Fleece Navidad

Some children in need will be a little bit warmer this holiday season thanks to some special second-grade students in Kristin Moffitt's and Julie Delka's classes at Westwood. After reading Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson, these students set out to do something extraordinary, too, with the inquiry, "What could we do to help?"

The decided on making fleece blankets to donate to two local charities, but that wouldn't happen without a lot of planning and curricular integration. First, the students set a goal; they'd each buy the fleece they'd need for one blanket to help someone in need. They then had to plan ways to get the money for the materials.  After deciding that they'd do chores for the cash, the worker bees wrote persuasive letters to their parents asking for their help in accomplishing their goal.

Once their parents agreed to help, students had to figure out how many chores they'd have to do to purchase the type and amount of fleece they'd need to make one standard-sized throw. That took a little research; did you know that fleece is sold by the yard? Then, they wrote a contract to do those around-the-yard jobs for a quarter each.

This project involved all sorts of math, including measuring and calculating how many yards of fabric they'd need as well as figuring out how much they'd save if they used a 40% off coupon! Once they earned the amount needed to complete their contracts and purchase their supplies, they took their parents shopping for the fabric that they wanted to use for their blanket. Fleece donations in all sorts of different colors and patterns came rolling in. Students met the week before winter break in the cafeteria, where they could spread out to work on cutting and tying the edges. The blankets, ready to cover their new owners with love, are a practical way to show that we care and to wish them all a heartfelt Fleece Navidad!