Volunteering Hours

[Anonymous]

My child's new school requires some hours of volunteering. They are very busy with school and sports and we are not religious so no obvious Sunday School to help with. What do other children at private schools do to get these hours? I like the idea of them volunteering but I'm not sure how we arrange it and how we fit it in to their busy schedule. We may be able to have them assist on a junior sports team which I think would count.

[Anonymous]

You make it a priority. What are they doing for Spring Break? Can they help clean up a park? What about reading to the blind? Or visiting with seniors?

How many hours do they need?

[Anonymous]

Have a towel drive and donate to animal shelter.
Reshelve books at the public library

[Anonymous]

what age? my daughter is doing a summer service camp to get some of her hours! open to MS students.

[Anonymous]

Ask the school for advice.

[Anonymous]

Each of my children chose to employ a skill or talent they had in the service of others. For example, one of my children loved water sports, and was senior captain of their school's water polo and swim teams. Every Sunday morning for three years they volunteered two hours as a swim coach at a community swim team for teens with learning and physical disabilities.

[Anonymous]

In middle school, all of our child's volunteer hours were to be done at home. She was my personal assistant completing tasks assigned by me like:

1. Wrapping all Christmas presents for her cousin, grandparents, and other family members. (Glorious! And she loved every minute of it.)
2. Getting all of her clothes ready for camp. (We ordinarily do this together, but she took the packing list and got all her clothes and toiletries out, name stamped everything, and made a list of the stuff she needed.)
3. Making dessert for family holiday gathering.
4. Shredding stuff that needed shredding.

I am also not a good rule follower so we also volunteered to cook and serve a meal at a shelter.

[Anonymous]

You can read to cats at animal shelters (at least it is a volunteer option at the Alexandria shelter).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can read to cats at animal shelters (at least it is a volunteer option at the Alexandria shelter).

What????

[j2415]

My son is a sophomore in high school and they are also required to volunteer. He is also busy in sports and school but volunteering will also be good for his resume for college. Every day, he has to go to baseball games and practice so his only option is Saturdays, so he goes to feeding the homeless and nursing home. By doing this, it develops him to be compassionate to others.

Since your children are also busy, you may want to try to volunteer on weekends too. Your kids may want to try helping the elderly neighbor to clean their yard or do housework. They may want to try babysitting to help those working moms. I hope this helps. Thank you for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In middle school, all of our child's volunteer hours were to be done at home. She was my personal assistant completing tasks assigned by me like:

1. Wrapping all Christmas presents for her cousin, grandparents, and other family members. (Glorious! And she loved every minute of it.)
2. Getting all of her clothes ready for camp. (We ordinarily do this together, but she took the packing list and got all her clothes and toiletries out, name stamped everything, and made a list of the stuff she needed.)
3. Making dessert for family holiday gathering.
4. Shredding stuff that needed shredding.

I am also not a good rule follower so we also volunteered to cook and serve a meal at a shelter.

Your child is just doing household chores. Which school counts this as volunteer hours?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In middle school, all of our child's volunteer hours were to be done at home. She was my personal assistant completing tasks assigned by me like:

1. Wrapping all Christmas presents for her cousin, grandparents, and other family members. (Glorious! And she loved every minute of it.)
2. Getting all of her clothes ready for camp. (We ordinarily do this together, but she took the packing list and got all her clothes and toiletries out, name stamped everything, and made a list of the stuff she needed.)
3. Making dessert for family holiday gathering.
4. Shredding stuff that needed shredding.

I am also not a good rule follower so we also volunteered to cook and serve a meal at a shelter.

This is not volunteering. These are chores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In middle school, all of our child's volunteer hours were to be done at home. She was my personal assistant completing tasks assigned by me like:

1. Wrapping all Christmas presents for her cousin, grandparents, and other family members. (Glorious! And she loved every minute of it.)
2. Getting all of her clothes ready for camp. (We ordinarily do this together, but she took the packing list and got all her clothes and toiletries out, name stamped everything, and made a list of the stuff she needed.)
3. Making dessert for family holiday gathering.
4. Shredding stuff that needed shredding.

I am also not a good rule follower so we also volunteered to cook and serve a meal at a shelter.

This is not volunteering. These are chores.

+1 Pretty sad that she's not actually volunteering. Does it feel good to help your child skirt the system when she could be doing something that helps others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In middle school, all of our child's volunteer hours were to be done at home. She was my personal assistant completing tasks assigned by me like:

1. Wrapping all Christmas presents for her cousin, grandparents, and other family members. (Glorious! And she loved every minute of it.)
2. Getting all of her clothes ready for camp. (We ordinarily do this together, but she took the packing list and got all her clothes and toiletries out, name stamped everything, and made a list of the stuff she needed.)
3. Making dessert for family holiday gathering.
4. Shredding stuff that needed shredding.

I am also not a good rule follower so we also volunteered to cook and serve a meal at a shelter.

This is not volunteering. These are chores.

+1 Pretty sad that she's not actually volunteering. Does it feel good to help your child skirt the system when she could be doing something that helps others?

The poster said that the hours were to be done at home. What gives? Yes, it is not real volunteering, but it is teaching kids about doing things for others. Better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

Forced unpaid child labor may be done in any number of places. Perhaps consider volunteering to raise money playing video games for the Charity Extra-Life. https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?