December 8, 2011
Service learning is a theme that starts early and runs deep at Mounds
Park Academy. One of MPA’s Kindergarten teachers, Kristine Petersen, saw the
possibility of turning an upcoming trip to work at the Garland Hall Orphanage in Jamaica into an opportunity to share the joy of service learning with lower school students.
Petersen’s Recipe for Service Learning:
1
teaspoon of opportunity
2 cups of
leadership
7
tablespoons of inspiration
11/2 cups
of initiative
1 gallon
of cooperation
3 cups of
compassion
1 pint of
creativity
A
sprinkle of joy
A project
that now involves students from every grade level, this service learning
opportunity began humbly in one Kindergarten classroom where Petersen read two
books, Beatrice’s Goat, and Give a Goat to her class. Both books shared similar messages and helped
her students understand the significance of giving a goat to a family anywhere
in the world. They learned that a family could sell the extra products made from
the goat to make money to send a child to school, or buy necessities for their
family. She then shared with her
students that she was going to an orphanage who happened to be in need of a
goat, chickens, and school supplies.
After this
initial introduction, Petersen teamed up with 4th grade classes, who
joined the kindergarteners and introduced the word “entrepreneurship.” They
learned the definition-both on a larger scale but also within the context of
service learning and their particular project. Before long the students were
suggesting ways that they could be entrepreneurs and raise enough money to give the gift of a goat to the orphanage in Jamaica.
Several
pairing activities later the lower school entrepreneurial minds have handcrafted
blankets, greeting cards and rain sticks to sell. Though some are undeniably more
reliably constructed than others, the sentiment of philanthropy and service
learning runs much
deeper than the cosmetic appearance of their creations. Some
students have even spent their nights and weekends creating their own
masterpieces at home, contributing Popsicle stick boxes and potholders to the
spread of items that will be for sale at the Baa Baa Boutique, open December 8th
from 3:30-4:30.
So far, the students have far exceeded their goals and have raised money to allow Garland Hall Orphanage to purchase not one, but three, goats and many chickens! Raffle tickets to name the three goats are being sold on December 8.
Now the students are raising money to ship the school supplies and many boxes of books
that were donated and purchased with the funds raised. Some books have already been shipped, and the orphanage sent Mrs. Petersen and the students these photos of the goats and chickens, as well as the children in Jamaica enjoying their new books.
Find out more about the BaaBaa Boutique from some of our entrepreneurial fourth graders, and don’t miss your chance to shop today, December 8 from 3:30-4:40 p.m.:
