2013 Holiday Gift Guide – Give to Give!

November 29, 2013November 29, 2013 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

The holiday season is now in full swing! We’re excited to roll out several additional products today that encourage conversations on character and kindness. To see what’s new, click here for the 2013 Holiday Gift Guide!

Give back to kids across the country while you give to loved ones this year. Wear the Cape™ donates 10% of its net profits for apparel and gear to the kidkind foundation, which works to teach children and communities about the power of kindness and good character. The remaining goes toward developing educational materials and furthering the mission.

Click below to find gifts for all ages. And we’re offering lots of ways to save:

To kick off the holiday shopping season, get 25% off all orders today (Black Friday) through Cyber Monday (11/29-12/2) with code SHOP.
To celebrate the holidays, 10% off all orders with code CAPE13 – use this code starting next Tuesday!
Free shipping when you spend $50 or more with code SHP50.
20% off when you spend $100 or more with code 20OFF.
Free Wear the Cape car/fridge magnet with all orders of $25 or more!

Click here for the 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Happy holidays! Thanks for supporting Wear the Cape!

Short and SO Sweet

November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Recently, a teacher named Stephanie who is a fan of Wear the Cape witnessed the actions of a pint-sized everyday hero while on the job. As relayed by Stephanie:

A few days ago when I was on lunch duty, I noticed one of my students sitting at a table with several of our special needs students. Many of them are non-verbal, so they too often spend their lunchtime among other students’ chatter without being included.

I watched this particular student wondering, “Is he sitting with them or just near them?” After several minutes, it became clear that he was there because he wanted to be, drawing pictures for them and offering them jokes.

It’s so rare that we see children or even adults leave their comfort zones to give others comfort. I almost cried in the middle of a lunchroom full of 5th graders; I was so touched by how truly sweet he was. He was Wearing the Cape and showing – without knowing – the entire 5th grade how to be a great person, a self-made superhero.

After learning about Wear the Cape and spreading the word amongst our faculty, the teachers at our school now wear our “capes” – Wear the Cape t-shirts – to school on Fridays. We received so many questions about our shirts that my co-teacher Tara took the time to explain what Wear the Cape is all about – restoring the power of kindness and good character.

Highlighting the actions of the student who had recently taken the time to bring a little sunshine to his special-needs schoolmates at lunch was the perfect way to help the whole class see how to Wear the Cape on a daily basis. Without a word, this student had modeled good character and what it looks like to embrace our differences. He even explained to his classmates that sitting with the special needs students makes him feel good, that they like him being there.

It’s important that teachers recognize children who are Wearing the Cape. It makes them feel good and makes others want that feeling, too! Real-life examples help kids understand what it means to exude good character, and they give them ideas that can be applied in their own lives. I have a feeling that many of my students will start sitting with the special group at lunch…and I can’t wait!

Many thanks to Stephanie for sharing this heartwarming story! We hope it inspires more people to step out of their comfort zones in order to bring others comfort.

Free Wear the Cape Lesson Plan! Pass it on

November 20, 2013November 25, 2013 Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Wear the Cape is excited to unveil (drumroll, please…) a free, introductory lesson on character that can be utilized by educators, scout leaders, religious teachers and more. The lesson and all supporting materials are available to download for free in our newly-added “Resources” section of Wear the Cape’s website and by clicking here.

In line with Wear the Cape’s mission, the lesson focuses on kindness and character-development strategies. Students are challenged to think through the characteristics of a hero and to identify how these qualities can be applied in their everyday lives, particularly through interactions with peers. From the Resources page:

For kids across the country, school is one of the first and most impactful venues for socialization, learning and personal development. But we trust that any teacher can tell you, lessons learned at home are equally as important.

Since teaching emotional intelligence and encouraging kids to embody good character is what Wear the Cape is all about, we are excited to offer a free lesson for educators, scout leaders and religious teachers that also involves parents. It is our hope that this guided, interactive discussion will extend conversations on good character and kindness to family dinner tables far and wide.

We invite you to download the lesson and supporting materials below. And please let us know how it goes! We would love to hear highlights of what kids say and do throughout the experience, as well as how the content impacts your classroom or group overall.

We would greatly appreciate you sharing this with your children’s teachers, as well as family, friends and leaders at your places of worship. We hope that it’s a fun, thought-provoking tool that will facilitate important discussions in communities across the country. Let’s help kids gain confidence in choosing good character to improve childhoods, schools and the future of society. Thanks for doing your part!