Service - Credit hours, Opportunities

[Lucy]

And how has the part about "works of service" worked out in your family so far?

Works of service have gone well but I hope to find something more weekly for her and us next year. We go to a home for the homeless to take food and hang out with the families once a month. She helps with the babies once a month at church also. She is also involved in our youth group that focuses on inviting unchurched neighbors. We have also been involved in helping to refurbish a home in our city for some kids whose parents both died last year. This was through our church but many in our community became involved. That is what it has looked like here for us this year.

Lucy

[cbollin]

Jenn, I was just cleaning my kitchen floor from an apple juice spill and thinking about your question. I want to try to encourage some brainstorming ideas about the service ideas. Remember, some of those service ideas can be the "everyday" "ordinary" life things.

*babysitting for a MOPS meeting or a woman's Bible study that meets in the week

*being a teacher's helper to a homeschooling mom who has a lot of younger children. Can your teen just play with a preschooler for another family? Can the teen help clean house for another family?

*how about cleaning trash in a local park or playground while younger sibs are playing???

* does your church office need just a little bit of help with folding bulletins, or setting out chairs?

*what about being on the "greeting" team at church or doing those little behind the scenes helps to get ready for services (empty trash, fold chairs, etc.)

*in winter, shovel sidewalks in your neighborhood

and yes, there will be some teenagers who will want to do "big things" that get them talked about in workshops and magazines. That's ok too. Some teens are interested in politics -- so they could help locally with someone they support or they think they support :)

*fold donated clothes at Crisis Pregnancy Center
*sort food at food bank.
*organize large scale projects for whatever.....

anyway..... the service time will look so different in each family. I just want to encourage you to think inside and outside of the box and not to overlook the obvious things (babysitting) as well.

-crystal

[4Truth]

-- do chores for, or just "babysit" and visit with an elderly neighbor or grandparent

-- make baby blankets for the hospital maternity ward, particularly if it's in a low income area

-- makes desserts or simple casseroles for the neighbors, especially if they're sick or elderly, just had a baby, or new to the neighborhood (try to find out ahead of time if there are any dietary restrictions)

-- clean the empty house for someone who just moved (you might need to follow up to make sure they did a good job)

-- volunteer at the vet clinic or animal shelter

[Jenn in NC]

Of all the things that I am looking forward to in the high school curriculum, the works of service aspect is probably my favorite. I just love the idea that an academic, college-prep program would consider service to others to be a necessary aspect of the week -- a necessary part of training for life.

Those are great ideas. Wouldn't it be great if there was a spot in the forum just for lists/ideas like these?

I know what you are thinking Crystal... These things don't have to wait until high school! We can do some of these things as a family now. And my olders can do some of these things on their own. We have been "experimenting" with some service-oriented activities lately and dh and I are so excited to see what God is doing.

Keep the ideas coming!

[cbollin]

Well Jenn..... looks like Jami started a new thread with family style service projects.

here
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?t=5245

-crystal

[Jenn in NC]

I just saw it!! Isn't that weird. Or maybe it isn't weird at all, it is just God. Too cool.

[amylynn12]

My daughter is volunteering at a horse stable that does therapy riding for children. She helps out around the stable and also helps lead the horses for the children and gets to experience working with these wonderful kids.

Blessings!
Amy in Oregon

[MJ in IL]

Amy,
Your service idea is great b/c it gets your dd out into the real world! We have a similar stable near us...but not close enough to make regular visits. I think they are fabulous!

My dd is babysitting for a Bible Study at church, has a Comp. Int'l child, and helps me with making meals for families at church when needed.

[gressman9]

I think it is great,too!

My daughter is helping teach Sparkies at our AWANA club once a week.

Carylee
mom2seven

[cbollin]

I wanted to share this from today.

Many of us in the US have probably heard of the See You at the Pole (syatp) for many years now. It's geared for group schoolers to gather at the flagpole for a pre school time prayer time together for our country, our schools, anything. And now there are post school rallies and parties and all of that.

Well.... where does that leave the homeschoolers? hmm... feeling left out like any teenager. ? yes. and this year.. it changed.
Here in Memphis, we started something this year. A small group of middle school and high schooled homeschooled gathered at a pole at a local church and prayed. And now, some of those homeschoolers are the ones helping set up for some of the post school rally/party events and hang out. The purpose of the hang out in the afternoon is to encourage children from different schools and churches just to get to know each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

It counted as this weeks' service project on my high school daughter's lesson plans. She's already dreaming bigger for next year to see about multiple sites for homeschoolers in our huge metro area. I thought, dream bigger than that... we have the internet to spark a flame for next year..... why not mention it here for this is a group of homeschoolers who regularly pray as part of curriculum. who knows? ...

will we See you at the Pole in 2012?

-crystal

[meagabby]

Ooh, I'm glad you posted...We participated this year too.

Evidently last year was the first year to reach out to the homeschoolers of this town.
So this was the 2nd year and they met at the public library.(before it opened) It was supposed to be just teens, but that wasn't mentioned in the email or the phone message... Oh, well, I have one in the youth so we were'nt' totally out of the loop. Plus there were a few others that had little siblings there as well.

It was a first for our family and it was great. A couple of young guys stepped up to the plate and led a worship and prayer time.

Tonight our church hosted a Saw You At the Pole rally and the sanctuary was packed.

Although she didn't stay for that portion, after the regular wed. night youth group time frame my dd was talking about how amazing it was to see that many teens show up in one place to worship. From others churches or just bringing friends, she saw the body of Christ at work!

Dena

[Julie in MN]

Has anyone had their high school student's service hours fall short of the 1 hour per week?
If so, how did that effect their grade
~Terri

Hi Terri,
Last year, my son did all his service during the summer at VBS. He put in a lot more than 36 hours.

However, I didn't count it towards the Bible grade. I felt the Bible in AHL was more than adequate in itself to give a grade, without any service hours. And, I wanted to put the service project on his transcript under "extracurriculars," because I remember from my older son that colleges wanted to know what the student had done besides having his nose in a book (even at his engineering college).

I imagine it will be very similar as we finish WHL this year - a summer project. We just aren't predictable enough at our house to keep up with a weekly commitment. And his transcript extracurricular section will have, "Yearly Service Project, grades 9-10."

Just one way to do it!
Julie
P.S. More service ideas: http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewforum.php?f=5

[sewardmom]

Thanks for sharing.... I agree that the Bible is worthy of credit on it's own especially OTC... wow..
I got the impression that MFW wants them to be involved weekly and I like that idea, but there are so many other ways to do it.

Thanks again.. hadn't thought of that.
~Terri

[deltagal]

VBS! Oh, my I forgot to count it.....

[cbollin]

Hi Terri,
Like Julie, I didn't worry on adding minutes or hours in a week toward a "carneige unit credit" on this. I interpreted MFW's intent in different ways than that method. I interpreted at it as an opportunity to encourage my child to be part of stuff other than school and hanging with friends. I saw it as opportunity to bless others and lay a foundation for what I hope will be a life long joy to help others.

I got the impression that MFW wants them to be involved weekly and I like that idea, but there are so many other ways to do it.

again, I see the weekly check box as encouragement, not a locked in the box way of thinking. I see it as an opportunity to become involved on a regular basis so that it becomes part of life, not a monkey on your back to deal with out of dread or grades.
don't worry on it if it is less than 36 hours total.. ok? Is it becoming part of who they are? it's a reminder in the plans that this is something you get to do to help and do more than just hang on facebook with your friends.

It could be a few big projects. It could be small everyday lifestyle things. I'd encourage you to see it as not part of "you have to do this or you get a bad grade"... don't go there. This is a part of something on a chart each week to help you think beyond "have to " and instead is there to help "do" instead of dream or wish.

make it a life long goal....... not a grade or part of carneige unit.. I dont' care what MFW says on the chart on it. I mean.. yes, if they fall behind in reading and you feel like you want to give extra credit for stuff... but... see the real goal in it...

I hope that comes across the way I mean it....

I interpret it that way too as far as the bigger than myself to serve others vision of life.
BUT...When I see the 'check box' though I think... maybe we should've done it differenly, but then I realize that legalism is crouching there..for me anyway!

So much room to grow... thanks Ladies.
~Terri

I know MFW didn't intend it that way. they are just trying to encourage teens to find ways to grow and giving us a little reminder each week to try again if we forgot last week or couldn't.

I just meant in terms of their suggestion/recommendation for assigning a "grade" in a course that will be treated by colleges as elective that I don't care how MFW lists it. wanted to clarify that sentence I wrote. I think the work is there in readings and participation in church to assign legit credit even if you only do 10 hours of service projects or even less....

((hugs)) and prayers for the struggle and tug o war that we all face in stuff like this where it's growing time but not monkey on back or legalism. I sometimes feel that way about my personal Bible reading... especially this year with our Sunday school class and keeping up with the chronological readings of whole Bible.... it really became a snare for me in the month of April....

((hugs))

-crystal