3 Cool Ways to Log Service Hours and Life Preparation

Here are 3 cool ways to log service hours and life preparation.
3 Creative Ways to Log Service and Life Preparation on Homeschool Transcript

3 Cool Ways to Log Service Hours and Life Preparation

These cool ways to log service hours and life preparation we given to us by Cynthia Dunn, one of our many 7th Sisters. (You’re a 7th Sister, too!)
We have been working on service hours that could also be life preparation skills. As part of her Career Exploration credits, we’ve been looking into event planning. Here are 3 cool things she did:

Bulletin Boards for Hospitals:

For service projects, my daughter researched, prepared and presented bulletin boards for the Birth Centers at two local hospitals. I work part time photographing newborns and the bulletin board idea came about because I saw that one of the unit directors had put together a bulletin board on breastfeeding. It was poorly done (mostly pages of typed info copied and printed out) and it made me think “my kid could do a better job than that!”. I asked the director if my daughter could re-do their board, they gratefully accepted, and were very pleased.

Then we showed a picture of it to another hospital director and asked if my daughter could re-do theirs, but tailored to their hospital’s demographic.  That turned out great too.

My daughter learned about making effective displays/print presentations and she had the opportunity to meet and talk with the hospital managers. I have pictures of her with the bulletin boards and the unit directors in her high school file as documentation of service hours.

Event Planning for Homeschool Group:

One fall, my daughter switched roles with me as organizer for the annual Christmas Gift Workshop for the kids in our homeschool support group. She had been a helper at the event for a couple years. I taught her how to do organize the workshop and served as her back-up.  We also used Event Planning for Dummies for more skills.

Then we organized a Career Night with the homeschool group where moms and dads would talk about their work. My daughter learned to:

  • get approval from the support group
  • schedule the event
  • book the space
  • recruit a variety of speakers
  • advertise
  • plan
  • set-up
  • edit
  • create correspondence
  • coordinate refreshments
  • decorate
  • moderate the event with a friend

Church Activity Volunteer:

My daughter was also busy at church.

  • worked on the committee for our church’s annual Christmas program
  • organized a yard sale to raise money for a mission trip
  • participated in a planning session for a city-wide teen event for the Chicago Park District.
Career exploration bundle
Click image for full description.

I shaped it all into a semester course called Career Exploration:  Event Planning 

These are useful service hours for the transcript and good life skills. Earning hours in this way had the added benefit of cultivating resourcefulness – using what you have to get what you want – which is, next to faith, one of the most important things we can teach our kids.  And, it keeps the fun in learning for the student and the teacher.

Download your Career Exploration curriculum from 7Sisters’ while you get started on some good service and life preparation hours for your teen!
For more on preparation for life, check out this interview with Susan Landry about apprenticing teens for adulthood.

BONUS Life preparation idea:

Teach your teens the gift of noticing. It will make their world calmer, bigger and more meaningful.

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3 Cool Ways to Log Service Hours and Life Preparation

Vicki Tillman

Blogger, curriculum developer at 7SistersHomeschool.com, counselor, life and career coach, SYMBIS guide, speaker, prayer person. 20+year veteran homeschool mom.

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