In the digital age of email and texting, receiving a physical letter is a rare treat. So when a letter from a group of elementary school kids in Ohio arrived in the mailbox a few weeks ago, the whole office was delighted. The students had used Bramble Berry supplies and Soap Queen tutorials to raise money for a local charity, and they were excited to share their experience with us. You can read their letter below. Don’t be surprised when a few “Awwwwws” escape your lips.
“Dear Anne-Marie,
Our 3rd and 4th grade Gifted and Talented Education class wanted to inform you of our soap learning experience so other schools do it too. We raised money for F.I.S.H. (Friends in Service Helping). The goal of our fundraiser was to raise money for a local charity. The charity we chose is F.I.S.H. because they help the poor get food. We raised $250 for F.I.S.H.
We used your website in many different ways. First we used your videos (Soap Queen TV) to figure out how to make different kinds of soap designs like geometric, swirling, layering, etc. Then we used your pictures of soap for ideas and other ways of making soap. Then we used your instructions to help while we were making the soap and planning.
We know what it’s like to make soap now. We learned how hot the soap is in degrees. We used rulers to measure so our soap’s measurement is 13/16 of an inch. We calculated the prices. We know it’s important to be careful, quick and make sure we’re working together. We need to work together because we have a limited amount of time to do so. We also know the amount of ounces we need to make our soap design. There are different amounts for every bar.
We made sure to be safe. We put aprons on and goggles to protect ourselves. We made sure the handles on the measuring cups are on the table, not hanging off the edge. One more thing is that we made sure our fingers weren’t too close to the cutter. We tried to be as safe as we can.”
I was so happy to see this fun class project, and everyone at the Bramble Berry offices was glad to play a role in helping these kids learn how to soap. If you’re on the hunt for a great fundraiser idea, check out the Melt & Pour Soap Fundraiser Kit. It comes with everything you need to put on an awesome fundraiser. We’re happy to support the next generation of young soapers who are doing good things in their communities!
This is my son’s GATE class! Their teacher has done this project for the last several years & the children really look forward to it. My son is in the very last picture, he loved creating differents bars of soap with the techniques they learned. It gives them such a sense of accomplishment to plan & make decisions on all aspects of the project from soap types, to price point. actual production to packaging. Choosing the charity to naming their brand. Thank you for publishing their story!
Hi Shaunna!
That’s so awesome! I’m so glad he had fun making the soap, we had a lot of fun reading about it and seeing the pictures :). All the planning that goes into soap making and then selling, are such great lessons to learn early on! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Soaping is a great activity! My daughter, who is 5, does M&P with me now. It gives her a real sense of satisfaction to make gifts for people with her own hands, and I can totally see it as a fundraiser project for her later. Good going, kids! Congrats on being so enterprising!
Hi Lesli!
That’s so awesome! I think it’s so great to teach children crafty skills early on! If you ever get photos of your projects that you do together, we would love to see them on our Facebook page! 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry/
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Very insipiring story 🙂 I wish them all the best !
Hi Pooja!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I wish those cuties were wearing gloves! But otherwise this is great and I can’t wait until my boy is in the 3rd-4th grade and I can spend a day at his school doing something like this!
Hi Victoria!
You’re right, gloves are always a good idea :). We were thrilled to see them wearing eye protection! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post!
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
The students weren’t wearing gloves because the gloves seemed to just get in their way. They were awkward and more of a hazard as they made it difficult for the kids to actually grasp the containers of hot liquid. I was more afraid they would have an accident wearing the gloves.
What an awesome and inspiring story! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Linda!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! We found it incredibly inspiring as well 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
This was very inspirational and gave me an idea for a church fundraiser. Soaping teaches so many lessons, including patience and responsibility–not a bad thing at any age. Thank you for being a company that I can admire.
Hi Druann!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, it really inspired us! Soaping can be a really great fundraiser idea, I’m so glad this sparked an idea for your church fundraiser! That sounds like it will be a lot of fun 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
This is awesome! They are so cute! My kids love making soap too. I keep them away from the lye, but they have fun planning, mixing colorants, sniff testing fragrances, and drying utensils after watching the soap making. It’s so great to watch kids enraptured by the process and then enjoying the soap!
Hi Margaret!
I totally agree, soaping can be such a fun activity for kids, particularly melt and pour soap 🙂 I’m happy you have found a way to include your kids with your cold process soap making, very cool! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry