Happy April! | Heart House Dallas

Let’s take a look at everything that happened during March and what’s to come during April.

Hello from Heart House! Hard to believe that it’s April — already! The last time we spoke, it was right before Winter Storm Uri, which took out the electricity to most Heart House families for 5 days, and the water for over 4 weeks. We hope you all have recovered!

We are so excited to share what Heart House staff and students have been up to so far this spring. And just remember … your support made it all happen!

March Moments

With Winter Storm Uri postponing each class’ Valentine’s Day party, this didn’t stop the students from having fun! They made Valentine crafts, played games, ate desserts, and enjoyed fun time with one another. The game featured in the picture was not only fun, but it taught concepts like action and reaction, potential and kinetic energy, trajectory, and momentum.

Students are always restless the week before Spring Break so program was move outside to the playground for a week of Field Days! The older students used their leadership skills to help the younger ones. Activities featured different parts of the Head Heart Hands (H3) program, including an egg obstacle course, creating their own bubble wand, making tie-dye masks, and much more!

Staff are able to take students on small group outings called “Love & Lead.” These opportunities might be a reward, an opportunity to create stronger bonds, and provide more individual attention to a student who might need it. Thanks to a generous donor who provided the tickets, a small group went on a “Love and Lead” to the Dallas Arboretum during Spring Break. They enjoyed a picnic lunch, relaxing time among the spring blooms, and quality time with each other.

The Easter Bunny made an early appearance at Heart House at the end of March – just in time for our monthly birthday celebration. The Bax family and their friends created baskets filled with candy, games, and other goodies. They even raised enough funds to provide each student with a Wal-Mart gift card! An additional thank you to Who is Hussain who sponsors our monthly birthday parties with goodies!

H3: Head, Heart, and Hands

Each of the sites create lessons based on the H3 program.

Head – Homework help and STEAM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)
Heart – Social emotional learning (SEL) activities to develop lifelong characteristics, such as resilience, self awareness, persistence, and curiosity.
Hands – Project-based and experiential learning opportunities, such as Lemonade Day (3rd-8th) and Growing Gardens (K-2nd).

Let’s take a deeper dive into each of the sites!

Wildflower (K-2nd)

One of the ways the Wildflower students focused on the “Head” was learning about composting as part of their Growing Gardens curriculum! Winter Storm Uri decimated Wildflower’s vegetable garden they had planted so it was time to compost the remains! Plus, as part of “Hands”, they were given tips and tricks on how to compost at home.

Park Lane (3rd-5th)

At Park Lane, the students learned all about the brain including the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, neurons, and much more! (Can you name the parts of your brain?) While they literally learned about the “Head”, the creative teachers tied the lesson back to the “Heart” by teaching students how to control their reactions by using their knowledge of the brain.

Pineland (6th-8th)

Did you know a neuron can perform three different functions?! Pineland students learned about a sensory neuron, a motor neuron, or an interneuron, sending and receiving specific neurotransmitters. This creative bunch then made 3-D versions of their neurons with pipe cleaners, beads, and play dough!

Things to look forward to in April:

Monday classes have moved to in person again!

Career Day is April 15th!

The social media is continuing to grow! Follow Heart House on Instagram to learn more about our lessons and staff, on Facebook to meet the students, and on LinkedIn to keep up with grants and big updates!

We are so grateful to our marketing intern Jenna Camp, a junior at UTD, for her support and dedication in assisting the organization with social media development. Thank you, Jenna!

Click here to read our 2020 Annual Report!

Please consider contributing a monthly gift. $25 = a week of classroom supplies – $25/month for a year = 3 months of supplies! When making your gift click recurring donation to set up a regular donation. Thank you!

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