It’s a wrap for Real-World Super Heroes #1

Mindy and I wrapped up our first-ever “Real-World Super Heroes” after-school course with a Super Celebration!

We had a group discussion to debrief on the trimester. We posted a list of the completed projects and our young Heroes explained how they contributed Time, Talent and Treasure in each each case. It was great to see their faces light up as they realized that when they took the “time” and applied their “talents,” the result was a “treasure” to share with others.

Our Heroes voted on much they enjoyed each project (with 1,2 or 3 smiley faces) and their two favorite projects demonstrated this principle well:

1. Presents for Pets - making dog biscuits and “Adopt me” bandanas for shelter dogs (see prior post with doggie pic for more info)

2. The Magic Bookshelf - decoupaging and filling a bookshelf donated by my friend Carol and her colleagues at theknot.com.  Decoupage is just a fancy word for painting with glue, which kids flock to like flies to flypaper (mess is par for the course). The kids also loved sorting the gently-used books and attaching a bookplate (labels made up on a home printer saying”Donated by Real-World Super Heroes”) into each one. Our Super Heroes signed the back of the bookcase which will have a home in the Goddard Riverside Child Center’s new library.  

The Magic Bookshelf is a fun activity that could be done by any family or informal playgroup. I am sure you could easily identify a local daycare, HeadStart pre-school or homeless shelter near you that would love to receive such a donation.

During our debriefing discussion we noted our collective impact by estimating the number of people (or doggies!) we helped doing each project. Our actions even provided financial benefits in some cases, such as the Quaker grant we received to fund extra Halloween party supplies.  The certificate each Hero received reflects a conservative grand total of more than 1,200 people and animals helped during this trimester alone! Proof that even six-year-olds can have a great impact. Congratulations to all our Real-World Super Heroes!