Patriotic Paper Bag Art
We tried out another Doing Good Together Kitchen Table Activity this week. If you have a box of crayons, a stack of plain paper bags, and a child interested in learning about and helping our soldiers and first responders, this is a good one.
Operation Goody Bag is a service learning project organized through a middle school in New Jersey. It was created in the wake of September 11th, as an effort to honor those who perished and express appreciation for the men and women who served. Today, goody bags, filled with candy and gum and reminders of home, are shipped to first responders as well as military men and women around the globe.
To participate, all we have to do is cover a bag with patriotic designs, write a short note or a picture on the letter form they provide, and, if possible, add a two dollar donation so they can fill and ship the bags for us.
Operation Goody Bag is looking for 20,000 decorated bags before December, and this week, our family added a few to the cause.
We have been reading the excellent series The Magic Tree House for months now, and a few book really brought the idea of soldiers home for my kindergartner. One book was set in the Civil War and one in the Revolutionary War; both featured weary soldiers.
While Miss Kindergartner colored and added stickers to her paper bags, we had the opportunity to talk about those books. She was shocked to learn that soldiers are fighting for freedom even now, that war isn’t just something that once happened. It was all I could do to keep her from filling the bags with things from our house, which would have made it a different project entirely.
After a bit of silent coloring she looked up at me and declared, “When I grow up, I’ll never ever pick there to be war…”
I’m still mystified about what to say when she asks, “why is there war?” While we wrote little notes of thanks to soldiers and first responders, I fumbled around with possible answers. None could possibly makes sense for this girl whose world is filled with reminders about turns and kindness and no hitting.
She just shook her head at my effort, as though I was clearly missing the point. “When I am a big kid and I get on the news,” she told me, talking charge of the situation with a firmly pointed finger and a very stern tone, “I’ll tell everybody no more war.”
While we wait for her to grow up and take charge, we decorate paper bags and talk about bringing peace to the conflicts in our own lives.
Tags: Craft, Improving Lives, In the News
