Submitted by Kristi Keast, Mount Vernon, Iowa

Idea posted April 8, 2005

Our parent group had a silent auction for a playground building. Each classroom was asked to provide some type of gift basket of any size. Some were huge like a "snowy day" basket with movies, snacks, cocoa, etc. There were two "chocolate" baskets of goodies. I bought a garden basket filled with a gardening calendar, seeds, bulbs, garden gloves, and pad. These were donated items from the students.

I donated a basket and went begging to the local music stores I frequent. I used my old broken saxaphone case and painted it school colors. In it were a pair of music socks, a recorder, recorder book, musical note pad, music box, and, many thanks to Music K-8, a CD I made of favorite songs from our student body.

I e-mailed Music K-8 for permission (see the Permission Guidelines page), with a list of the songs I was planning to put on the CD. I got permission back, burned the CD, and whallah! The basket was done.

We netted $69 for the playground!