'Tis the Season!

It is that time of the year. You can feel the excitement, the anticipation, the stress and the buzz that really circulates during this time of the year. Each day my students come in with exciting stories and new updates on their holiday seasons. As the children are getting more and more excited about the holiday, we as adults may be getting pulled in more than one direction. No matter how your holiday season is going, one thing remains true. This is a time of the year when we can all stop what we are doing and remember that there is always time to give back. We can do this in any way that we feel comfortable. Donating time, a few extra dollars, toys, gloves, and the list goes on.

In First Grade this year, we decided to combine our love for dogs with a few gathered materials in order to make something special for dogs waiting to be adopted. This week we have spent time preparing for the Naperville Humane Society’s visit to our classroom. We started this journey long before the month of December appeared. We read books on dog shelters, we brainstormed what dogs need in order to survive, made lists of ways that a person can take care of a dog, and lastly, what qualities a person should have if they are looking to adopt. After all of this foundational work, we decided as a group that we wanted to make dog toys for the dogs that are waiting to be adopted in the shelter. This will keep them busy, and stimulate their brains! We then took it a step further. We wanted to thank the new owners for making this amazing choice in adopting a dog. So we made “Thank You” cards for the owner. We tied it all together with a little “Doggie Bag,” treat and all!

The students decorated the dog toy with fabric markers. The creativity was flowing! The students helped in collecting the empty water bottles, some brought in socks, and markers, too. In art class, they designed their doggie bag with the help of Miss Jacobs.

Tomorrow when the visitor from the Naperville Humane Society comes in to talk to our group, we will present her with our hard work and dedicated gifts for the dogs. We can’t wait for our visitor tomorrow, and we hope the dogs enjoy the gifts we have worked so hard to make!

Warm Holiday wishes to you and your family, from the First Grade Puppy Pound!