Community

Write

What communities are you a part of?

Draw

A picture of one of the communities you are a part of.

Extend

Make a Venn diagram of the communities, how they intersect and/or fit within each other.

Write

I live in the city of ______, in the state of ________, in the country of the United States of America, on the continent of North America, on planet Earth.

Draw

The shape of your state or country or continent.

Extend

Use Google Earth to find your city, and/or another city. Explore the city. Show the students each distinction: the city, state, country, continent, Earth.

Write

Choose one or more of the following questions. If you know how to, write in complete sentences. What is something your family enjoys doing together? What is something you’d like to try with your family? What is something your microschool enjoys doing together? What is something you’d like to try with your microschool?

Draw

A picture of something you do or would like to do with your family or microschool.

Extend

Do one of the activities a student likes to do or would like to do with your microschool.

Write

Each student writes their name in big letters in the picture area. Then, students all pass their journals the same direction to the student next to them. That student writes something they enjoy or appreciate or admire about that student. Examples for getting started:

• We both like _______ (baseball, coloring, etc.)

• Jimmy is fun/kind/responsible/funny/thoughtful, etc.

• I like jumping on the trampoline with Juan.

• Robert is my friend.

• Younger children might just write one word, like: happy, smile, pretty, fun, laugh, play, ball.

Continue passing around for as long as you have time. You don’t have to finish this in one day.

Write

Complete this statement: Treating people the way I want to be treated means that ________. (The Guide might need to give some specific examples to get students started, like, “...I share the trampoline at recess/I put away my own dishes after a meal/I say ‘I’m sorry’ if I hurt someone, even accidentally.”

Write

Think of a compliment you could give your friends. Think of situations when you do this the most.

Draw

Illustrate a time when you were doing a job well done!

Extend

Share the compliments you wrote in your journal with your microschool!

Write

Think of a time you showed someone that you cared for them. Write about that experience.

Draw

Draw a scene that makes you feel loved.

Extend

Take photos of your friends showing care for one another. Turn these photos into an photography exhibition at your microschool!

Write

How many blades of grass are in your favorite park? Can you invent as many good things about your microschool?

Draw

A picture of what makes your microschool special.

Extend

Create a 2D or 3D model of your microschool.

Write

Communities are built on trust. How does your community treat one another show trust?

Draw

Create a portrait of a person you trust.

Extend

Play the Trust Fall Game. Find a partner and then stand facing away from your partner. Your partner should stand a few steps behind you, looking towards your back. Ask your partner if they are ready. When they are, gently fall backwards. Your partner will catch you as you fall. As your trust builds, the distance between them can be increased gradually. Change the partners’ places and repeat the activity.

Interview

In your journal, write three questions for your friends that will help you get to know them. These questions can be about things you like to do, things you appreciate, or people you love and admire. When you have the questions written, stand up and start interviewing your friends! Try to talk to as many people in your microschool as possible and write down their answers.

Remember to look at your friends in the eye when you interview them and listen to the things they are saying!

Write

What do you like about school? What is challenging?

Draw

If the word "challenging" was a color, what would that look like. Mix colors until you find the perfect way to show "challenging."

Extend

Make friendship bracelets for your microschool.

Write

Write about a friend. How are they similar to you? How are they different?

Draw

Research unlikely animal friends and create portraits of these pairs in your journal.

Extend

Write a children's book about friendship. Share it with a Prenda student who is younger than you.

Write

Write about a time you misjudged someone who was different than you. What did you learn from the experience?

Draw

Illustrate this saying: You can't judge a book by its cover.

Extend

Perspective is a common theme in art. Think about perception while you create a piece of optical illusion art.

Read

"Plant a Kiss" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

Can people really plant kisses? What is this book talking about? What can you do to spread kindness?

Make

Plant seeds and nurture them with "sunshine, water, greet, repeat."

Read

"The Gift of Nothing" by Patrick McDonnell

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

What are some of the nothing "no thing" gifts you give the people in your life?

Make

Wrap up an empty box of love to share with someone.

Read

"Great White Zeke" by Tim Boyle

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

Zeke is a human that is part of a shark community! In what ways is he like the sharks? In what ways is he different? How does being different than his community let Zeke save the sharks? What is something you think makes you "great?"

Make

Do you notice any similarities between Zeke and his mom, and you and your grown-up?

Read

"I Love you the Purplest" by Barbara M. Joosse

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

What color is the love you have for your mom, dad, brother, sister, Guide, friend, sister, brother, or someone else special in your life?

Make

Color your love for someone! Then give your artwork to the person you love.

Read

"When Charley Met Emma" by Amy Webb

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

Repeat what Charley's mom said as a class and/or one at a time: "Different isn't weird, sad, bad, or strange. Different is different. And different is OK!"

Make

Have a discussion using any point in this book that stood out to you or your students.

Read

"Superheroes are Everywhere" by Kamala Harris

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

Who are the superheroes in your life?

Make

Draw a picture of your everyday superhero.

Read

"Drawn Together" by Minh Le

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

Do you always need words to communicate? What other ways besides words can you share ideas and thoughts with someone else?

Make

Watch this video where the illustrator shares his art-creating process. Pair up each student with another and invite them to draw a wordless story, adding on to each other's picture.

Read

"Duncan the Story Dragon" by Amanda Driscoll

Listen

Click here to view the read aloud.

Discuss

What things do your friends help you do? What things are better when you do them with a friend?

Make

Let students pair up and read a book together.

Read a Picture Book

"The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi

Listen

Click here to listen to a read aloud.

Discuss

Do you think that the children on the bus could have responded to Unhei’s name in a different way? What could they have done, and how would that have made a difference?

Make

Instead of a name jar, make a community jar. What good thoughts could you put in?

Read a Poem

"The Human Touch" by Spencer Michael Free

Discuss

How much importance do you place on being loved? Explain your thinking.

Make

Learn to make an origami heart. Give it to someone special.

Read a Poem

"I'm Glad I Touched Shoulders With You" by Unknown Author

Discuss

Who makes you happy when you are sad? How do they do that?

Make

Write a special, sweet note to someone special telling them how you feel.

Read a Poem

"That's What I Call a Friend" by John Burroughs

Discuss

What qualities do you need in a friend?

Make

Learn a new way to make a friendship bracelet.

Read a Poem

"Am I A Builder" by Edgar Guest

Discuss

What is the difference between "building" and "wrecking" in life?

Make

Write an "Am I A_______" poem.

Read

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Dr. Seuss, The Lorax.

Discuss

Is it possible for individuals to change the world? What does the world expect of you? Do you like what the world is?

Make

Create a community service project with the support of your Guide and your friends.

Read

"It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are." Malala Yousafzai

Discuss

How do you expect people to support one another when they are making hard decisions?

Make

Create a decision tree to help you when you make hard choices.

Face to Face

Have students pair up and stand back to back. On the count of three, have them turn towards each other showing a glad, sad, or mad facial expression. If the students have the same face they can high five or earn a point. Switch partners until everyone has played a round with everyone

Secret Handshake

Come up with a class secret handshake or greeting.

Hula Hoop Pass

Have your students stand side-by-side in a line and ask them to hold hands. Place a hula hoop on the arm of the first person on one end of the line, and then challenge the students to move the hula hoop to the other end of the line while continuing to hold hands. It’s fun and silly and a great way to get children to work as a team!

Double Double This This

Learn this surprisingly-tricky-for-some hand clapping sequence. Watch out for when the hands flip around!

Telephone

All kids sit in a circle and one person comes up with a funny statement and whispers it into the person sitting next to him/her. That person whispers to the next person and so on throughout the circle. The last person stands up and says what the original funny statement is. It usually is incorrect and hilarious!

Relay Race

Make a simple set of instructions, like "Run to the wall, do 15 jumping jacks and sing the ABC song as fast as you can, then run back to your team and tag the next runner," and run a relay race. If there is a skill your class might benefit from practicing, like writing sight words or counting by 10s, this could be a fun way to practice that skill.

Untwist / Human Knot

First, all students grab the left hand of someone in the circle, then a different person’s right hand. The students must communicate to get untangled without letting go!

Down Down Baby Hand-clapping Game

Guides! You might've seen this on Sesame Street as a child! First, watch the whole segment. Have a short discussion about how the girl in yellow learns to play along. Then learn this silly hand-clapping game yourselves.

Classification

For this activity, prepare a tray with 20 unrelated items, for instance, a spool of thread, an eraser, a soda can, etc. Divide your class into even groups. Set a timer and divide the 20 items into four categories that make sense to your group. For example, you may put an earring, a glove, a headset, a sock, and a smile into the category “things you wear.” Be sure to work quietly and keep your ideas a secret. When each group is finished, take turns presenting your ideas to everyone.

Common Thread

Make groups of four. Sit together as a small group. Set a timer for 5 minutes. During that time, each group has to find as many things in common as possible. It could be that everyone plays soccer, or likes pizza, or have a kitten. Whatever the common thread, the conversation will help you get to know one another better. After you know all the things you have in common, create a flag that represents these things.

Escape Room

Create an escape room activity for your students where they have to work together to unlock certain clues in order to “escape” (don’t actually lock them in a room!). This is a great way to work in content, social emotional learning or even just topics you know your students are interested in. You can allow them to use their computers for research if you’d like them to be learning new things with each clue.

Communication Challenge

The group creates an obstacle course together. This can be extremely simple by marking a pathway using tape or even just using a hallway and placing objects in the pathway like a chair, a stapler, a plant, etc. Each student gets a turn to be blindfolded and each student gets a turn to be the communicator. The student who is blindfolded stands at the beginning of the course and their communicator has to tell them how to get through the course without running into any of the obstacles. Between each course run, the group can move the objects around to make it more challenging!

Deserted Island: Version 1

You can either break your group into smaller groups of at least 3 or do this with the whole group if you have 6 or less kids. Give them the hypothetical scenario (your plane has crashed on a deserted island- you are not injured, but the plane is completely wrecked. You have 10 minutes to come up with a plan to survive- go!). Have each group share their plan.

Desert Island: Version 2

Break your students into partners or groups of 3. Ask them to make a list of everything they think they would need if they were stranded on a deserted island. Then, hit them with the challenge: they can only bring 5 of the things on their list- what will they choose and why? Have each group share their choices and reasoning. You can also make a combined list and have the whole group narrow it down to 3!