Kirkland resident Lenore King says it’s difficult for her two young sons to understand that there are people who don’t have food to eat.
Her older son, Christian, recently turned 7 and for his birthday one of the parents also brought a gift for her youngest son, Beckham, age 5.
“I said, oh, that is so unnecessary. He needs to learn that he doesn’t always get presents,” King told the parent. “He got to open the present and then literally two days later he said, ‘Mom, I want another Lego.’ I’m like, Beckham, do you understand that there are people who don’t have food to eat and you want another toy?”
But at Bucky Beaver Preschool, teacher and founder Molly Carson has put the theory to the test for the past 30 years.
Carson has taught more than 1,000 preschoolers the concept of giving and has made charity a critical part of their learning, says parent Judy Mansour.
“I don’t know if at this age they understand it when I’m just telling them,” said King, whose son Beckham currently attends Bucky Beaver and her older son attended in the past. “But having them reinforce it here at school, I think it makes them grasp the concept that someone who doesn’t have a kitchen, doesn’t have a home.”
On a recent afternoon, Carson asked the 22 students in her morning class to create place mats, cards and gift bags of needed items for the homeless residents at Tent City, which was located at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church before moving to Woodinville on April 21.
To emphasize the concept of giving, Carson read, “A Circle of Friends” by Giora Carmi, to the students. The story was about a circle of kindness, which started with a boy who leaves a share of his fresh muffin with a homeless man sleeping on a park bench.
Youngsters then gathered around tables and took out their art supplies to color place mats and cards that read: “Sending you some sunshine today! Love, Bucky Beaver Preschool.”
“I’m making stuff for all the homeless people,” said Beckham, 5.
What did his teacher teach the class about homeless people?
“Give them some food because they don’t have food,” noted Beckham. “If they don’t have a kitchen, they don’t have a house.”
He added that helping others made him feel “happy.”
As other students filled up plastic bags with water bottles and snacks, co-teacher Heidi Wortinger asked them questions such as: “Can I go to the grocery store and get food like this if I don’t have money?”
The parents later set up the place mats, cards and gift bags on a table at the church and served the homeless residents dinner on April 17.
This year marked the preschool’s 10th year of providing and serving dinner for those in need. During the dinner, parents and King County Councilwoman Jane Hague honored Carson with a proclamation for the giving that she instills in children.
“Giving has always been a strong value my parents gave me growing up,” said Carson, a mother of three grown children. “I always try really hard to give back to the community.”
When her kids were still small, she went back to school at Bellevue College and traded her nursing skills for a degree in early childhood education. She always wanted a preschool in her own home, so she opened up the non-profit Bucky Beaver Preschool about 30 years ago.
In addition to the recent Tent City dinner, Bucky Beaver has also provided many dinners to Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing (KITH) residents, held food drives and collected donations for such causes as the Haiti and Japan relief efforts following massive earthquakes. Every month, kids and parents also make donations to KITH.
“There are many different ways to help children understand how we give back because that’s such a strong value,” said Carson, adding that the preschool gives youngsters exposure to giving and she hopes that parents will continue that learning process at home. “It’s more life and social values that we’re trying to help the kids learn. It’s a huge part of who we are.”
