Blessing Bags

It is never to early to start homeschooling or unschooling. We've all been doing it since the day our babes were born whether we knew it or not. One of the most important lessons in our curriculum is: How to be a good person. And the way to teach it best is by example.

Here's one way we've decided to teach this lesson to our son: Blessing Bags.

In fairness, this is not an original idea. I didn't come up with this. I think I saw it on Pinterest, actually. I just took it, tweaked it, and rolled with it.

For many of us, running into a homeless person can be an uncomfortable situation. We don't want to make them feel bad by pitying them, we don't want to ignore them, we don't want to add to a potential problem they may have. We just don't know and we don't know what to do about that. Well, now we can make up these little kits for those in need so that the next time we see someone, we can actually help them, feel good about ourselves, and show a good example to our babes.

Here's what we included in our Blessing Bags:

- aspirin
- comb
- trail mix (almonds, dried pineapple, raisins)
- Fig Newtons
- lip balm with SPF
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- sunscreen
- sunglasses
- deodorant
- soap
- nail clippers
- floss
- callous pads
- tissues
- hand sanitizer
- shampoo
- apple sauce
- socks
- crackers
- bandages
- razor
- tampon
- granola bar

We customized it for those who live in our area. Phoenix in the summer is no picnic, so we put things in the bag that all Phoenicians need. In the winter, we'll re-think our items. If you're in another area, customize for there. We keep the bags in our car and when we need them, rather when someone else needs them, we give them.

We got everything from the $0.99 store and bought many of the items in bulk. It's so little even for us who don't have much extra to give, but can make such a huge difference in someone's day.

And that citizenship lesson we just gave our son will last a lifetime.