How might we make going back to school more fun for “Littles” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program?
The Little Boxes project began with empathy work around what gets kids excited about going back to school and the ways One Stone members might keep that excitement alive through the beginning of fall. While exploring potential paths, the team learned about the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho (BBBS) School-Site Program. Adult volunteer “Bigs” are matched with “Littles” at local elementary schools and spend one lunch period per week getting to know their match and doing activities together. For the Littles, having a caring adult they can rely on in their life is a powerful force. The Little Boxes team learned that it can be challenging for Bigs to come up with short activities that fit into the allotted time per week, especially as it gets cooler outside. Knowing this, the team asked, “What if there were special boxes pre-filled with activities that Big and Little pairings could open and engage in each week?”
After interviewing BBBS program staff and volunteers about what activities would work well, not to mention some extensive Pinterest research, the team created a menu of fifteen fun-filled activity boxes. Each package would include all the materials and instructions needed for small projects like puppet-making, DIY slime, finger football, decorating costume masks, and more. The Little Boxes team then traveled to Hawthorne and Whitney Elementary Schools where they met the BBBS pairs in person and demonstrated what a box might contain. After getting to know more about the Littles’ interests and hobbies, the team helped each Little choose three boxes they wanted to receive in the upcoming months. As a special surprise, the team added a fourth box for each match on the theme of ‘giving back’ to give each match a taste of the “warm fuzzies” that Project Good students enjoy when implementing a project.
Outcomes
15 matches were served at two local elementary schools. Boxes contained a themed craft or game that matches could complete in less than an hour, suggestions for follow-up books or related activities, and a reflection prompt. Over 50 themed activity boxes were delivered to BBBS for distribution among the matches at Hawthorne and Whitney Elementary schools.
Reflection from Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Site Coordinator, Cami Hill:
“The activities provided enriching opportunities for our Littles to create and experience something fun with their Bigs in the school environment, which promoted positive connectivity to the Littles' school community. Thank you One Stone for your thoughtfulness and hard work that went into making meaningful and fun memories between our matches, all the while evoking Littles' enthusiasm towards school.”
