Whiz Kids: Ryerson Students and Teachers Donate Hand Made Hats and Scarves

Achievement: students celebrated the Winter Solstice hand making warm, fuzzy winter hats and scarves for less fortunate Connecticut families. These items will be distributed to children and families through the .

Key to Awesomeness: "I feel like I'm making someone else feel good," said Fourth Grader Sophia Sweitzer. "The kids and the parents will be happy they got things so they'll be warm for the winter."

"Thanks and Giving" was the November/December theme as part of Ryerson's ongoing .  "We were trying to come up with a way for the students to actually have their hands in a project that would be helping others," Second Grade Teacher Christine Ackerman said.

"The idea behind the Bucket-Filling Program is to help young children understand the effect their words and actions can have on others," explained Ackerman.  "We explain that everyone has an invisible bucket. If your bucket is full, you feel happy and content.  If your bucket is empty, you feel sad. You can help fill someone's bucket by being kind and polite and supportive. When you help fill another person's bucket, you also fill your own bucket because being kind and helping others makes you feel good, too."

The children worked in pairs, older students with younger students, using colorful fleece to make matching hats and scarves. “It was soft, it was at least ½ centimeter thick and there were a lot of different patterns on it,” said Fourth Grader Gina Ciotti. She said she knows it will be very warm because, “it’s really fuzzy.”

Gina worked with first grader, Sloan, and said working with the younger students was really fun.  “All the first graders were really nice and they helped a lot and we got to help them,” Gina said.  After each set was completed they were packaged with a specially decorated “Happy Holiday” card, signed by the students who made the items.

"It was so kind of them to think of others especially at this time of year," said Sandi Gossart-Walker, Program Coordinator at Yale Child Study Center In-Home Clinical Services.  "We have plenty of families that do not have the financial resources to purchase many of the basic needs, including warm clothing."

The Yale Child Study Center provides home-based treatment services to families with children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance, problems of drugs and alcohol, or involvement in the juvenile justice system, according to their website.

Gossart-Walker is excited about distributing these specially designed gifts to her clients.  "We look forward to distributing the hats and scarves to children and parents in the upcoming very cold weeks."