Ideas for the last week before the holidays (and a gift)

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Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you can’t help but be swept up in the holiday hustle and bustle around Christmas. People are focused on getting to stores to do Christmas shopping or are in supermarkets buying groceries for family gatherings. I am struck with a couple of thoughts. Although it’s supposed to be a season of giving and gratitude, there are lots of people who don’t necessarily look at the season in a positive light. For some, the holidays bring up terrible memories; for others it’s a time of financial hardship.

Yesterday, in a line up for the post office, there were two separate people who got into verbal fights. One person had to step away from the line because his mother had stormed away and the person behind me in line was having an argument with someone on the phone. By the time I reached the cashier, it was no wonder that her mood was less than jolly. I made a point to be extra complimentary towards her and thanked her for her service and I invited the person behind me (who looked like he was in a hurry) to go ahead of me in line. I made idle chit chat with others while I waited. This incident is what prompted this tweet:

Ideas for the week before the holidays (or any week)

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Assignment

Earlier this week two students came in to put positive post it notes on computers, desks and in books. Yesterday I was pleasantly tagged in an Instagram post that was created by students at my school. One of the projects created by the Religious Ed Department at my school invites students to engage in five random acts of kindness throughout the semester. You can see sprinkles of kindness in many ways as a result, and although you may be thinking, why would you force kids to be kind as a project, this is one of those rare assignments that goes beyond grades and is truly making a difference in our community by putting smiles on the faces of students and teachers. I actually love that the owner of the account is completely anonymous to me! The last week before the holiday break might be a great time to start a project like this in your class (or family).

#BuildToGive

I learned about the Build to Give Campaign by LEGO a few weeks ago and we have been making Lego ornaments in our LLC ever since. Why not take a day this week to make a Lego ornament and post it using the hashtag #BuildToGive and LEGO will donate Lego to a family this holiday.

 

Milk Bag Mats (Ontario)

We drink our milk in bags here in Ontario and instead of sending the bags to the dump, we make sleeping mats out of them and send them to Milk Bags Unlimited. We have an amazing Construction tech teacher who made looms for us. We ask families to donate their milk bags, and we are going to spend time this week making mats in our Civics and Geography classes. This project builds community and helps the environment, while creating a product which serves a need. Here is a YouTube playlist link that shows you how!

Cards and Comics for Kids in Long-term Hospital Care

Why not have your students (or kids) create or collect comics or make joke cards or kindness rocks to be delivered to kids who won’t be able to come home for the holidays. This can take the place of a regularly scheduled Art or English class. Look at accounts like Crafting for A Cure, Kindness Rocks, or Critical Care Comics as examples.

Make your purchases matter

Have you heard of Amazon Smile? Some of the students I feature in Social LEADia are a part of the Amazon Smile campaign. This means that when you make your purchase through the Amazon Smile affiliation, those charities receive some money without any additional cost to you! If you are looking for an educational book, why not consider EdWriteNow: Solutions to Common Challenges in your School or Classroom (Volume 3) to which I proudly contributed a chapter and whose proceeds go to the Will to Live Foundation.

A Gift for You

It is this spirit of giving and kindness that made me think about how I might help promote positivity in online spaces. I ordered a Masterclass membership (originally to help me with Writer’s block, but I am loving the variety of classes I have access to), and I received a code for a free one-year pass! So I decided to pay it forward this way:

Every time you learn and share learning, celebrate someone, or share a positive story or sentiment using the hashtag #SocialLEADia, I will enter your name into a draw to receive my gift Masterclass pass.

PS DBC is having a holiday sale on any book including Social LEADia. Check it out below:

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