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A great way to get kids involved in fund raising for those who need support in their community. A fun way to get them excited.

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Teach your preschool and daycare kids bike safety and the importance of helping others, all while having fun with St. Jude Trike-A-Thon.

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Take your recycling program to the next level.

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Take your recycling program to the next level.

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Ask students to create video or audio podcasts discussing the importance of recycling and waste reduction. Post the podcasts on your school website for the wider community to learn from.

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Encourage students to study the origins and key players of an artistic movement, such as street painting, and then inviting kids to create their own works of art inspired by the movement.

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A cool way to make a connection between math and the everyday work that is done within St. Jude.

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Join the fight against childhood cancer by organizing a St. Jude Math-A-Thon at your school.

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Have students put together coffee, tea, or hot chocolate mix for local workers who make a difference in your community, such as nurses, firefighters, or police officers.

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It would be so fun to create a fundraiser for St. Jude or any other local charity. I have always loved what St. Jude does for kids with cancer and their families and I used to run the fundraising for the Chili's I used to work at. It got me really excited to be a part of the process and I think having the kids come up with something to earn money for them would have them even more invested in the outcome.

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Create your own fundraiser to help end childhood cancer. Sign up to start your own campaign, and raise funds and awareness for the kids of St. Jude.

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It would be so great to have an opportunity to connect students with senior citizens. Maybe have them interview their buddies to break the ice. We could come up with questions as a class. It would help them with SEL as well as get them involved in their community.

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I love this idea of having the students starting their own business and donating the proceeds. It would make a great unit, fostering ingenuity and creativity.

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Service Learning opportunities through fundraising.

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Service learning is essential for students of every age. But kids' first service learning experiences must be enjoyable in order to establish a lifelong passion for giving back. The key is to provide an authentic, memorable volunteerism experience, all the while making service learning fun for kids.

Various studies have shown the important effects service learning has on students' academic and emotional growth. Benefits include:

Improvement of students' problem analysis, critical thinking, and cognitive development.

Heightened student engagement in the lesson.

Ability to link what they have learned to the "real world."

Enrichment of social emotional learning, which increases students' self-esteem and compassion for others. (Source: The Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College)

Together with our friends at St. Jude, we've come up with seven easy but impactful ways you can make service learning fun for the kids in your classroom.

Preschool and day care children learn about trike and riding-toy safety and the importance of helping others, all while having fun and earning prizes. Launched in 1983, St. Jude Trike-A-Thon fundraisers provide educators with a weeklong curriculum that includes a series of interactive lessons with two charming characters, Bikewell Bear and Pedals the Bunny. Educational materials-storybooks, videos, and coloring books-that support learning are also provided. All of this adds an educational bent to your big trike event and your efforts for St. Jude! Click here to find out more.

2. Challenge older kids to be the tour guides for younger ones. (1-4)

Five-year-olds are excited and can be a bit apprehensive when entering elementary school or making the jump from kindergarten to "the big leagues." Have older elementary students visit the kindergarten or a local preschool to present special books, photos, or videos they created that tell children what to expect when they transition to a new grade.

The St. Jude Math-a-Thon is designed to work with your school's existing curriculum. Students raise money from friends and family and solve math problems in grade-specific Funbooks, developed by Scholastic. Students also learn how math plays an important role in the lifesaving work happening every day at St. Jude. Visit stjude.org/math to get your class involved.

4. Try a soap drive. (K and up)

Photo credit: MySuburbanLife.com

Students collect soap donations from families, as well as unused soap from local hotels that would normally be disposed of, and donate them to local homeless shelters.

5. Start a real-life business and donate the proceeds. (2 and up)

While learning about economics, have your students develop their own businesses to raise money for a charitable cause. Students develop a product, brand name, and logo and create a commercial by filming one another with an iPad or present their product to the class. Then turn your classroom or school cafeteria into a kid business expo where students can purchase goods from their classmates and students sell their wares. Products that students have sold with success in kid business classrooms include lip balm, slime, cake pops, UFO Frisbees, and candy boxes. The proceeds then go to your students' cause of choice, such as St. Jude!

6. Read to senior citizens. (3-5)

Students can improve their reading skills by reading to nursing-home residents in their local communities. Not only are students making new friends, they are improving their reading fluency.

7. Create your own fundraiser for St. Jude kids. (Pre-K-12)

Pair your passion with a purpose by designing your own fundraiser for St. Jude. When it comes to creating your own event, the sky's the limit! Talent shows, bake sales, and walk-a-thons are just a few of the many ways schools nationwide are already raising funds for St. Jude. Access free online fundraising resources and support by visiting stjude.org/yourway.

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7 Ideas That Make Service Learning Fun for Kids - WeAreTeachers

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Service learning is essential for students of every age. But kids' first service learning experiences must be enjoyable in order to establish a lifelong passion for giving back. The key is to provide an authentic, memorable volunteerism experience, all the while making service learning fun for kids.

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From module 13

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Are you interested in getting your students involved in service learning? The teachers we've talked to agree that the key to making service learning work is to encourage students to come up with their own project idea-or find one that they truly support-and to connect that project to the curriculum in multiple ways. To inspire you, here are seven cool service learning projects that teachers have shared on our site:

1. Invite students to research a local landmark, such as a historical site or community park.

After researching the history of the site and touring it in person, encourage students to brainstorm ways your class could improve the landmark for visitors while maintaining its historical integrity.

2. Sponsor a service learning craft club.

Members can put their talents to work making decorations for school events as well as for the wider community. Invite club members to share any special skills-such as sculpting or needlepoint-with the rest of the group.

3. Make measurement practice meaningful.

Have students put together coffee, tea, or hot chocolate mix for local workers who make a difference in your community, such as nurses, firefighters, or police officers.

4. Beautify your school.

Encourage students to study the origins and key players of an artistic movement, such as street painting, and then inviting kids to create their own works of art inspired by the movement.

5. Take your recycling program to the next level.

Ask students to create video or audio podcasts discussing the importance of recycling and waste reduction. Post the podcasts on your school website for the wider community to learn from.

6. Study the art and culture of an impoverished nation or one that is in crisis.

Invite students to make their own artwork inspired by that country, then auction off the pieces and donate the proceeds to a charity in the struggling nation.

7. Start a gardening project with a younger classroom.

Have your students take the lead on planning and researching the garden and then presenting the information to the younger kids. Your students will learn leadership skills in addition to creating a spot to promote relaxation and nutrition at your school.

Question for you: What kind of service learning projects do you do in your school?

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7 Creative Service Learning Projects - WeAreTeachers

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Are you interested in getting your students involved in service learning? The teachers we've talked to agree that the key to making service learning work is to encourage students to come up with their own project idea-or find one that they truly support-and to connect that project to the curriculum in multiple ways.