Fundraising in the FLES classroom!

Last year I was visiting a PLC in northern Kentucky and noticed a poster on the host teacher's wall that said "Let's buy a llama!" I was instantly intrigued and asked about it. She told me that as part of her reward system in class the students could "earn" quarters that would go towards buying a part of a llama from Heifer International. 

One of my ongoing goals is to incorporate the big C of community into my classroom. I want my students to know that being able to speak Spanish is a tool they can use in the classroom, their school and the wider world. Letting students fund raise for an animal that they liked best seemed like a great way to bring the outside world into our classroom. 

I took the pictures from the Heifer International site

At the time we were studying animals in 3rd and 4th grade and kindergarteners were learning how to say I like and I don't like so it fit very nicely with the language they were learning. I chose 4 animals based on what vocabulary my students knew and what I thought they might like the best, set up 4 cups in my room, and sent home a short note explaining that students should bring in any loose change they might have. 

Heifer International's website heiferinternational.org had a lot of resources as well. I requested a free fund raising packet that included 2 posters, buttons, and other resources. 

To kick off the fund raiser, I explained to students that every little bit counted and asked them to consider That instead of using their quarters for stickers from the sticker machine maybe they could donate them towards purchasing a farm animal for a family that didn't have as much as we did in the States. They brought in their change and told Me gusta el cerdo or Me gusta la llama as they dropped their change in the different cups.

The poor fish was the least popular. It was basically a contest between the pig and the llama from the beginning. In the end we ended up raising $90 which bought 4 parts of a llama ($20/part) and 1 part of a pig ($10/part.) Over the summer a certificate and thank you letter came from Heifer International and my students were so excited to see that even their small contribution made a difference!

The one and only wrinkle in this project was one fourth grade class whom I'm sure all converted to vegetarianism during the fundraiser when they realized the pig might win. With that in mind, I think I might do something similar again this year but with World Wildlife Fund instead of Heifer International. 

Also I ended up being the one to count all the money whereas next year I think I will have one of my classes do that job (great math tie-in!)

Do you fund raise in your classroom? What sorts of fund raisers do you do? Share in the comments below!