This month at Sego Lily, grades K-5 had a lesson on the K (Kindness) in our BEAK program. We focused on Respect at both schools. Students identified what respect looks like, sounds like, and feels like at school. We played a game with plastic eggs; students read scenarios inside the eggs and determined whether they were examples of being respectful or disrespectful.
In 6th grade I taught a lesson on preparing for the 7th grade. We talked about the importance of organization, growth mindset, getting involved, and asking for help. Students had the opportunity to practice opening combination locks.
In Sego Lily Kindergarten classes, I taught a lesson on moving up to 1st grade. We talked about who will be in first grade, what they will do in first grade, and I showed them pictures of the first grade teachers. I also answered questions they had about first grade and we talked about how it's normal to feel a little nervous.
At Belmont and Sego Lily we learned about self-worth and why it's important. Students had the opportunity to write down what they loved about themselves. In younger classes each student wrote down something that they loved about themselves on a strip of paper and we connected them together to make a chain that they hung up in their class as a reminder that everyone is special.
In older grades, students were each given an image of a person (representing themselves) and wrote down as many qualities they love about themselves as they could think of.
We discussed that when we have self-worth, we are able to bounce back (become resilient) from hard things faster.
At Belmont we have been learning about Kindness. We have learned that when we say or do something kind for someone, we are filling their "invisible bucket." When we do or say something unkind, we are dipping from their buckets. We played a game in which students took turns deciding whether an act was filling a bucket, or dipping from a bucket.
I gave each student a kindness calendar that has a kind act for each day of the month. I encouraged them to perform at least one act of kindness a day that they don't typically do. I also showed them a magic trick in which I turned sugar into skittles. I taught them that when we fill someone else's bucket by doing something sweet for them (the sugar), we end up with something sweeter (skittles).
At Sego Lily we had a lesson on the A (Awareness) in our BEAK program. We spent a lot of time talking about being aware of our feelings. We discussed that there are three "powers" you have inside of you to help you be aware of and handle feelings appropriately: breathing, quiet-safe place, and courage.
In younger grades we read a book called, "The Color Monster." The Color Monster's feelings were all mixed up, so he sorted them out. I had students color their own color monsters (top 3 feelings they experience). We talked about how there are no "bad" feelings, but that when certain emotions get "big" there are certain body calming strategies we can use to calm down. We practiced breathing, and talked about how we can go to a quiet-safe place anywhere we want. We just use our imaginations to remember a place that we have felt safe. We practiced that by closing our eyes and thinking.
In older grades we discussed how every feeling has a purpose and we shouldn't suppress our feelings. I told the students that:
Like clouds, rain, snow, lightening, and rainbows in the sky, feelings and thoughts come and go. Feelings and thoughts do NOT have to take us over.
We also practiced 4-7-8 breathing (breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, breathe out for 8). We discussed finding a quiet-safe place when we need to calm down and handle our feelings. I told students:
Your imaginations are so powerful that you can create a quiet/safe place wherever you are! The best way to do that is to close your eyes and imagine you’re seeing something really beautiful… pretty soon your other senses join in.
We also discussed courage. Even when we have strong feelings we should make the right choice.
At Belmont and Sego Lily we learned about choices and consequences. We watched a video clip in which a boy was faced with the choice whether to cheat on a test or not. We discussed the possible consequences for both choices. Students were given scenarios and talked about possible consequences for different choices.
We played a couple of fun games to teach using our time wisely. We learned about Tommy Caldwell; a famous climber who showed patience as it took him 7 years to train to climb a certain mountain wall in Yosemite, CA.