Have a Witty Holiday!

Please extend a hearty "Welcome Back" to our After-School guest-blogger, Judy Danielson! Judy's kiddos have been hard at work getting ready for the holidays at Mills Elementary. Here's a sneak peek at what they've been up to this month:

Last week was another week of adventure and learning in Thriving Minds After-School Program at Mills Elementary. On Monday, fourth and fifth graders worked on their team building skills. All of the students have been writing their own short plays and are doing an outstanding job. Kindergarten and first grade made turkeys from oranges and felt pieces. Second and third grade had Mad Science on Wednesday and learned about optical illusions. The children have been earning tickets for good behavior, following directions, being a good leader, being kind, etc. On Friday we had our Reward Store, where my office turns into a Chuck E. Cheese-like store where the children can exchange their tickets for prizes ranging from candy to pencils to stickers to Hot Cheetos! For some, it's the only time they have their own "money" to spend and the decision-making process can be brutal. It is a great incentive and in a roundabout kind of way, a math lesson to figure out how many prizes you can get for your tickets.

On Saturday evening, I gathered some friends and we headed off to Barneys New York at NorthPark Center to see the "Have a Witty Holiday" window art. Our afterschool students at Mills participated in a project with Barneys to provide art for their Holiday Windows. Under the direction of artist and instructor Junanne Peck, the children painted canvases of the funniest person in their lives, or the person who makes them laugh. The visual presentation of the children's paintings is outstanding. The kids all did such good work and Barneys has done a fabulous job displaying their work.

I am so proud of my kids, and people were stopping to look in the windows! How cool is that? Of course, like any proud Mother Hen, I let people know that my afterschool kids created the paintings. Most of the salespeople in Barneys now know me and all about Thriving Minds After-School, too. I encourage all of you to go to Barneys and see the windows. I know you will be touched. I can't wait to share all the pictures I took with my kids and their families!

Judy Danielson
Community Site Manager, Mills Elementary
Thriving Minds After-School



*Editor's note: The Barneys window displays of the children's art from Mills, Tatum Elementary and Long Middle School will be up throughout the holiday season. Stop and take a look while you're doing your Christmas shopping - it's quite a sight to see!