The Gift of Video to Express Gratitude - The 21st Century Macaroni Necklace

Creating gifts to express gratitude is a timeless classroom activity. We’ve all heard of (or even tried) styrofoam snowmen, painted rocks, bookmarks, pinecones and of course the dependable macaroni necklace.

Well, now there’s a new gift in town that’s more personal than all of the above and costs nothing to make, as long as you have the Padcaster and an iPad.

Here are some ideas for videos your students can make to give to family, friends, support staff, volunteers, administrators, teachers, and anyone else that makes an impact in your students’ lives.

Reenact Values

Have students pick a value that someone has taught them and make a video about it for that person showing that value in practice. For example, if a parent taught them forgiveness, they can act out a scenario in which a friend makes a mistake and they have to forgive that friend. If a particularly hard-working support staff member taught them dedication, they can make a video about being dedicated to their sport. Because the recipient and the value are both entirely up to the student, the videos will be genuine and authentic.

Write and Perform a Poem

Poetry is a great way to make video gifts educational. Have students pick a formal style of poetry (haiku, limerick, etc.) and write a poem expressing appreciation following the parameters of the poetry style. The students can voice record themselves reciting the poem and film whatever visuals they want to accompany the audio. This is a meaningful gift to give to family or anyone in the community. 

Create a Music Video

Green Screen is a great addition to this project because it allows the students to create whatever set they want without limitations. The possibilities truly are endless. Not only will the recipient be touched by the gesture, but they’ll get some good entertainment out of it as well!

Expressing gratitude isn’t just about giving someone something, but giving a gift that articulates why that person is appreciated. Creating any of these videos is a great classroom activity for anytime, or can be used specifically around Holidays like Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving or Teacher Appreciation Week.

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