Pathfinder Wreaths 2021 – Pathfinder K-8 PTSA

About Pathfinder Wreaths

*Click here to purchase a wreath or browse our selection*

The Pathfinder community has been making wreaths each fall since 1995. We source all of our own materials from tree lot discards and our yards and transform them into unique, 100% homemade wreaths that we sell to ourselves, our friends and family and the West Seattle community.

Traditionally, revenue from this fundraiser has helped defray the cost of camping for Pathfinder students. During the pandemic, we are directing the funds to support other outdoor education programs that benefit all scholars, such as the Pathfinder garden, and to classroom support.

Because school grounds are unavailable to us this year, we will be selling all wreaths ONLINE and have five workstations set up in the backyards of Pathfinder families that can be reserved for making personal wreaths to take with you. Here’s how it works!

Reserve a Table for Open Wreath-making

We encourage you to make a wreath this season! It’s easy and fun. We will have instructors present during grade work parties and a few times during the season. And we have a wreath-making how-to video! Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch it.

You may make a wreath by signing up in a three-hour open wreath-making window of time at one of our five designated wreath-making sites. Due to our limited ability to store wreaths, wreath-making is limited to personal sales only. Please take (and pay for) what you make at the Pathfinder Store. There is an option for your friends and family to purchase a wreath that you make. If you love making wreaths and want to make some for online sales, please email Susan Elderkin at wreaths@pathfinderk8ptsa.org.

Please visit our Sign-Up Genius to choose a time and place to make your wreath. Middle school kids can sign up with you, but please don’t bring little kids to the workshops. The workshops are at personal residences, and we can’t ask the owners to supervise kids or have them run around the property.

Take Part in a Grade Band Work Party!

Want to meet and chat with a few adults whose kids share the same class as yours? Each grade has its own day and time to make wreaths this season, and we will have someone there to teach you how. On your day, sign up for a location near you and make wreaths with three other people. We wish we could offer a big group for each class, but its unfeasible for this year. We hope that a small group will help you get to know each other better. Also, sorry, no kids are allowed at the work parties. Adults only please. The dates for work parties are below, and you can sign up for them here.

Fri. Dec. 3, 5-8pm: 6th grade
Sat. Dec. 4, 9am-noon: Kindergarten
Sat. Dec. 4, 1-4pm: 1st grade
Sun. Dec. 5, 9am-noon: 2nd grade
Sun. Dec. 5, 1-4pm: 3rd grade
Mon. Dec. 6, 5-8pm: 7th grade
Fri. Dec. 10, 5-8pm: 8th grade
Sat. Dec. 11, 9am-noon: 4th grade
Sat. Dec. 11, 1-4pm: Distinct classes, all grades
Sun. Dec. 12, 9am-noon: 5th grade

At the work parties we ask that you wear a mask for the safety of others. Please take (and pay for) what you make on at the Pathfinder Store. There is an option for your friends and family to purchase a wreath that you make.

Purchase a Wreath

We will not be at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market or be doing pre-orders this year. Instead, we will have wreaths for sale online. The inventory will be displayed at the Pathfinder Store and be replenished throughout the wreath season. Check back often for pretty new wreaths!

All purchased wreaths must be picked up by the seller through our contactless pick-up system. Wreaths may be located at different sites. Each wreath available online will list where it needs to be picked up. Consider that two different wreaths you may want could be in different locations.

Wreaths generally cost $20 for a basic no-frills wreath, $30-$35 for a medium wreath, and $40-$45 for a large or fancy wreath. But we want everyone to have a wreath, so please pay what you can.

Greens and Ornamental Needs

We need your help to fill our five workshops with raw materials to make gorgeous wreaths. Got a big limb of Doug Fir down? Need some pruning on your arborvitae? Have seedpods, berries and other pretty items in your yard that you can clip? Please bring them in with you when you make a wreath or bring them to one of the workshop sites listed above. It REALLY helps if you bring in greens and ornamentals on your grade band work party day.

Wreath-Making Protocols, Pandemic Style

Wreath-makers must follow established COVID protocols this year. Remember, we are generously being hosted at Pathfinder homes, and we want to keep their families safe. We ask that all participants heed these rules:

Please stay home if you have any cold, flu or COVID symptoms, or if you are caring for someone who is sick.
Masks are required for all grade band workshops and for when there are more than one wreath-maker in the workshop.
Please sign up for your wreath workshop, and do not exceed the capacity at each place. These are small, Seattle backyards with only a limited number of tables. No bathroom facilities are available.
Kids are tricky. Please do NOT bring kids to the grade band workshops. Middle schoolers or mature older kids who actively plan to make a wreath may come during open wreath-making and need to be included on the sign-up. But we can’t have children running around the backyards of our generous hosts, and we can’t ask them to watch your student. Thank you for understanding.
Bring your own clippers and gloves if at all possible. We will have some available, but want to keep the cleaning required at the sites to a minimum.
Clean up after your shift, discarding greens as directed, sweeping/raking and disinfecting common tools.
Please bring as many greens and ornamentals with you as you can. It is going to be very difficult to keep five different sites stocked.
Please pay online for your personal wreaths after you make them or have your friends and family pay for them.

How Do I Learn to Make a Wreath?

We will have wreath instructors at the grade band workshops during the first 90 minutes to help you learn to make a wreath. We will also have instructional workshops before Thanksgiving from 1-4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 21 and from 1-3pm on Monday, Nov. 22 at the Puget Ridge Workshops. But before you come, please watch our wreath-making video.