Creativity Kits
While I only just posted about searching out more free activities, today I’m offering up one that isn’t. It isn’t terribly expensive either, so bear with me.
The idea to assemble creativity kits comes straight off of Doing Good Together’s Kitchen Table Activities page. Since the holiday hoopla will begin next week, taking us out of town and away from our usual volunteering resources, I wanted to squeeze in one more DGT activity to get the girls doing and talking as part of our regularly scheduled day.
This activity is simple, relatively inexpensive, and a pleasant way to spend a little time at our craft table while enhancing that of someone else. I loved the idea because the girls spend a great deal of time coloring and attempting the activities in their own color books. This seemed like a good way to let them know that this stuff doesn’t just grow in the dirt.
The first step is simple. Collect the following items for as many kits as you would like to make:
- New coloring book, sensitive to a diversity of families; subjects can include animals, trucks, cartoon characters, etc.
- New crayons (set of 24) – thick if possible
- A 9? x 12? envelope (unsealed) to slip the items into.
Once you have the items on hand, simply set your kids to work. Encourage them to decorate the envelops as brightly as they would like. Add in the coloring books and crayons, and maybe a sheet or two of stickers. Miss Kindergarten couldn’t help but embellish a little. I actually had to stop her from stashing some bulky toys inside!
Crayons and color books can be important creativity tools to help low-income children learn better. If you live outside the Twin Cities, contact any agency that serves low-income families, and you are likely to find a grateful recipient for your gifts.
If you are in the Twin Cities, contact the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency (www.mvna.org) to get directions on where and when to deliver the kits.The MVNA is a nonprofit home health and public health care provider serving the Twin Cities. The program is extensive, providing home care to 73,000 clients in Hennepin county annually. The nurses routinely grab a pile of creativity packets before heading out to households, so they can leave behind something fun and educational for the young children they serve.
The only snag we hit with this project was entirely predictable. When I asked the girls to help fill the envelops, Little Miss Three took one look at the small pile of books and colors and shouted, “No, those are MINE.” This sort of thing just didn’t happen with the food shelf drop off or the paper houses we sent to Senator Klobachar.
I asked Miss Kindergarten for help with my explanation, and she took on the responsibility beautifully. “We have so many color books,” she explained to her red faced little sister with the balled up fists and exaggerated pout. “Some kids don’t have any. It’s really nice of you to give them this present.”
The clincher cracked me up. Little Miss K told her sister, “And if you help mom give the color books to the kids, you’ll have something to say when we talk about who we helped.”
Has the “Who have you helped” conversation become a bullying tactic? Yikes, I hope not. I prefer to think of it as an important incentive. Regardless, it worked. Little Miss Three helped seal up the envelops and proudly told her dad how she helped the kids.
MVNA says that many of its creativity packets come from corporate gatherings that assemble and donate many packets at once. They were happy to accept our family’s simple gift of ten, but it gave me an idea. This is an ideal project for any children’s gathering.
The next time you find yourself hosting a gathering of kids, whether its a boisterous holiday party, family reunion, or end of season school gathering, consider adding this to your agenda. Simply add please bring a pack of 24 crayons and a new coloring book to the invitation, buy a pack of envelops, and you can occupy the kids for a good cause.
Tags: Craft, Improving Lives
