The students of Megan Meyers’ kindergarten class at Rexford/Longfellow Elementary School won’t have to worry about their hands or ears getting cold this winter.
The students in the class recently received homemade knitted mittens and hats from Katherine Meyers and her knitting group in Delafield. Katherine is Megan’s mother.
“We always like to do some knitting for people other than our family and friends. We always have extra yarn left after we finish with our family and friends knitting. We wanted to knit something for others with that yarn. It was just chosen to gift Megan’s class with hats and mittens,” Katherine said.
In addition to using up the extra yarn, the mittens and hats serve a purpose.
“Miss Meyers told me she appreciates when the kids all have a warm hat and a dry pair of mittens to wear when they’re here at school for recess,” Katherine said.
Each student in the class received the items, which are to stay at the school through winter. The students can take them home in the spring.
“They have such big smiles and they appreciate that someone did something for them, someone they don’t even know did something directly for them,” Katherine said. “And the women who knit are grandmas, and what is better than to have a grandma knit something for you.”
Katherine said the colors and patterns on the hats and mittens are determined by the ladies in the knitting group.
“After the knitting was finished, then I worked with Miss Meyers and she helped decide which hat and mittens fit the personality of the child so it was more personal,” Katherine said.
When Katherine returns to her knitting group, a full report is given regarding the reaction of the students.
“I’m going to tell them what big hugs and smiles I got and how they each loved their hats and mittens,” Katherine said. “Miss Meyers will also give me a photograph of each child wearing them so I can give that to the women who did the knitting and they will have that connection.”
Katherine said she visits Megan’s classroom about once a month. Each time she spends the day in the classroom, and reads the book, “Extra Yarn.” She said spending time in the classroom with her daughter allows her to get to know the students and help in the classroom.
Megan said she loves having her mom spend time in the classroom with her.
“I don’t have children so she always just adopts my class as her grandkids for the year. It’s cool. They get so excited to see her and it’s fun to have these kids get this extra grandma who loves them no matter what,” Megan said.
Megan added that the students constantly talk about the mittens and hats.
“All winter long they will come to me and say, ‘Miss Meyers, I’m going to use my grandma Meyers mittens this time because they’re special,'” Megan said. “They’re good about not taking them home. They use them, and they just love them. They’ll tell other people that this grandma made them for them. I think it’s so sweet.”
There is also a lesson for the students to learn, Megan said.
“At five years old it’s a lesson about doing nice things for people,” Megan said.