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Fourth Graders Make Beanies for Newborns

What began as a fun hobby for a few fourth graders has become a full-blown service project that seeks to spread joy, and a little warmth, to newborns. It started when Owen T. noticed his friend Mason S. knitting. Owen wanted to make a hat for his teacher Margaret Bitz, so Mason taught him how to work yarn around a loom. From there, the knitting bug spread across Bitz’s entire class, and the students began knitting during their free time and when they had indoor recess.

Before long, the class was anxious to find a way to use their newfound passion to spread a little light into the community. They had what they call a “family talk” and decided to start knitting small hats for newborns in hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Tori S. dubbed their small creations Bitzy’s Beanies and they got to work knitting in earnest. Before long, Cindy Shuster’s homeroom joined in on the knitting fun and soon the bins of baby-sized beanies began to overflow. 

Last week, 40 beanies made their way to Medstar Harbor Hospital. On Friday, April 9, the two fourth grade classes will Zoom with a nurse from the Johns Hopkins Hospital NICU to learn more about what happens on the unit and how their hats are helping. After that, another batch of Bitzy's Beanies will head to Hopkins where they will bring comfort to the tiny newborn babies.