Thanks for everyone's input. It is greatly appreciated. I think I will talk to the teacher I'm working with and see if we can't motivate the children with the fact that they are helping people in need. I like this idea a lot!
I forgot to post the response for you. Why not use the money that you would use on the Pizza Party to buy extra food for the food pantry, explain this to the kids. Perhaps, your principal and teachers would be willing to give the winning class an extra recess. Extra recess always seems to be a good motivator. I wish someone would give me one! Just a thought! Hope that you find something that works!
Very well said Bea. You took the words right out of my mouth. The gift (prize) in helping people is knowing that you made a difference. Not a tangible reward.
Our school does a little fundraiser (usually ran by the principal) for different things like United Way ans such, it is called Silver Wars. Our new principal decided to do it for a family in the school who had been burned out of their home right before Christmas. How it works is that each class has two containers one for silver coins, and the other for pennies. The silver ones you put into your class container and that counts toward you class count. But the pennies, you can bring in and put in the second container for other classroom. The pennies you put in theirs then is deducted from their class total. The kids go absolutely crazy over this and they get no tangible reward. They just can't wait to hear the morning announcements the next day, to see who is ahead. In this case, the 5th and 6th graders, approximately 200 kids and 10 teachers, raised close to $2,000 in less than a week for the family.
Yes Connie, I feel the same way. We have had a food drive, sock donation, and toy drive. All of these were for the sole reason of helping others in need. The children felt good about being a part of something bigger than just themselves and helping those less fortunate. There were no incentives needed here. I even feel that when they are helping to raise funds for the library, playground equipment etc. the main incentive should be the main goal itself. I've been told that kids don't think like this, and need something more tangible to strive to attain. But I think it is the adults that could lead the way and teach the children to use all of their raised funds towards the main goal. That is like the old fashioned barn raising. You should help for the sake of helping, not what's in it for you. It's a community effort and all these side prizes take away from the main goal as well as the lesson.
Yes Connie, I feel the same way. We have had a food drive, sock donation, and toy drive. All of these were for the sole reason of helping others in need. The children felt good about being a part of something bigger than just themselves and helping those less fortunate. There were no incentives needed here. I even feel that when they are helping to raise funds for the library, playground equipment etc. the main incentive should be the main goal itself. I've been told that kids don't think like this, and need something more tangible to strive to attain. But I think it is the adults that could lead the way and teach the children to use all of their raised funds towards the main goal. That is like the old fashioned barn raising. You should hlp sor the sake of helping, not what's in it for you. It's a community effort and all these side prizes take away from the main goal as well as the lesson.
