Caring Basket

 My part-time counselor and I just wrote what we hope is our last sympathy note for a child who lost a parent for the year.  We gather cards from the class, families of the class, and any staff who would like to contribute and get a nice caring or comfort basket to hold the items.  Depending on the age and interest of the child we include a few things to help occupy their time.  I bought my latest "friend" an origami kit because she has to travel for the memorial service. We also typically include a stuffed animal and something else that is cuddly, this time a beach towel.  Some of our families donate a gift card to the local ice cream shop or something similar. One of our older students liked basketball so the class all signed a new ball.  We also include at least one book on a topic the student enjoys.  All my students who have received these baskets talk about how they thought they helped.  For more ideas in helping children check out grief-in-children