Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School in Central New York

At Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School in Central New York, sixth graders participated in a two-week-long gift-giving assignment based on The Gift of Nothing. Each teacher read the book aloud in class, and then, students received instructions to pick a special person and one activity they could do with (or for) the recipient. Per the project guidelines, the chosen activity could not include video games, television, or anything else centered around technology. Next, each student surprised their recipient with a decorated box filled with “nothing” — along with an explanation of the project. To document the experience, students took photos and shared their reflections in a writing exercise.

“I love this assignment because it makes the kids think about the true meaning of gift-giving. In this current technology era, it makes the kids put down their devices and do something fun with a friend. In my eyes, there is nothing more special." 
— Andrew Starowicz, English Language Arts Teacher

Ostego Elementary School in Bowling Green, Ohio

Mollie Layton, who teaches pre-school at Ostego Elementary School, read The Gift of Nothing aloud in her classes. Halfway through the story, she stopped and asked students to make “predictions” about what the gift of nothing could be. “My students are three to five years old, so this was a tricky concept,” she says. “Some students said ‘nothing’ and others said ‘a cat.’ It was fun to do the predictions and then finish the book to see how their understanding of the concept of ‘nothing’ changed.”

After reading the book, the kids cut out and decorated paper hearts — which represented kindness and friendship — and gave them to their friends in class. Finally, they hung up their paper hearts in the classroom to create their very own “giving tree.”

“To extend this activity,” says Mollie, “I bought four empty gift boxes. I filled one with craft feathers, one with nothing, one with pennies, and one with jingle bells. I had the students sit in a circle and pass around the boxes and guess which box contained nothing. It was fun to continue the lesson of understanding the concept of ‘nothing’ in a more scientific sense. The kids loved finding out feathers made no sound!”

Constable Elementary School in South Brunswick, New Jersey

Each December, Constable Elementary School invites members of their community to visit students in class, read a story aloud, and host a conversation about the meaning behind the story. Sometimes, students are invited to write about a personal talent or characteristic they could share with others at no cost. Examples from students include: “giving a hug,” “teaching someone how to play piano,” and “playing or sitting with someone at lunch.”

“The book helps students to realize that the best gifts aren’t the ones that cost the most, and that being kind, caring, thoughtful, and creative are priceless.”
Kristin Ippoliti, First-Grade Teacher