Back-to-school season is a hectic time for everyone, but it is a time of year I always try to remember ways to give back to the community we live in. Even though my kids homeschool, my college studies were in education fields (music and theatre, K-12) and I taught in a public school for a year before my son was born.
I think as Christians we need to support our local communities as much as possible – especially when it comes to children! So we were excited to find out about Elmer’s #BagItForward campaign to help provide back-to-school supplies for those in need. That means looking for ways to contribute and volunteer with our children when possible.
And families struggle to make ends meet, school supplies are an area that can really suffer. And most teacher’s spend hundreds of dollars a year out of their own pockets to fill the gap in their classrooms. But you can partner with Elmer’s to help through the #BagItForward Let’s Bond initiative. Just get a group of people together and have everyone bring a few extra items! That’s it!
We hit Wal-Mart as a family and instead of filling a backpack (our local school has strict rules about the types of backpacks allowed) we filled a storage tote chock full of school supplies to encourage learning. We’ll be able to take the whole thing to our local school and know that it will be put to good use.
If you do, take the time to share your story at Champions For Kids.
Wondering what schools can use? Here’s a brief list:
- Safety scissors
- #2 pencils
- Pencil sharpeners
- Dry erase markers
- Tape
- Notebook paper
- Colored pencils
- Washable paint
- Water colors
- Glue
- Glue sticks
- Binders and Folders
You could pick up a new backpack and get one of everything. Or get several of a single item. Whatever you feel best.
In our case, each child got to pick out a five of their favorite school supplies to share. This let them be involved in the giving process and help with the “shopping.” The kids loved it, all the way down to my 2 year old who chose crayons to donate! They put together a fabulous tote filled with goodies that is sure to get put to good use.
We need your help now. There’s a goal to help 20 million children through 1 million individual donations and that’s where YOU come in! You know I love to challenge you guys to get off the computer and do something in real life that really makes a true difference and this is one of those times.
What will YOU put together in your backpack full of supplies?
This post was written in partnership with Motherhood but all opinions and caring homeschooled children are my own.
