A blanket for me, a blanket for you

• Making blankets

A group of Miltona magnet School students worked to create a fleece blanket to donate.
• Fleece blanket

Elysia Niemczyki, a student at Miltona Magnet School, cuddled in her new fleece blanket.

Talk about it

In December, Miltona Magnet School was covered in fleece. It was all part of a service learning and peer teaching project called “A blanket for me, a blanket for you.”

When a group of students in kindergarten through grade 6 was asked about doing a service learning project, the 6th graders remembered making no-sew fleece blankets when they were kindergarteners and wanted to make them again.

The group wanted to do a service learning project while creating a keepsake for themselves. They also invited local community members and families.

The 4th, 5th and 6th graders learned how to make a no-sew blanket and created one of their own. Then they partnered with their younger cross-grade buddies. Together they made a blanket for the younger students to keep.

After completing their own blankets, the students teamed up to make blankets that will be donated throughout the community.

The project served several purposes:

• Increase youth activities – Students had an opportunity to participate in a positive activity that built social skills and community involvement. It also brought community members into the school, increasing community involvement. Students were able to recognize one simple way to give back to their community when they are adults.

• Decrease bias – By working intergenerational (school-age students, community members, grandparents and Alexandria Technical and Community College students), it increased acceptance, understanding and interaction of people of diverse ages. It also helped students better understand the economic needs of families along with experiencing the rewards of giving.

• Promote healthy choices – Making something useful for themselves and for others helped improve self-esteem and give students a sense of accomplishment. Teachers felt that it will also increase self-sufficiency by providing an opportunity to make something that they can use.

Tags: life, school, blankets, miltona