Save the Sea Turtles!
This is what second graders voted to be the focus of our second annual Second Grade Penny Drive.
Students brainstormed answers to the question "Who or what needs help?" and came up with homeless people, homeless pets, police officers and fire fighters, seeing eye dogs, the American Red Cross, the environment, and many more. Students voted on whether they wanted to focus on helping animals, people, or the environment, and animals won. They then voted on whether we should help homeless animals, endangered animals, or animals who help people. After it was narrowed down to endangered animals, they brainstormed a huge list of (possibly) endangered animals.
Sea turtles won.
After a brief search online for a worthy organization that helps sea turtles, we settled on National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, where we can adopt a nest for only $40.
The Second Grade Penny Drive is very low key! We will do some research on sea turtles, sing some holiday carols about sea turtles (this is the caroling part) around the school, and collect pennies and other change. We only want loose change, and do not want it to become a big deal or burden on anyone.
Below is the school-wide explanation blurb:
Falcon Families: Second grade is reading A Christmas Carol
as one of their Core Knowledge literature selections. They will be
doing a character study of Ebenezer Scrooge and exemplifying the
OPPOSITE of his character traits by running a penny drive to adopt a sea turtle nest in Florida.
Between Monday, December 10th and Thursday, December 13,
please encourage your children to clean out under car seats, in between
couch cushions, and pick pennies up off the sidewalk to help out. This
is low-key and student-created, so please support with just a little
spare change. Thanks, Mr. Currey.
I'm sure you will hear our sea turtle carols around the house, but they will be officially debuted and the penny drive will officially kick off at the Winter Program at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, December 8. Second grade will be starting the program off at 10:00 a.m. sharp!
Ideas for at-home connections: learn about sea life and the various dangers presented to them by watching a documentary or reading a book. Visit the links above. Learn some cool facts about sea turtles. Second graders may (if they like) bring a container in which they will collect pennies (like a margarine tub, tin, box, etc.). Second graders are welcome to bring one on Saturday to the Program, and on Monday the 10th. It would be great if it was decorated!
