At any time in life, it is important to find ways to connect with others and to give back. Connection and giving are things we aim to teach in Currey Ingram Upper School, alongside math, English, science, history, the arts, etc. Now, more than ever, we feel these two things are of the utmost importance. Humans need to feel connected to other humans, especially in times of crisis. Humans need to feel like they have purpose, like they are contributing to the world in some way. Connection and giving can raise self-esteem and contentment while lowering anxiety and depression, among other things. Below you will find some ideas for how to serve others, even during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as ways to stay in touch with others. If you have more ideas, send me an email, because I would love to hear about them.
Service Learning Ideas During COVID-19:
- Wash and detail a family member's car.
- Clean out your family basement or attic.
- Donate to your local food bank. In Nashville, consider Second Harvest Foodbank
- Donate Blood at the Red Cross, which is experiencing severe blood shortages right now due to canceled blood drives across the country.
- Donate and/or Make Face Masks that you can donate to hospitals or programs that serve seniors.
- Send cards or postcards to friends and relatives – or to area hospitals. No stamps available? No problem. If you have a smartphone, you can download an app that allows you to make postcards and cards with pictures on your phone. You can write a message and even include a handwritten signature.
- Order a game or some movies and send them to a friend or family via Amazon.
- Dedicate a song to medical staff at Vanderlbilt! https://www.gratitunes.orgGratitunes are songs that say “thank you” to doctors, nurses and medical staff during COVID-19. It’s easy! When you choose a ‘Gratitune’ it is added to a playlist that is shared with Vanderbilt University Medical Center staff and streamed to clinics to help reduce anxiety and lift spirits.
- Grab your sidewalk chalk and write positive messages for the people in your neighborhood to see!
- Bake a treat for your family or leave it on the porch of a neighbor’s house.
- Pull weeds at your house or a friend’s house.
- Use your creative gifts to brighten someone's day. Paint or draw a picture and mail or deliver it to someone. Knit or crochet a blanket. Write and perform a song for someone via video. Write a poem and send it to someone. Take photos and text or mail them to people!
- Paint rocks with encouraging words or art and hide them around your neighborhood.
- Make thank you signs and hang them at fire stations, police stations, grocery stores, and medical centers. (You can also drop off thank you notes.)
- Write a thank you note to a teacher, former teacher, friend, parent, or grandparent. (mail or email)
- Reach out to a friend you haven’t seen in years. Call, text, email, or send a letter. Let them know you are still thinking of them and miss them.
- Make a social media post thanking medical staff, truckers, grocery store workers, etc. for all they are doing during this time.
- Make a video of you reading a children’s book and send it to a younger family member or a younger student at school.
Tips for Staying Connected to Others During COVID-19:
- FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom are all great ways to stay connected.
- Netflix Party is a chrome extension that allows you to watch movies with other users and chat in real-time.
- Challenge friends to an online chess match.
- Play cards with a friend from a distance using this online platform.
- Read a younger sibling, cousin, or friend a bedtime story via your phone or computer.
- Throw a virtual dinner party. Everyone opens up their computer and enjoys a meal together. Make this a dress up dinner for some variety!
- Hook up a long-forgotten video game your family used to enjoy. (Remember the Wii and Dance Dance Revolution?)
- Call a friend! If you are tired of looking at a screen, don’t forget you can simply call a friend or family member!
- Host a virtual game night! (Scattergories and Code Names both work well for this.)
- Host a virtual dance party with friends OR make a Tik Tok with someone in your family.
- Read a book together with a family member or friends and then talk about it.
- Build a playlist of your favorite songs and share it with friends or family.