Earth Day games and activities provide a great opportunity to teach responsible behavior to students.   Protecting and nurturing our planet is the responsibility of every citizen.  The following resources are a fun and simple approach to educating your students about the importance of keeping our planet healthy.

Earth Day Websites

http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/earth-day/games/index.html

http://theearthdaykids.com/index.html

http://www.energyhog.org/childrens.htm

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/kids/roofus/

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/earthday/earthday.htm  This site has a book created by students sharing ideas on how to conserve energy and protect the environment.  This is a fun and simple activity you can do with your students.

http://www.fundingfactory.com/ecobuddies-curriculum?campaign_id=125&gclid=CKqajZTH3rYCFYNxQgodJyYAog This site offers a free kit!

Earth Day Activities

http://schoolbox.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/earth-wheel-activity.pdf

Pizza Box Solar Oven

Earth Day Books

Stress balls are a fabulous tool to use with anxious and angry students.  However, stress balls are not the only option to use with your students.  I decided to utilize every day beach items to create squeezable stress relievers.  They are just as effective as stress balls and fit in perfectly with my chill corner beach theme.

Sponge:  I found a great selection of sponges in the painting section of Hobby Lobby.  Students love squeezing the sponge with either one hand or using both hands.

Noodle:  I took a noodle and cut it into smaller pieces.  This is an inexpensive way to create a  large amount of stress relievers.

Jellyfish: I filled a ziplock bag ¾ full of blue hair jell to resemble a jellyfish.  Seal the top and then place the ziplock bag into another ziplock bag to prevent leaking.  The students love the gooey feel, smell, and cold temperature of the hair jell.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? written by Carol Mc Cloud, is a must have for every teacher, school counselor, and parent. This book is a simple guide to teach children how to share and express good thoughts and kind actions. Practical and realistic ideas on how to be kind are illustrated in this book. In contrast, typical examples of unkind behaviors are also addressed in the book.

Children learn that everyone has an invisible bucket. The purpose of your bucket is to hold your good thoughts and feelings about yourself. Just like others, you feel happy when your bucket is full and you feel sad when your bucket is empty. You need other people to fill your bucket and you have a responsibility to fill other people’s buckets. To fill a bucket, you must say or do something kind. When you fill someone else’s bucket, your bucket also fills up. However, you are considered a bucket dipper when you say or do mean things to others. When you dip into someone else’s bucket, you are also emptying your own bucket.

Great Websites

http://www.bucketfillers101.com/free-resources.php

http://www.teachingheart.net/bucket.html  (three free lessons & downloads)

http://pinterest.com/sharon2nd/bucket-filler-ideas/

Bucket Filler Acknowledgement Activity

Spring is the perfect time to introduce a classroom bucket filling challenge.  With the onset of spring fever, many students need a reminder of how to treat others with respect.

Read the book to your students and then challenge each student to be a bucket filler.  Each student will design his or her own bucket using either a plastic cup or styrofoam cup.  Make sure each student writes his or her name on the cup, and encourage each student to be as creative as possible when decorating the cup.  Pass out a few bucket filler acknowledgment forms to each student.  They will be on watch for bucket fillers.  When they see someone filling a bucket, they will fill out a form describing the kind act and place it in the person’s bucket.  At the end of the week read the kind acts out loud.

You may also choose to create a classroom bucket instead of individual buckets.  At the end of the week you may read all of the kind acts out loud to the class.  You may choose to take it a step further and hand out stickers or certificates to each bucket filler.  If you do not want to penalize those who were not recognized as bucket fillers, then make a class bucket filling chart.  After reading each kind act out loud, place a sticker for each kind act on the class chart.  Once the class receives a certain amount of stickers, reward them with an extra five minutes of recess or another appropriate reward.

Bucket Filler Acknowledgement Activity

Valentine’s Day is a time to show other people how much you care for them. Even though I strongly believe this concept should be practiced daily, I appreciate the opportunity to reinforce this idea. The following activities are great last minute ideas that are sure to inspire your students to embrace the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Love You List

Ages: first through adult

Materials: Love You List print out, pencil, scissors, bag or box

Love You List

Procedure: Each student will receive a love you list sheet. You will call out each student’s name and ask the students to write the name and something you love about this person. The students will cut out each rectangle strip once their list is complete. Collect all of the rectangular strips and place them in a box or bag. You may either have students draw a love you strip out of the box and read it to the class or you may choose to read each strip out loud. Another option would be to instruct each student to deliver the appropriate strip to the student it is written about.  Students will love hearing all of the kind things written about them.

Secret Hearts

Ages: kindergarten through adult

Materials: heart handout, pencil, scissors

heart template

Procedure: You may print out the hearts on white paper or colored paper. Hand out a few heart sheets to each student. Instruct the students to cut out the hearts and write a nice message on each heart for someone in their class (encourage them to write a note to each class member), a family member, or even the teacher. Throughout the day, the students will hide their secret hearts in creative locations like: in desks, backpacks, jacket pockets, etc. Students will love finding their secret heart messages throughout the day.

Valentine’s Day Wreath

Ages: kindergarten through sixth grade

Materials:

• 9″ dinner plate or paper plate

• Sturdy paper or thin cardboard

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Hearts

• Different Colored Construction paper

• Markers

• Glue or tape

• Yarn or ribbon for hanger (optional)

heart template

How to make it:

1. Trace around the 9″ plate onto the sturdy paper or cardboard

2. Draw another circle inside that one, about an inch away from the outside

3. Cut out the circle and the center of the circle to create the wreath template

4. Cut out all the hearts or have your students help cut out the hearts. Using markers, each student will write a nice or kind phrases on their heart.

5. Arrange the hearts on top of the cardboard wreath shape and glue or tape them down.

6. Attach a piece of yarn or ribbon to the wreath for hanging

Valentine’s Day Websites

http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/valentine/play.htm?f

http://postcards.primarygames.com/valentines.htm

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/valentines/vcoupon.htm

http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/valentines-day/games/game_valentines_day_coloring_pages.html

Today is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!  I don’t know about you, but if you put me in the same room as bubble wrap, I will undoubtedly pop the entire sheet.  With every pop, I feel the worry and stress of the day leave my body.  Bubble wrap is a safe outlet to get out a little frustration.  Make sure you supervise your students as suffocation, along with annoying others, is a risk factor.  If you do not have access to real-life bubble wrap…don’t fret.  Check out the sites below to pop virtual bubble wrap and play other bubble wrap games.

http://www.fast-pack.com/popgame/popgame.html

http://www.bubblewrapfun.com/

What kid doesn’t love rocks?  I remember as a child visiting the lake and hunting for smooth stones.  My sister and I would rub the stones between our fingers and toss them into the water.  This process often left us feeling extremely relaxed and inspired us to have meaningful conversations.  Many of my students seem to share my love for stones.  I often catch them smuggling the stones from the playground into the classroom.  While observing this behavior I came to the conclusion that many of these students use the rocks as a stress reliever.   Much like my childhood behavior, they too appear more relaxed as they rub their hidden gems. 

Stone Activities

I came across these fabulous river stones at Hobby Lobby.  I love to use this set when working with a new student.  It is a fun and relaxing technique that it is sure to get your student talking while providing you with valuable information.  I put the stones in a basket and ask the child to pull a stone.  If they choose the Mother stone then I ask them to tell me something about their mother.  I also instruct the student to rub the stone.  You may also lay the stones face up on a table and ask the child to select a stone.  Why did they choose this stone?  What is special about this stone?  You may also have them put the stones in order.  This will tell you a lot about the family dynamics.  The options are endless on how to utilize these stones.  It is a great idea to purchase a blank set of stones.  You can personalize your set using a permanent marker.

Miss Fannie’s Hat is a beautiful story about the power of giving back.  Your students will be mesmerized by all of Fannie’s fabulous hats. Miss Fannie, a 99 year old woman, has lots of great hats, and she claims each one is her favorite.  However, her most famous pink straw with silk roses’ hat that she wears every Easter is clearly her most favorite hat of all.  One Sunday morning the preacher asks Fannie if she will donate one of her fabulous hats to the church auction.  As she struggles with the decision of which hat to donate she relives all of the great moments attached to each hat.  Even though she is extremely sad to part with her Easter hat, she knows it will raise the most money. Miss Fannie beams with excitement as she begins to think about the great things her hat can bring to the community.  Even though  Fannie shows up to church on Easter Sunday without a hat, she discovers that her hat lives on through the wonderful improvements made possible by the simple gift of giving back.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did the preacher ask Miss Fannie to donate one of her hats?
2. Have you ever donated something?
3. Why was it difficult for Miss Fannie to part with her favorite hat?
4. Would it be difficult for you to part with something special?
5. Why do you think Miss Fannie picked her most favorite hat of all to donate?
6. How did Miss Fannie’s hat help others?
7. Did Miss Fannie’s hat make a difference?
8. How can you make a difference?

Hat Activity

 Step 1:

Cut a slit in the rim of the plate.  Then cut out the center of the plate.  Once the center is cut out then reconnect the slit using tape or glue.  You will then need a small bowl.

Step 2:

Attach the bowl to the plate using hot glue.  Depending on the style of the hat, you may leave the plate facing right-side up or turn it upside down.  It best to paint or color the bowl and hat before connecting them together.

Step 3:

Now let the fun begin.  Instruct the students to decorate their own hat.  Encourage your students to create a hat that illustrates their unique personality or a positive message about helping others.  You may choose to have your students write a message about giving back somewhere one their hat.

 Fruit Feelings is a fun and tasty way to explore feelings.  This activity may be utilized in group counseling, individual counseling, and family counseling.

Objective: Students will identify different feelings

Ages: Kindergarten through Second Grade

Materials: an assortment of fruit, permanent markers, and any other art supplies depending on how creative you want to be

Procedure: Before your session, draw different facial expressions depicting different emotions on an assortment of fruit (use fruit with skin). Let your students explore and play with the fruit. Most students jump right in and begin role-playing and creating stories about the fruit and the cause of their emotional state.

Activities:
Have students guess the emotion of each piece of fruit. What signs or clues did the fruit give?
Ask students to make up a story about the fruit.
Ask students to role-play using the fruit. Act out each feeling.
Ask students which fruit they are the most like and why?
Ask students which piece of fruit is most like each of their family members.

Who knew that as an adult I would still be obsessed with goldfish and even utilize this snack in my profession.  The Goldfish Colors are an awesome resource for gathering information and for exploring feelings. Both the Get to Know You Goldfish Activity and the Colorful Feeling Goldfish Activity are perfect to use in a small group or during an individual session.

Get to Know You Goldfish

If you are working with a new student or starting a new group, I recommend using the Get to Know You Goldfish Activity as an icebreaker.  Make sure to include at least one goldfish of each color when preparing the Ziploc bags.  Each group member will receive their own bag of fish.  Instruct each student to pull out one goldfish.  If the student picks a yellow fish then he or she will share something about their family.  If the student picks a red fish then he or she will share something about school.  If the student picks a green fish then he or she will share something about their friends.  If the student picks an orange fish then he or she will share something about their hobbies.  You may continue this process until all of the fish are eaten.

Colorful Feeling Goldfish

The Colorful Feeling Goldfish Activity is a delicious way to explore feelings.  Just like the other activity each student receives a bag of fish.  If the student picks a yellow fish then he or she will share something that makes him or her feel happy.  If the student picks a red fish then he or she will share something that makes him or her feel mad.  If the student picks a green fish then he or she will share something that makes him or her feel sad.  If the student picks an orange fish then he or she will share something that makes him or her feel scared.  If you are working with a student who is constantly angry then it would be a great idea to add more yellow fish to his or her bag.  This will help the student focus on happy things.

The holiday season is the perfect time of year to involve your students in a community service project or to remind them to behave kindly.  Kindness to Share from A to Z written by Todd & Peggy Snow is the perfect tool to inspire your students to help others.  This book provides children with 26 simple ways to make a difference in the lives of others.  Each letter of the alphabet is used to express a kind act.  Don’t let the age recommendation of pre-k through second grade dissuade you from using it with older students.  I will give you a few suggestions on how to modify for various ages.

Discussion Questions

1. What does being kind mean?
2.  How do you feel when someone is kind to you?
3. How do you feel when you are kind to someone else?
4. Why is it important to treat others kindly?
5. Do you ever do any of the kind things we just read about?
6. What are some other ways we can show kindness?

Activity 1: Classroom A to Z Kindness Book

Ages: kindergarten through fifth grade

Procedure:  As a class make a list of possible kind acts. Each student will get one sheet of paper with a letter from the alphabet.  It is his or her responsibility to think of a kind act to go with his or her letter.  The student will then illustrate the kind act on his or her letter sheet.  Each sheet will be collected and put together to make a classroom A to Z Kindness Book.

A to Z Kindness Book

Modification: You will fill out the words before the activity for younger students and then have each student illustrate one sheet.

Activity 2: Alphabet Challenge Paper

Ages: 3^rd through fifth grade

Procedure: Each student will receive a sheet of paper with the alphabet.  Challenge the students to list one kind act for every letter.

A to Z alphabet page

Modification: For younger students fill out the sheet together using a projector or overhead.

Activity 3: Catch the Kindness

Ages: 1^st grade through fifth grade

Procedure: Have your students watch for acts of kindness.  If they catch someone doing something kind then they will fill out the, I caught you form.  The student will not include his or her name and will only recognize the person doing something kind by writing that student’s name on the form and the kind act.  I place a plastic bowl (mimic a fishbowl) or cup in each classroom.  The students will put their completed forms in the specified container.  When I visit for classroom guidance, I pull each kind act out of the bowl or cup and read it out loud to the class.  This is a fun way to honor those performing kind acts.  I take the forms with me and put them on my “Caught Doing Something Kind” bulletin board.

I Caught Form

Modification:  Fill out the forms for younger students and ask the teacher to participate as well.

Activity 4: Spread the Kindness

Ages: kindergarten through fifth grade

Procedure: Challenge your students to perform at least one kind act per day.

A to Z alphabet page

Modification: Older students will take a blank copy of the alphabet worksheet to fill out each time he or she performs a kind act.  If the student takes out the trash at home, then he or she would fill this out on the letter T.

Activity 5: Community Service Project

Ages: kindergarten through fifth grade

Procedure: Visit the Life Lessons for Little Ones Service Map Page.  Click on the different service projects and read the ideas to your students.  This is a fun way to explore different options for possible community service projects.  Pick the top three ideas and vote on the project your students would like to participte in.  After completing your school’s community service project, make sure to share your idea with others by filling out the form on the service project page.  Once your information is completed you will be emailed a certificate honoring your kind act.

www.lifelessonsforlittleones.com/service

Additional Activities

Annual Subscription Members will have access to Kindness Bingo and the A to Z Kindness Flip Book.  These resources will be available soon!