Let The Giving Continue

     This past week concluded our amazing canned food drive. If you didn't know, our center-wide goal was 500 donated items. We had 3 classes individually surpass that goal which was so amazing for us to watch. The older kids enjoyed the friendly competition, almost as much as their dads did. We had multiple families get into little battles to see who could donate the most cans. It was such an exciting time for everyone involved! 

Our grand total was 2,650 items! Even after the competition had ended, we had parents bringing more items in. It was heart-warming to watch each box fill to the top with all the goodies for the less fortunate. We are so thankful for all our families and their generosity in this time, we know 2020 hasn't been an easy year for anyone. 

On top of the canned food drive, we had a thankful flock that quickly grew. Some were thankful for their cars, some for their families, and many for our center and the love our teachers give to their babies. We had our older classes fill out "I am thankful for.." sentence strips that covered our hallways and brought smiles to every parent's face. Thankful was definitely in the air all month, but especially last week! 

With the Christmas season right around the corner, we have so much giving coming up in the next couple of weeks. We are going to run a coat donation drive and have special guest giving their time in each classroom. A special frog-street gift, salt dough ornaments, and everything Christmas is on the calendar for the month of December. It is our hope here at AoILV that we teach the kids that the season is about receiving, but also about giving. 

With this season in full effect, we are so thankful for the time we have with your kids and all that we get to do with them. We take every moment spent with them to heart and hope that every family knows how truly loved they are, as they walk through our doors. As we have already said, it is the most wonderful time of the year and our hope is that every child feels that here at our center.

    

    

The Giving Season

     Here, at AOILV, we are so thankful for all that we have. With the craziness of 2020 and all the world has going on, we decided to find a way to give back. This year, we are hosting an annual Canned Food Drive through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to give back to Sumner County. All the items donated to the canned food drive will go to a local family for a Thanksgiving Feast! 

As you can tell, the kids are all on board with donating to help out a local family! The older classes have been using this opportunity to not only talk about why we are donating, but they are including it in day-to-day curriculum. Pre-K 3 has been counting their own cans and learning to "tally" them, as they count. The younger classes have decided that the cans make better sensory toys! 

 We are spending all of this month teaching the kids what "grateful" means and how we can express gratitude in different ways. We truly believe that it's never too early to teach them the importance of appreciating everything that they have! Our calendar is full of "thankful", Thanksgiving, and turkey activity and art- enough to fill your heart and cover the front of your fridge! 

 Later next week, we are doing a "I am thankful for" sentence strip activity that we will post all up and down the halls of AOILV. We hope you'll take the time to see what each child and teacher is thankful for. It is always so heartwarming to see what the kids have to say. Thanksgiving really is the start of the most wonderful time of the year! 

With all that being said, be sure to donate to your kid's classroom to win them a party of their choosing! Not only are you helping the kids feel a sense of pride, but you are donating to a local family who needs it. We are so THANKFUL for all of our families and students and all the joy they bring to our life. We hope this season of giving is full of all things wonderful and magical for you all.