Monthly Archives: December 2015

It’s Random Act of Kindness Day in K!

We are celebrating Random Act of Kindness Day here in Kindergarten today. Our Swooper Citizens theme this week is Kindness, and what better way to learn about kindness than to practice it?!

Our day started with brainstorming ideas for random acts of kindness. Students suggested tying a friends’ shoelace or asking someone new to play with them. When we were joined by the first grade class, we enjoyed this sweet video. (I promised the students that I would post it here, as they wanted to watch it over and over again.)

I enjoyed watching and hearing the students’ reactions to the video. There were giant smiles and large gasps when the items filled in with color. What a perfect way to illustrate acts of kindness!

I then surprised Ms. Atkinson with a Random Act of Kindness…I presented her with a small gift to show my appreciation for her and our friendship. Be sure to ask your child what the small gift was…

Students then listened to the book:

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We encouraged students to give examples about ways to fill others’ buckets. (In kindergarten, we have been working on filling each others’ stockings with kindness….the big reveal of all the compliments the children have written will be this Friday at 9:30!) The students decided that it is far easier to fill someone’s bucket, than to empty it….and more fun too!

Finally, we moved into the writing portion of the lesson. Here is what students had to say:

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Spreading Kindness and Holiday Cheer

The kindergarten and first grade classes accomplished our second service-learning project of the month yesterday by visiting the retirement community of Valle Verde.

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As usual, the bus ride was tons of fun.

When we arrived, I had to snap a quick photo of the students wearing their reindeer hats.  Too cute!

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 We quickly entered the Quail Lodge at Valle Verde, and I introduced myself and the students to the residents, who were just delighted to have us there.

We sang four holiday songs.  Here is a little video:

 

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After our songs, students gave each resident a reindeer ornament that they made in art class. I was impressed with how comfortable the children were with the residents. Many opted to sit down next to a resident and have a conversation. It was very sweet to see.

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The best part for me was introducing the students to my grandma. She was thrilled with all the extra attention she received!

Ms. Atkinson and I plan to take the students to visit Valle Verde again in February, around Valentine’s Day. We are excited to continue fostering this special relationship.

 

Hour of Code

Laguna Blanca students participated in the Hour of Code event this week along with students from 155,000 events around the world.

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According to Kiki Prottsman, Executive Director of Thinkersmith, “The Hour of Code is an initiative that takes place during CSEd Week (the second week of December) where everyone is encouraged to try programming for at least one hour. The idea behind the movement is very similar to getting a child to try a new food.  Someone may think that they don’t have a taste for programming, but a great first experience might chance their mind.”

Thank you, Ms. De Rosso, for helping the kindergartner’s participate in this fun event!

Sock Drive=Generosity

The Swooper Citizens theme of the week is Generosity! What better way to demonstrate how to be generous than by organizing a sock drive for the local non-profit group Angels Bearing Gifts. Our sock drive was announced to the school today during Tecolote Tuesday.

Please help us reach our goal of collecting 250 pairs of socks!