This giveaway is closed. Check back in a few weeks for more giveaway fun!
Our 30th anniversary celebration continues with the May Giveaway. This month we’re giving away these eight books you can use to help students become contributing citizens and community members:
- The Complete Guide to Service Learning
- Doing Good Together
- Service Learning in the PreK-3 Classroom
- The Kid’s Guide to Service Projects
- A Kids’ Guide to Climate Change & Global Warming
- A Kids’ Guide to Protecting & Caring for Animals
- A Kids’ Guide to Helping Others Read & Succeed
- A Kids’ Guide to Hunger & Homelessness
How to Enter:
Leave a comment below telling us how you would use Free Spirit’s service learning resources.
For additional entries, leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks that you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry—that’s four chances to win in this random drawing! Entries must be received by midnight May 24, 2013. This giveaway is now closed.
The winner will be contacted via email by May 28, 2013, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim his or her prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winner must be a U.S. resident, 18 years of age or older.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.
© 2013 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.
Service learning is the best way to engage children in the community
The dynamic use of Free Spirit Publishing Books has limitless opportunities! When you own these books they support you, your community and family. I keep some in the car, at home, at the office, and in church. The giveaway books will certianly be of continued service and appreciation for Unity Church use,which is how I intend to utilize this gift! Thank you!
I would try to instill the virtue of service into my children (ages 6 & 8). While academics are important, so is being a good human being and helping others less fortunate.
I would use the books with my students in special education.
I follow Freespirit on Facebook, this is the account: https://www.facebook.com/supereasymandarin.chinese?ref=tn_tnmn
I am the Director of Service-Learning at University of Oregon and just down the street is my kids’ elementary school! The school and my program are partnering to bring professional development opportunities, trade books, and a full-on community garden to the school. We are so excited!!
I would love to share these books with both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in my town (in which I have been a leader and my boys have been active members). I know that there are alot of Scout parents who would like to empower their boys to take action. Our Boy Scout troop has a lending library and I would love to extend the option for Cub Scout families too!
Pinterest boards are fun 🙂
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These books would be wonderful tools for our region in 4-H … productive citizens, effective leaders, and successful learners are our outcomes!
I would donate these books to my kids school. We go to church with a SPED teacher and she could really use these.
Our charter school is founded on the principle that we are connected with local communities around us. We take frequent field trips and have many local partnerships. These resources would be integrated on multiple grade levels in every day curriculum. We are a project-based, hands-on learning school, and these resources would provide an abundance of ideas for how to better utilize this method and serve our community.
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My school district is planning to streamline service learning efforts in the next year and the high school Service Learning class, which I facilitate, will be the organizing unit. This year was the district’s first year to schedule a Service Learning class and I facilitated it with few resources and little training. The addition of these resources would be a real value for Bayless School District.
Will be additional resources for me in working with elementary students. I think doing things for others not only allowing students to contribute to the community, but also a nice way to develop empathy, citizenship that will promote cooperation and kindness. I also think this will be a good supplement to bullying prevention.
My 8th grade students complete a service learning project of their choice. It’s a great concept, and I love it, but I am looking for a way to make it more meaningful next year. I have delved into some project based learning this year, and I am need of great resources like these to help me team up service learning with project based learning. Thanks for the chance to win some great resources!!
My goal is to continue to learn so I can expand my capacity to serve the children, families and colleagues. Free Spirit Service Learning Books are great resources to achieve my goal. THANK you for giving us the chance to win and share our learnings!
As the coordinator for the International Baccaulareate / Middle Years Programme at Lee Middle School in Orlando, I am responsible for facilitating service learning activities. (Community Service is one of the main components of IB.) I know your books contain beneficial activities and lessons as I have used the Hunger and Homelessness book in the past. Those activities and focus on homelessness helped motivate a student of mine to walk from Orlando to Washington D.C. to serve as a voice of homeless children.
As a psychotherapist working with kids and families I would like to lend these books out to parents and kids, use them as work-book to set up service projects for my clients, and leave in the waiting room for them to leaf through at their leisure.
As a Family Engagement Coordinator at two schools in Saint Paul I would use these resources to promote and facilitate Family Service Projects.
Having these books would be a tremendous help! I have a 7 yr. old who has autism, & although he’s in a Special Needs program at school, I try to challenge him further at home. He’s very bright, & as he gets older, I see more & more independence, comprehension, ability….just like any typical child! This set would help us to move forward in improving his social skills, by cultivating group projects outside of the class, as well as the other kids.
As a Mom ever-learning about Autism, the system, what works & what doesn’t , only to have to learn about changes, revamps…., it is wonderful to know there are up-to-date , extensive resources to guide us!
Would love to use this book bundle at Discovery Elementary in our multiage classrooms! The books would help us create new ways to connect with our Community.
Liked you on Facebook!
Following on Pinterest.
My school is beginning a school-wide Service Learning component to our curriculum. Any of these books would be valuable in creating a strategic plan to make the program both successful and sustainable.
Thanks!
I would use these books with my gifted and talented elementary age students. They are often socially and morally conscious and crave opportunities to learn and do more.
I follow Free Spirit Publishing in my Facebook and have “liked”.
I am a social worker at an elementary school and would find all these service learning books very useful. I continually try to promote community service at my work and have been able to work jointly with our school counselor to have students be more involved in their community. This fall we were able to come together to donate food and other needs to our local animal shelter. These books would be a great resource in our school!
I would use it to help our foster boys in residential placement how to help others. I believe this would aid in their own recoveries as they learn to reach out to others in need.
I shared this info with my friends on Facebook! Getting the word out there!
I am now following your boards on Pinterest.
I like you on Facebook!
I volunteer at my one son’s preschool, my other son’s elementary school and am both a volunteer Beaver Scout and Cub Scout leader. I would use these books at all four locations with the youth involved in the schools as well as in the Scout program.
Service seems to be an area that is lacking in both interest and involvement with today’s youth. It only takes a small spark to jumpstart this.
I followed your Pinterest Boards here: http://pinterest.com/bgruener/
Having these resources available to our volunteer activities at our school would support their efforts to engage in meaningful service projects. Thanks for the opportunity to possibly receive these books!
As a middle school special education teacher I am always looking for new ways to get my students involved in the community. These resources would be helpful!
As a part of my work offering Professional Development to Early Childhood and School Age Care Providers, I would use these books as important references and guides for providers to use. I have used The Complete Guide to Service Learning in the past for PD and would love to add the other books as hands-on resources for the providers who attend my workshops to use.
I would use the service learning materials to come up with a new project for our grade to do. In the past, we were able to run a lemonade stand in which to earn money for a cause the children felt passionate about. Last year they earned over $300 for our local SPCA, while reviewing how to work with money! Unfortunately, with the new healthy kids initiatives, we are no longer allowed to sell lemonade, so I’m looking for something to equally get them excited about that does not involve food. Can’t wait to read about the ideas meant for the younger grades (k-3), as I am in Grade 2.
I have started a new chapter of National Junior Honor Society at our school. This organization emphasizes service projects. I would like to have resources for ideas to enhance this organization.
I would utilize these books at my job site. I work with students to create and implement their own service learning projects throughout the community in three different counties. We have a very small budget, but our students and faculty are enthusiastic and constantly growing. These books would help enable our students and faculty to be more independent in their service learning activities while fully understanding the importance of the mutual reciprocity and cognitive reflection that makes service learning so rewarding for all those involved.
Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to keeping up to date with all Free Spirit Publishing is doing in this discipline.
I am a gifted coordinator who also has teaching duties! My middle school students (105) of them are naturally interested in helping others and the bigger world around them. Any ideas to infuse service learning into our program is a natural fit. I also can share materials with the elementary teachers and students so that our giving back extends from third through eighth grade. Thank you for the opportunity!
I would love to have these books to help integrate genuine service learning projects into each grade level from K-12 and strengthen our existing service learning program.
My sons’ elementary/middle school is a charter school whose mission is to promote service to the community, and care for the environment. We would use these books in our EEOB program to teach and inspire the children about service opportunities and ways to help others and their world. Each week every student has a class period dedicated to this focus, and our expeditionary learning model is centralize around this theme in all classes.
I have been using Free Spirit materials for years as a school counselor; however, if I won these books, I would be giving them to my daughter, who is a brand new teacher and is going to be the student government teacher next year. I know she will be able to use all the help she can get and these materials would help her advise her students regarding community service and making this a better world.
As an elementary School Counselor at a K-6 school, these books would be a great addition. We have a community problem solving team with 4th and 5th graders. This would give them lots of ideas and resources. I always gets lots of use from Free Spirit Publishing books. Please keep up the important work
I am a Program Services Specialist for Girl Scout Council. I deal with the Bronze, Silver and Gold Award process. These are the highest awards for girls honoring the community Take Action (service learning) Projects that they undertake. I also train girls and adults on this topic, as well. These books would be valuable for this project work.
I would love to help my kids in Newtown, Ct to give back to others.
I would love to use these books with my Gifted classes.
I teach teacher education students and build in a service learning component into my courses. I am trying to model this so they see how they might carry it on in their own elementary classrooms in the future. Our current project “Art from the Heart” has us partnering with local elementary schools to create art to be sold in a local art show. The proceeds are going to help get a school built for students in El Salvador. It would be great to have these resource books to share with my teacher education students as well as the elementary teachers we work with in the public schools. Thanks for the opportunity to apply.
I am an AVID Coordinator and our middle school students have to log 20 hours each of service a year. We will have 4 sections next year so we need a lot of resource support and guidance. Part of our goal is to develop collaboration within our community, elementary sites in our district and problem solve challenges that our community or Twin City area has and be a part of the support, change or project. It would be fantastic to have these resources!
I’m working with an urban, community-based after-schoool program that is integrating a service component for children, grades K-5. These books would provide wonderful ideas for both staff and students, and would help us build our social-emotional learning resource library as well. Service work will help students connect with community members who can in turn offer them suppotr. It will also help our kids (many of whom are dealing with poverty and significant challanges) develop a sense of optimism and a positive self-concept about how they can use their special strengths to contribute to a better world.
We would use it to help plan our Focus Friday events where we (the ALC) do service learning projects in the community!
These would be valuable resources for my work in preparing future teachers and school counselors!
These books would would make great resources for traditional students and homeschoolers to learn about the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community, and issues concerning our planet.
I am an advisor for FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and each year we do several service projects. This past year we did a different service project each month related to charities and three of my members are heading to Nashville in July to compete with the project. We are always looking for new service project ideas and also the learning that takes place is very valuable. The students learn great leadership skills that will help them now and in their future as a good well rounded citizen.
Your social stories have proven invaluable this year! Thank you!
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Love Free Spirit materials!
As a school psychologist I spend a lot of time in assessments and crisis intervention, although my training and job description includes early intervention and prevention. I would use these resources as a way to promote social learning projects and service projects for students within the community. This premise is based on the fact that when individual students can serve their communities that they are building self-efficacy and self-esteem and therefore being their own agents of change.
I am a school psychologist and find that I spend so much of my time within assessments and crisis intervention, although my training and part of my general duties surround prevention and early interventions. I would use these resources as a way to promote individual student wellness around the basis that when students are involved in service projects and projects that help their communities that this promotes self-efficacy and self-esteem and in turn is a way that individuals are their own agents of change.
We are a military school for boys in grades 7-12. Service learning is an important component of our program; students are required to serve in the wider community and on campus. Additional service is required for students who are members of the National Honor Society and The Brotherhood of St. Andrew. These materials would support our program and would assist students, teachers and staff in creating new opportunities.
Being a Reggio Emilia inspired, project based school, we try to incorporate the community and service learning into as many projects as we can throughout the year. We believe that the child’s education is not only shaped by teachers, but by peers, the family, principals and administrators and the community outside the school. Having these resources would give us additional support to continue to use the commuinity as a teaching tool and give the children a wholistic education.
We would love to add to our library of Parent Resources!
I am working with a school, converting service into service learning. These resources would be very valuable for the teachers.
Four years ago our high school instituted a service component as a requirement for graduating from Twin Valley. Students and adults alike are always looking for new and different ways to meet this requirement. I can only see this set of books as being a golden addition to everyone in mapping out projects to do. Additionally, I am a member of an administrators association representing administrators from 11 high schools. We are looking for ways for our combined student bodies to perform some joint service projects. These books would be AWESOME to help come up with ideas.
We are a new school, in our second year of operation. Part of our core curriculum is service, and we are actively forming relationship s with organizations in our community to find a variety of ways to help. These books would help us design programs for each grade level to engage the kids in service learning.
I maintain a district lending library that is well used by schools since we don’t have the budget to send copies of materials to each of our 54 schools. I would make these books available to all K-8 schools to enhance Service Learning opportunities and programming for students.
As the middle school counselor, I would you the Service Learning books as resources for developing, implementing, and sustaining more service learning opportunities in my school.
Both of my daughters are in Girl Scout troops that are always looking for ways to give back and provide service to the community. It looks like several of the books parallel the ideas used in their “Journeys” already including service to the environment, and animals, as well as people.
I work with a grant program that is focused on college and career prep. My students and I are always looking for ways to get involved in our community and help others. I have built workshops around life skills, bullying, community service, and will use these resources to continue planning fun and positive activities for my students.
I’m working on incorporating more service learning projects school-wide next year. It would great to have these resources to look to for inspiration and ideas. I would also make The Kid’s Guide series available in our school library – as the more we talk about these topics, the more resources kids are looking for as well. We have pre-k thru 5th grade students at the schools I work with.
These books would be a FANTASTIC addition to my school’s professional library (which we are rebuilding during our accreditation process), and a great way to help me motivate my First Graders to serve others. We do a good amount of servant events, but I’d like to do MORE!
We are encouraging service learning as part of our student character trait emphasis school-wide (700+ students) and specifically targeting service learning in our 4th/5th grade Caring Kids club (100+ students). Our school has traditionally conducted numerous community giving projects each year including related to food, clothing, animals, and various environmental causes. The books could be used school-wide to encourage community, collaboration, and thinking outside of our own needs/wants.
The eighth grade in my school has each student complete a service project of at least eighth hours during the school year. The students come up with their own ideas about what to do but I would love to have resources that we could use to help inform some of their choices.
I follow Free Spirit on Pinterest!
As an elementary school social worker, I would love to have this library of books to use as a resource with my students and to share with teachers!
Our school promotes Servant Leadership for all ages and grades, Pre-K through 12th and all students are involved in active service through school wide days and weeks of service, after school volunteering and class projects. Character education and leadership opportunities are also an integral part of our curriculum. These books could help provide more resources for our teachers and students. Thank you!
Our department has worked to train staff throughout the district to be able to deliver both Service-Learning and Youth Development activities. The resources from Free Spirit are amazing. We mention them in our trainings, especially ‘The Complete Guide to Service Learning’. We’ve gven that book to Lead Staff at over 25 sites; it has helped them enrich and deepen their projects by guiding them to try new things with their groups. We’ve just added the ‘PreK – 3rd grade’ guide, and don’t have an extra copy to loan out. Some of our youngest grades have the most enthusiastic activists! That book is sure to be an asset for their projects. Free Spirit books on service-learning are smart, well-written and easy to use.
I work with all the elementary schools in our area and also the Scout groups. These books would help my sometimes ‘feeble’ brain assist them in the projects they want to accomplish. They could help us accomplish great things!!
We are always looking for ways to incorporate service into our curriculum to get quality service learning projects up and off of the ground. I know a few of these books and am super excited for the chance to learn and glean ideas from the experts in this area! Thanks for the chance to win one of these resources.
I have been giving your books to my nieces school – it is a private Catholic K-6 school with almost all new/beginning teachers. My niece started a bully prevention program in the school using all of your resources! This school is a low income private school with no budget for this type of curriculum and all the teachers LOVE free spirit! You have impacted many with all your great resources 🙂
Depending on where I will be next school year, I would use these resources in my Counseling practice or in my Social Studies classes.
One of our district’s goals is to have each student participate in a service learning each semester. Our teachers have come up with some amazing ideas and opportunities for our students. These books would give them more fresh ideas to utilize.
I am a High School Social Studies teacher in Upstate New York and just this past year I created a course for High School seniors titled Community Leadership and Service. Students have the opportunity to experience the importance of both leadership and service in their lives and are provided with opportunities they wouldn’t normally have in the regular education classroom. These books would really help me to strengthen the material being taught in this class and would help my students to maximize their potential in my classroom. I really appreciate the opportunity. Thanks so much!
I have ordered books and games from Free Spirit for years with consistent satisfaction. We would be thrilled to have these resources as I supervise both in-school prevention programs and outpatient counseling at a non-profit organization. Both of these would benefit from such resources. Our school based program is an evidenced based prevention program called Caring School Community; these books seem to be a perfect match for our program.
I do book and product reviews for families focusing on empowerment. I am a huge supporter of Free Spirit Publishing and reviewed many of their toddler books and also on the Service Learning book, Doing Good Together. I am very active in our local parent community and love to share information on books that support family togetherness and empowerment! I would definitely review all of the books included as part of giving back.
I am the Character Counts! coordinator for my building. I teach middle school. I am always looking for ways to encourage middle schoolers to be active in the community. I am also on the Character Counts! Coalition for thecommunity and we are looking for ways to involve all youth in the community. These would be great resources to promote that plan.
I follow Free Spirit on Pinterest on my following account: http://pinterest.com/mommasbacon/
I’m working on developing a more globally-minded curriculum for my 8th grade Language Arts class, including various non-fiction texts, cultural studies and service projects. I would use the books to get ideas and as resources for the classroom.
I would use it for ideas in our homeschool coop. We get together each month and have service projects. We need some ideas for teaching the children the importance of service as well as service ideas.
Following Free Spirit Twitter account under my account: https://twitter.com/MommasBacon
Liked Free Spirit on FB under my account: https://www.facebook.com/mommas.bacon
I supervise my building’s 3rd-5th grade student leadership team. We typically take on 1-3 service projects per school year. I welcome fresh, new ideas for how we can contribute to our school and surrounding community.
Our school does a “pay it forward” event yearly. The ‘peer leader’ – 5th and 6th graders – send letters to local businesses to sponsor the event with any amount of money they feel comfortable giving. Then throughout the year, when our students are ‘caught’ doing something good for others or the betterment of our school, they get a ticket. Three times a year, we have a drawing of tickets. The winners get to pick non-profit organizations to donate the money that was sponsored to our school by those local businesses. These books could be tied into the conversations we have in classrooms about non-profit organizations.