Just a Little Patience

The Swooper Citizens character trait of the week is PATIENCE. There are so many times throughout the day where we all have to practice being patient. We began this week’s lesson brainstorming ideas for things to do when waiting in a long line at Disneyland. The students had some great ideas: play I Spy, play Rock Paper Scissors, go to a different line, and more! Mrs. Vanetti then introduced our Marshmallow Challenge:

The students were all in….

Look how patient they were!

These students hid their marshmallow.

These two played Rock, Paper, Scissors to pass the time.

 

These students covered their eyes so that they would not see the marshmallows.

Hooray! Everyone showed patience and earned a second marshmallow!

We then watched this fun video:

I then read aloud My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook.

This book tells the story of a boy who interrupts. He just can not control the volcano in his mouth. When it is his special sharing day at school, the boy finally understands how frustrating it feels to be interrupted, and he learns to respectfully wait his turn. The students shared times when they had been interrupted and when their mouths had been a volcano! We tried to strategize ways we could wait patiently when we have something important to say but someone else is already speaking. Students agreed, it really takes a lot of patience!!

 

Patience

Our Swooper Citizens theme of the week is patience.  Our goal of the lesson was to give students the opportunity to practice patience. First, we gave the students a scenario. “Imagine you are waiting in a LONG line for your favorite ride at Disneyland. What do you do to pass the time?” There were some great answers like, “Eat a snack.” or “Play a game on my mom’s phone.” or “Play I-Spy.” I then said, ” You would have to be really patient to wait in a long line, but it would be worth it!”

Next, we invited students to participate in the Marshmallow Challenge! What is the Marshmallow Challenge? Take a look!

Some marshmallows got eaten right away:

Some students played games to pass the time, and some just stared at the yummy treat.

In the end, those students who were patient enjoyed two fluffy marshmallows.

We got the idea for this activity from this cute You Tube video. The students had fun watching it!

We wrapped up the lesson with a great read aloud, My Mouth Is A Volcano. We thought this book demonstrated the need for patience perfectly!

All of Louis thoughts are very important to him. In fact, his thoughts are so important to him that when he has something to say, his words begin to wiggle, and then they do the jiggle, then his tongue pushes all of his important words up against his teeth and he erupts, or interrupts others. His mouth is a volcano! My Mouth Is A Volcano takes an empathetic approach to the habit of interrupting and teaches children a witty technique to capture their rambunctious thoughts and words for expression at an appropriate time. Told from Louis’ perspective, this story provides parents, teachers, and counselors with an entertaining way to teach children the value of respecting others by listening and waiting for their turn to speak.

The students got a kick out of all the interrupting Louis did! Many agreed that their mouths are like volcanos too 🙂