KALAHEO — Members of the fifth grade Drama Club as well as one fourth grade student, Katie Blann, cut short a weekend sleepover to fill Bear Hug bags on Memorial Day. A project of Mrs. Barbara (Bloemke)’s A-Plus class, about
KALAHEO — Members of the fifth grade Drama Club as well as one fourth grade student, Katie Blann, cut short a weekend sleepover to fill Bear Hug bags on Memorial Day.
A project of Mrs. Barbara (Bloemke)’s A-Plus class, about 20 girls created the cloth goodie bags that are designated and will be distributed to less fortunate children at Nana’s House in Waimea and the Child and Family Services office.
Each bag contains a toothbrush contributed by a dentist who prefers to remain anonymous, a tube of toothpaste brought in by the A-Plus students, a bag of recycled crayons that have been molded into various shapes, and a small toy or game contributed by the Giving and Sharing Program at the Rice Shopping Center.
Bloemke explained that in addition to the children performing a service project designed to help less fortunate children, the girls learned sewing skills while creating the fabric drawstring bags that can serve as small purses or totes.
“I don’t know which was harder,” Blann said. “Sewing around the edges, or trying to put the ribbon through.”
The girls had to measure, cut, trace patterns for the bags that feature a bear cutout, and also work between sharing the one sewing machine that was available, Bloemke said.
Each bag took about a week to complete with Blann completing two bags prior to the three-day weekend. “Mary (Lim) did five,” Blann quickly added, extolling the skills demonstrated by the achievement.
“It was fun,” Blann said of the project. But she is already looking ahead to the next school year when she will be the group’s historian, who gets to be in control of creating a scrapbook of the group’s yearly activities.
