Comfort Dolls - every stitch a stitch of love

Scobee Elementary School – Comfort Doll Project

If you happen by Scobee Elementary School’s library after May 1, after hours, you might get a big surprise. Instead of seeing students checking out books, you might be startled to see lots of kids and adults learning how to knit and crochet Comfort Dolls! The fifth grade students, inspired by Newbery Award Winning author Sharon Creech, are creating one-of-a-kind Comfort Dolls to send to elementary school students in Japan. Sharon Creech knits Comfort Dolls and sends them to children around the world to offer comfort in the midst of tragedies. After studying tsunamis, earthquakes, and watching news stories warning of nuclear disaster, the students decided to reach out and make a difference. Author Sharon Creech sent a sample Comfort Doll to the kids to use as a prototype, then librarian extraordinaire Diana Chamberlain offered up the library as the official Comfort Doll Knitting Headquarters. Principal Kathy Gorsche jumped into the action, donating huge bags of yarn and volunteering to teach the whole 5^th grade how to knit! Students have been communicating with Mr. Steve Parker’s 4^th grade class at Sullivan Elementary School in Japan via their classroom collaborative wiki! However, they have intentionally NOT communicated a word about the Comfort Doll project. That’s going to be their little surprise, mailed with love, comforting friends across the Pacific.

Send donations of yarn in NISD pony to:

June Shanahan – 5^th Grade, Scobee Elementary School

Scobee Elementary School - Sharon Creech “Shrine”

Throughout the 2010-2011 school year, students in Mrs. Shanahan’s 5^th grade class have been reading Sharon Creech books. Because these students, a.k.a. The Super Brains, prefer to study books on their classroom wiki, they decided to invite author Sharon Creech to collaborate. Not only did Newbery Award author Sharon Creech join their collaborative web site, she also began sending fun little items as reading incentives and tokens of friendship. It didn’t take long before “The Super Brains” came up with a brainy idea. “Hey guys! Let’s ask our librarian, Mrs. Chamberlain if we can make a Sharon Creech SHRINE!” they shouted. Mrs. Chamberlain cleared out three whole shelves for the shrine! Items on display include several Sharon Creech books, cards, letters, autographed photos, a good luck turtle, an original poem, and a hand-knitted Comfort doll. The Scobee Elementary School 5^th Graders have a special empty space in the shrine in anticipation of Sharon Creech’s recently completed novel, due to be published in 2012.