Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Sunday, December 13, 2015
The Ring of Kindness
I was visiting Westwood on Friday at lunch when I spied a first-grade friend signal me to come his way. "Mrs. Gruener," he said as he showed me his ChicFilA kids' meal toy, "you're gonna love this!"
Though technically it's called Shuffle It Forward, Jax went on to explain that it's a ring of kindness, because you have to pick a card and then do that kind thing before the end of the day. So I picked this one . . .
. . . and promptly made up a song. About him.
Which I sang in front of him and his family.
To the tune of Jingle Bells.
Jaxson rocks, Jaxson rocks, Jaxson rocks all day ...
And he giggled through the whole thing.
I couldn't wait to get to ChicFilA and get one for my office. How fun would it be to have our students make these? Turns out they have a few other items, including Gift It Forward coupon books.
Clearly, kindness is a gift we can give every day!
Check out these other recent resources I've discovered:
Check out The Season of Kindness on the Today Show.
A recipe for visiting the elderly at Ripple Kindness.
Ideas for Raising Compassionate Kids from Pennies of Time.
Ideas for family service projects at Small Acts Big Change.
Now I must get back to the kitchen to dip my Caramel Turtles because tomorrow we're taking trays to treat our support staff at the Print Shop, Transportation, the Custodians, Maintenance, our Technology Services, Special Programs, and Central Office. I can't wait to thank them with our homemade goodness.
Sing it with me: It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Gifts From The Heart
Today I'm bubbling with joy because I'm linking up with Carla over at Comprehension Connection to celebrate gifts from the heart.
It's likely you've heard this before . . .
. . . and it's not just a sweet sentiment.
It's true!
Let's start with the gift of mentoring.
Yesterday our Character Cam caught this PAL pair playing
ring toss with our giraffe friend, Junior.
Oh, what fun, right?
I could just feel the joy.
Whom are you mentoring right now?
What could he or she learn from you?
How could he or she benefit from your wisdom?
And what might you learn in return?
Listening is also a gift from the heart; maybe someone has a problem that you can coach them through. Check out today's guest post about resisting peer pressure at Free Spirit Publishing by clicking our decision-making model graphic below.
I experienced an act of kindness yesterday when I snuck over to the elementary side of our school and found first graders in Mrs. Collins' class writing thank-you notes for their mail carriers. As they attached a candy cane to sweeten their sentiments, they enthusiastically shared that they'd left notes for their garbage carriers the day before. The sweetness spreads ...
Gifts from the heart don't have to be grand to be great.
I've seen students holding the door for a friend without being asked.
I've seen them carrying a bouquet of flowers from the garden.
I've seen them bringing in fresh fruit from their citrus trees.
A kind compliment here ...
My friend {and IT expert} Libby designed these gift tags that we're making available to our staff so they can affirm one another in writing. What a gift!
Click {here} to download the "school family" version
that you can use on your campus.
Check out these cool Compliment Cards
if you want a fun template for kids.
. . . a generous gesture there.
How about setting up a hot chocolate bar with candy canes to stir? Or bringing in a batch of your homemade, hand-dipped chocolates to share? Maybe decorating smile cards to put on the windshields of the cars in a parking lot?
Sometimes the gift from the heart is spelled T-I-M-E and it looks and feels like cozying up with a loved one and a good book or a Hallmark Channel holiday movie. Or maybe it's the gift of a song, either played on an instrument, sung with some carolers, or sent to an inbox via email or text.
I wonder what other gifts from the heart will enrich with special significance
your celebration this holiday season?
Friday, November 20, 2015
PPBF: The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish
Happy Friday! Let's start with some grateful things ...
First, I'm excited about the opportunity to deliver the keynote address in my home state in June. Here's the save-the-date flyer that just came out;
who wants to meet me in Milwaukee?
Next, I'm so grateful to be guest blogging over at Free Spirit Publishing; click {here} to read yesterday's post about helping hungry students through food insecurity.
I'm also tremendously thankful that our tree is filling up. It is such a special treat to peek into our students' happy hearts and see what they appreciate.
Don't you love how the character cam caught the sun's rays
illuminating our gratitude?
UPDATE: Our tree just keeps blooming with blessings!
Finally, I'm swimming with delight that this week's PPBF also serves as a stop on the #poutpouttour.
Title: The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish
Author: Deborah Diesen
Illustrator: Dan Hanna
Publisher: Macmillan Kids
Date: September 8, 2015
Suitable for: ages 3-6
Fiction
Themes: holiday spirit, generosity, mindset
Brief synopsis: When Mr. Fish decides to go shopping with a fixed mindset about what the perfect holiday gift is, he comes up empty-finned. Will Miss Shimmer be able to help him unlock those errant beliefs and complete his quest?
Opening Page:
In a festive ocean corner,
Fish were decking out the reef,
Hanging tinsel, bows, and lights
In a holiday motif.
Resources:
Enjoy this endorsement at Picture Book Reviews {here}.
Create a visual display to showcase no-cost gifts.
Why I like this book: In true Pout-Pout Fish fashion, there's a echo verse that young children will grab on to and easily memorize ...
"A gift should be big,
And a gift should be bright.
And a gift should be perfect -
Guaranteed to bring delight.
And a gift should have meaning
Plus a bit of bling-zing,
So I'll shop till I drop
For each just-right thing!"
... begging us to seize that teachable-moment extension about the fixed-mindset expectations of our friendly fish.
In the end, Mr. Fish is given a beautiful gift from Miss Shimmer, the key to unlocking his beliefs about what gifts should be and adopting a
As an additional creative enrichment activity idea, invite students to re-write the book's poetic refrain with their beliefs about gift-giving. Then encourage them to exchange their work with a critical friend to see if their beliefs are fixed and could benefit from being unlocked.
And what did the author Deborah Diesen hope that we'd glean from her underwater holiday jewel? Here's some timeless wisdom about gift-giving from a recent interview:
Q: Do you have any tips for parents of toddlers about the joy of giving gifts rather than just receiving them this holiday season?
A: Kids love to give presents and they especially love having an active role in the process of creating presents. Try a craft idea or a project that's extremely simple and stress free, and then let your child have at it with a minimum of help. The more messy, lopsided and imperfect the results, the better. Have fun with the process and as you do, you'll create not just gifts, but memories as well.
This joyful holiday treasure spotlights hand-made presents from the heart;
give yourself a gift and check it out.
For more PPBF picks, visit Susanna Hills blog {here}.
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