It Takes A Village

I love to invite community members to take over my classroom in a variety of fun ways!  An easy (and free!) idea is to contact your local public library and ask for library card applications.  Many children today do not have their own library card, and when they receive one, they absolutely LOVE it!  It makes them feel grown up and independent.  I typically pick up the applications myself, attach a note asking parents to fill it out and return, and I drop off at the local library one day after school.  Cards are then easily made, I pick up and distribute….and done!  Your students are reading to take on some summer reading with their new library cards. 

Another fun and easy way to involve the community with your students is to create a “FREE Summer Fun” activity sheet!  And, you are in luck – you have access to a free resource of businesses and activities in the Indianapolis area that has been created just for you!.  Just copy, print, and send home!  Parents can easily scan the QR codes to find out more information.  

Check out these free summer activities for those in central Indiana!

Plan a food truck festival with your class!  This past Spring, my students enjoyed learning about food trucks to go along with economy standards I was teaching in class.  My students learned about capital and natural resources, jobs needed, setting up a budget, and more!  The next step was designing their own food truck complete with a specific menu that was tailored to their truck.  I called some local food trucks, and one happily agreed to come and give out free samples to my class of what they sell.  It was great!  You could invite local food trucks to your school as well, with or without doing the economics activity.  This is a “win-win” for the trucks you invite, because chances are – the students will want to come and visit them in the summer for purchasing!  It was a wonderful learning experience, and I plan on continuing it in future years. 

Chances are, the most difficult part of including the community is just making the call.  In past years, I have had luck reaching out to local bakeries to provide a free donut to my students, ice cream from a nearby Sundae Shop, and even a dog bakery dropped off free treats for my students’ dogs!  Businesses are usually more than willing to help, because they realize it will most likely be gaining them profit down the road.  Again – a “win-win” situation!  

Make sure to keep a list of businesses that you contact so you can follow-up with thank you cards, and keep them in your contacts for the next school year.  Education truly takes a village, and I hope you enjoyed learning how to build yours!