Events and Fundraisers, Life, Model Citizens, Volunteer Opportunities, Community Activities Common Ground Events and Fundraisers, Life, Model Citizens, Volunteer Opportunities, Community Activities Common Ground

De-Clutter and Support Your School!

Spring Cleaning is such a transformative experience.

Who knew that thinning a bookshelf or tackling that front hall closet you avoid could feel so powerful? At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I channeled my anxiety into cleaning and reorganizing the house. I set out to conquer “the creep” that tends to take over corners and closets during the daily bustle of kids and jobs. I wanted my home office back! I wanted to not feel guilty about buying new workout clothes! I wanted to feel like we were moving forward in an uncertain time.

The world is opening again, and rather than “going back to normal,” most of us have embraced the fact that it will be a WHOLE NEW ERA. A totally new definition of normal.
The best way to make that “new normal” a WAY BETTER normal than to start out with an old favorite, Spring Cleaning.

Here at Common Ground, we are doing just that! We are emptying our old storage units and thinning out our book collections (have no fear! We support child literacy more than ever before, we just don’t need 18 copies of “The Foot Book” floating around in the back of our closets).

What will we do with all this STUFF? Some of it is quite beloved and well taken care of, some of it is barely used but we certainly do not need it taking up space.

On our quest to REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, we found a company called FUNDrive. Their incredible business model encourages groups of people and schools like us to get together and collect gently used items to donate!

Our drop-off date is not until June 5th, but ‘Spring Cleaning’ is happening as we speak! Save up those donation items and you will only have to do one drop-off.

Instead of trying to find different places to donate all of your myriad items, just bring them straight to us.

1. The donations will cost you nothing! 

2. You are giving your house a spruce up!

3. You are helping your community recycle perfectly fine items instead of creating waste, and offering quality goods to people at more affordable prices.

4. You are helping your school by helping us raise funds through no cost to you.

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We are looking to raise $1000 by cleaning out your closets and cabinets of GENTLY USED items. Help us get to our goal by helping us collect AT LEAST 120 full 33 gallon size bags and 100 small boxes. (there is no limit! I think we can blast through that number, but let's have a baseline) Ask your friends, neighbors and coworkers to do the same and make your pledge today! 

DATES TO DROP OFF ITEMS:

  • Friday, June 4th from 7:45 AM-6:00 PM

  • Saturday, June 5th from 8:00AM-12:00PM

  • Drop off will be at Common Ground Childcare: 1700 Wainwright Drive, Ste 2, Reston VA 20190.

ITEM PICK UP DATES:

  • TBD: If there are enough people interested in this, we may schedule a “pick up” for items before our time slot on June 5th.

  • If you need help with lifting bags/boxes, please let us know: lj@commongroundchildcare.org

    **IF NONE OF THE ABOVE DATES WORK FOR YOU: Please contact LJ Donnell: 703.498.9073/lj@commongroundchildcare.org. We will find a way to help you, store your things, et cetera.

SAVE THE DATE (June 4th and 5th). SAVE YOUR STUFF (clothes, accessories, small household items, books). SAVE THE WORLD (every little bit counts).

Love Love Love,

LJ and your Common Ground Family

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Events and Fundraisers, Life, Non-Screen Activities, Teacher Tips, Unplugged Common Ground Events and Fundraisers, Life, Non-Screen Activities, Teacher Tips, Unplugged Common Ground

WOYC21: ARTSY THURSDAY- We made Crayons!! Here's How...

It was a gorgeous, perfect day today… Most of our time was spent enjoying the outside and celebrating the good weather!

But your Common Ground Office Friends had a silly, fun, totally “Artsy Thursday” inspiration that we absolutely had to act on.

We decided to turn our GIANT TUB of broken, old crayons into new, tie-dye crayons in totally whacky shapes!

Ms. Mimi had seen the idea during one of her Teaching courses last week, and we LOVED it! Ms. Liz ran out to Michael’s to get some fun molds and we went to work! See below for pictures of our process and results!

  1. Peel the crayons. If you want to make this process go a little faster, soak them in water! the wrapper comes right off.

  2. Chop them up! They don’t need to be uniform. We used scissors (poor scissors!) and made a bunch of tiny chunks. Leave some of the chunks bigger, we’ll explain why later!

  3. We used silicone molds with all sorts of different shapes! They can go in the microwave, the oven, and the freezer, so they’re perfect.

  4. Place a layer of crayons in the molds. fill it up! When they crayons melt, they’ll shrink. Since these will completely melt and mix together, we advice complimentary colors.

  5. Place in the microwave. 1-2 minute intervals should do it.

  6. Once the wax is completely melted, place one of the larger chunks in the center of each mold shape. It will create a marbled look with the other colors you added. This color can be as different from the other colors as you like! You can also add another layer instead.

  7. Put it into the microwave for a little bit longer, and then when you’re satisfied put it into the freezer until it’s firm and cool.

  8. We got a uniform back onto the crayons by melting one or two colors into cups and then pouring a layer of wax into the molds once they had firmed up a bit in the freezer.

  9. The result is, dare we say it, ADORABLE and totally functional! We gave them out to all of our students, and we have so many leftover crayons we plan on letting them make their own combinations in the future! It was such a bright, happy way to recycle our old crayons that no one seemed to want. Some of our kids did not even want to color with them! We had a couple of our Honeybee Students play with their robots like toys.

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Who We Are, Teacher Tips, Model Citizens, Life, Community Activities Common Ground Who We Are, Teacher Tips, Model Citizens, Life, Community Activities Common Ground

CG Birthday: Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd

April is not just our birthday month! It’s the month we celebrate our incredible home: The Planet Earth.

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  • What is the History of Earth Day?

    • April 22nd, 1970 was the very first Earth Day! Proposed in 1969 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was celebrated all over the nation in a collaborated effort between grass roots groups and their local governments. Elementary schools did trash-pickup and anti-litter movements. Flowers were planted. People swept their streets. Mothers protested the pollution destroying their children’s air quality.

  • Did it work?

    • By the end of 1970, the Nixon administration had established the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air Act.

    • Environmental justice gained momentum in New York especially.

    • Activists increasingly emphasized “environmental racism,” or how toxins and lack of green spaces in poorer neighborhoods disproportionately affected communities of color.

    • In the 1980’s El Puente and WE ACT formed to oppose environmental hazards like sewage plants and other pollutants that contributed to health disparities, including high rates of asthma.

    • Many observers have invoked the threat of climate change and pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have pointed to falling pollution levels in cities, as certain industries are on hold and transportation has slowed.

  • What can you do?

  • How you can celebrate at home

    • Animal Exercises to do at home with your kids ALL MONTH.

    • Stock up on reusable bags and try to go a month without using plastic ones!

    • Plant pollinator friendly local plants in your garden

    • Walk whenever you can or take public transportation (Keeping in mind Covid-19 precautions)

    • Use blankets or open windows rather than cranking up the Heater or AC

    • Pick up trash when you can! Even one piece can make a difference.

    • Watch Our Planet or Planet Earth to get your kids excited and curious about Earth

Remember everyone, we all share ONE COMMON GROUND. Our little blue planet is precious, and we have to take good care of it.

Love Love Love,

Your CG Family

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