Our Kindergarten students have spent the past several weeks immersed in a heart-warming PBL titled “Giving Thanks / Giving Back.” Their project centered on exploring gratitude, expressing appreciation, and discovering age-appropriate ways to give back to their community.
Students began by brainstorming what it means to be thankful, creating a word web full of ideas that guided their learning. Their gratitude for nature inspired a memorable field trip to Zilker Botanical Gardens, followed by a collaborative nature-themed mural in art class.
They also expressed thanks for the people in their daily lives. Kindergartners made handmade thank-you notes for their reading buddies, as well as for the wonderful teachers and staff at AJA. In Hebrew, students learned to say “Todah Rabah,” and in Jewish Studies they learned “Modeh/Modah Ani,” thanking Hashem for a new day.
One highlight of the project was the creation of each child’s own illustrated book, “I Am Thankful.” Students designed their covers in art class and then proudly shared their books with the children in ECP. In music, they learned and practiced songs about gratitude to share during their presentation.
The second half of the PBL focused on the idea of giving back. Students learned that doing a mitzvah is an act of kindness that helps others. With Morah Susan, they wrote about their favorite mitzvot, and together they chose a special class mitzvah project: donating teddy bears to EMS so emergency responders can comfort children riding in ambulances.
To make this happen, our young philanthropists worked hard. They helped host a bake sale — complete with posters they created themselves — and sold brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and popcorn. They earned money at home by doing chores. With the money they earned, they took a trip to Build-A-Bear to create teddy bears with love and intention.
Finally, EMS visited the school, and the children proudly donated their creations so that kids having to ride in an ambulance would have a bear to comfort them.
This project beautifully wove together academics, creativity, Jewish values, and genuine acts of kindness. Our Kindergartners learned not only to recognize the blessings in their lives, but also how to share those blessings with others. Each day, they continue to practice being thankful and doing mitzvot — small hands making a big difference.
