4

COILED CATERPILLAR CRAFT FOR KIDS

What We Did:
We assembled little individual craft projects for children at our local Women's Shelter. We bought a couple of boxes of pencils and a few bags of multi-colored pipe-cleaners. We layed out the pencils (15 at a time) and then added to each pencil one of every colored pipe-cleaner. We bundled the kits together by bending the pipe-cleaners in half and attaching them to the pencil with one small (hair-tie) rubber band. We attached a copy of the instructions (I'll get the instructions attached soon) to each bundle. Then we dropped the kits off at the shelter's main office (the locations of the shelter are kept confidential).

How Long it Took:

Shopping (15 minutes), Assembly (30 minutes). The Drop off depends on how far you live from a shelter. The kits are pretty light weight and would be fairly inexpensive to mail.

How Much it Cost:

$8 for 50 kits

Would We Do It Again?
Yes...Our 3 and 5 yr. old really had fun counting the pencils and sorting the pipe-cleaners. Educational :) I was surprised by our 5 yr old's ability to bundle and rubber-band the kits together.

Next Time:

I'd like to try this with another craft. Please let me know if know of a craft that could be assembled into individual kits. Maybe a Holiday Decoration craft?

References:

Just type in your zip-code and "women's shelter" into your favorite search engine to find a shelter in your area.

Project 3

SHOEBOX DONATION BOX

What We Did:

We made Kid's School Days donation boxes for KID'S STUFF USA. How it works: you get a shoe box --or a boot box -- and then fill it with school supplies that a pre-k/school aged child would need for school. We went to a local shoe store where they gave us 2 extra boot boxes (perfect for 8.5" x 11"). We purchased some supplies from the suggested "stuff to put in box list" and went home to wrap and decorate the boxes. The kids helped with selecting the supplies and also wrapping, decorating, and filling the boxes. We left the trip to the post office for Dad to do solo because . . . well you know how trips to the post office go with little kids.

How Long it Took:

About 1hr. Shopping (30 min), wrapping the packages (30 min), filling the boxes (5 min), getting them in the mail (I cheated, and had Scott mail them).

How Much it Cost:

You can really spend as much or as little as you want on this project. Since I get so frustrated with crappy school supplies we went to a traditional store for supplies and saved the trip to the dollar store to find little toys and extras. We spent about $30 on each box; additionally, they ask you to enclose a $5 check with each box to cover shipping to the child.

Would We Do It Again?

Yes.

Next Time:
Go to the dollarstore first because they do have a few good supplies there for less money than I spent at the traditional store.

References:

http://www.feedthechildren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=org_kids_stuff_USA

A very user-friendly, concise, step-by-step webpage! This link contains all the intructions you will need on what to include in the box, any regulations, and where to send the box. There are two other types of boxes that can be assembled.

Future Project

HEADS UP FOR HALLOWEEN
I got a great idea from my friend Rebecca that we are going to do for Halloween. It requires a little advanced planning and the post won't show up until after Halloween. Incase your looking for a fun Halloween service project, we are going to get together with some friends and do a Halloween parade at a local assisted-living/retirement home.

Project 2

AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE DO HAVE SOME SPARE CHANGE

What We Did:
You know those coins you are always picking up off the floor, finding in the laundry, or gathering off the floor of your minivan? We decided to find and decorate a home for that "spare change." I told the kids they could donate the money to whomever they wanted, and of course Mackie choose ANIMALS. So here is our "spare change jar" for the local animal shelter. We'll update this post when the jar gets full of coins and the kids get to deliver their donation to the shelter.

How Long it Took:
Coloring, cutting, and pasting took about 40 minutes. I'm not sure how long it will take to fill the jar. We'll see. So far, the kids have been pretty vigilant about rounding up spare change for it.

How Much it Cost:
We just used stuff we had around the house to make the jar. As for the money, we are looking at it as how much we are "collecting" instead of how much it's costing, but we won't know how much that'll be until the project is done.

Would We Do It Again?
So far.