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We're looking for rare individuals. Teachers with degrees in early childhood or environmental education and a fire in the belly to make a difference. Administrators with a head for business and a heart for helping children reach their full potential. People who are so invested that they'll stay with us for years, growing and developing our educational community. Is that you?
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Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
(Psst, you can move the colored circles with your mouse.)
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Rethinking summer, as we’ve done in my last few posts, is a great time to rethink volunteering too.

Collect trash while on a walk

During summer, you and your family will be out on your street, and active in your neighborhood and community. As you spend that time, you may meet people or organizations that need help. And that’s a doorway to family volunteering.

I admit that I often think about volunteering as something I’d like to do but don’t have the time to orchestrate, especially with a preschooler. But the truth is that there’s a whole world of informal, short-term and easy-to-do volunteer jobs right out our back door. For example, you could help a physically challenged neighbor trim her hedge. Get your child involved by having her bag the trimmings.

Help train your sick neighbor's pet

Volunteering in this way is important because it gets your family focused on the needs in your area, and it teaches your child that helping people is a natural part of life.

Plus, it strengthens family bonds as you spend quality time together choosing an activity and then making it happen.

It also provides gobs of teachable moments, like what the word volunteer means. And the opportunity for parents to be positive role models.

Know too that the large volunteer placement organizations often have a minimum age requirement that excludes preschoolers. So informal volunteering is a great way to get young children involved in giving back.

Cook a meal for an elderly resident

Service can occur quite naturally as you talk to your neighbors and introduce your family to new people in the community. If you have too may opportunities to choose from, make your selection based on what your family likes to do together. For example, maybe you all like to cook. And you know that a neighbor broke her hip. Talk with your child about why cooking for yourself would be difficult to do with an injury like that. Then cook and deliver a meal to your neighbor.

Other resources to get your started:
Doing Good Together
The Volunteer Family

Take pictures or video as you volunteer. Then post them to your Posterous summer blog for extended family and friends to see. And if you have other ideas about volunteering this summer please leave them in the Comments section below.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

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