W. Erskine Johnston School was raising funds for CHEO on May 27.

“There were 6,000 used books for sale,” said Grade 2/3 teacher Kelly Lewis. “In total W.E. Johnston Public School will be donating just over $7,800.”

It was the second year for the sale, and expanded from just Grade 1 to 3 to the whole school this time around, said Lewis. The books were all donations made by the students. W. Erskine Johnston also asked students from George Vanier Catholic to venture to the sale.

“I wanted to help out the kids at CHEO with cancer,” said student Vincent Qin.

He took on the work of sorting the various titles, which ranged from Curious George, Magic School Bus to Star Wars and Harry Potter.

“The book sale brought in just over $1,500,” said Lewis. “Soft cover books were 50 cents and hard covers were a dollar. All of the books were in pristine condition.”

Earlier in the month, the school also had a walkathon for CHEO, said Lewis. The students took donations from the community and trekked about 3 kilometres in the area.

The school wants to donate in time for the CHEO telethon, which is set for June 4 and 5.

Being stuck indoors away from the cold has been an issue for most this winter, but students at W. Erskine Johnston Public School have picked up a new hobby to keep them from cabin fever, and to stay warm.

Kelly Lewis, a teacher at W. Erskine Johnston, set up the Finger Knitting Club this winter, with the aim of giving students something to do indoors by teaching them the relaxing skill.

Finger knitting is accomplished by weaving yarn through one’s fingers in a particular way to create patterns.

The club has been a hit with students, with 42 students taking part during three months’ worth of Wednesday recesses to knit without needles.

Now, the students are continuing to create wool bracelets, necklaces and scarves on their own time, and hope to start up the official club again in the summer.

Participating in the club has given some students an outlet for their creativity, while giving others a relaxing and productive hobby to do.

“At the start I thought I wouldn’t like it,” said nine-year-old Aislin McBurney. “I thought it was kind of like for grannies, but then once I actually got into it, I thought, ‘Oh this can be for younger kids and parents,’ and it’s actually really calming and useful.”

In some ways it’s like yoga, said McBurney, who has started finger knitting outside of school as well.

“Whenever I’ve in trouble at home or I’ve been fighting with my sisters or I’m sad or bored, I will find some yarn around my house and just start finger knitting,” she said.

Eight-year-old Tongtong Lu said he enjoys it because it’s like taking a vacation, and has given him a chance to meet new friends.

McBurney encouraged others to learn how to finger knit, saying with a smile, “All you need to buy is the yarn, you don’t need to buy your fingers for it.”