Character Trait: Kindness...Bucket Fillers

This is probably my favorite lesson to teacher.  I love bucket fillers because the concept explains how to be kind in a concrete way.  Every student loves the bucket filler lesson.  Even when I think that the 5th or 6th will be bored with it, or "I've heard it before" I always get at least 5-6 yesss!!'s or smiles when doing it.  I have attached my lessons for all grades with the ASCA standards.  I am also attaching the worksheets I used with the different grades.

In each classroom, I brought a bucket with different colored beads.  I told the students these were their power beads, which gave them the power to fill someone's bucket.  We went around the classroom and allowed each student to fill someone's bucket.  It's a great self esteem booster and who doesn't love to be called out in a positive way?!

This is the worksheet I used with the k-2 students
This is the worksheet for 3-4
This is the worksheet for 5-6

And here are the lesson plans with ASCA standards!

K-2
3-6

Acts of Kindness Week

I have been so busy, but now I have so much to write about!  We celebrated Acts of Kindness Week a couple of weeks ago.  It was a cute week, and we did little things throughout the week to encourage, educate, and promote acts of kindness, as they are so easy and make such an impact!

I have attached the week's agenda, which I blew up and spread throughout the school.

On Monday, we had an assembly to review the activities, and kick off the Pennies for Patients fundraiser.  I showed a video about Pennies for patients to the students so they have a better understanding of the importance of the foundation.

I used bingo cards as a way for students to have a friendly contest to do a kind act.  The adults were also given this.

We also watched a bucket filler video to further explain bucket fillers as I hadn't gotten to all the classrooms for my monthly guidance lesson, which was Kindness; Bucket Fillers.  This video was really cute, and showed the "magic" of bucket filling.  I showed a different video to the 5th and 6th grade students.

We finished up with a video of the school staff telling an Act of Kindness story.  The staff had so many great examples, and I think it was good for the students to see us as human beings just like them!  I had about 15 staff members provide stories.

Starting on Wednesday until the end of the week, students and staff had the opportunity to purchase Kindness grams to send to someone at school or home.  We sold a decent amount, and I had so much fun delivering the grams and seeing the smiles on so many faces.  There were some great kindness grams, and one in particular stuck with me.  A student wrote "Thanks for keeping me out of trouble" and "thanks for helping me when I'm angry." That's what we as educators need to hear to keep us motivated and feel the impact of our work.

A big thank you to a special lady in my life who printed all of the kindness grams for our school :)

On Friday, I had teachers send two students that exhibit acts of kindness to me.  They wrote a kind act on a heart and then pinned it on the Grinch, which is hanging in our hallway.  Of course, a pinterest idea! Here is a picture.





 Here are the links to the videos.


bucket filler postcard

Pennies for Patients

5th and 6th bucket filler video

k-4 bucket filler video

National School Counseling Week

In typical fashion, I was a week late celebrating National School Counseling Week.  Better late than never, right? I decided to have a little display each day to be available for staff.  So here is what I did.

Day 1:  I made banana bread with a sign that said Let What you Love Be What you Do.  I then wrote a thank you card for the staff supporting the School Counseling Program.

Day 2:  Stress relief tips.  I found so many great resources from pinterest.  I have also read great things about lavender and how it can help with stress and relaxation.  I bought some lavender lotion from Bath and Body works and had it displayed at the front desk with information about lavender.  I also found a stress management model and made hand outs for staff to take.

Day 3:  I bought green and calm tea and put in a basket to take.  I also had a Keep Calm and Drink Team sign in a frame.

Day 4:  I brought in fresh strawberries and another cute sign I found on pinterest.

Day 5:  I tried to make a healthy oatmeal bake but it was gross.  I finished with a message on the morning announcements thanking staff for their support.

Here are some pictures of my displays.  Hope all of you counselors out there had a great week!

On a Scale of.....

One of my favorite counseling techniques is scaling feelings.  In an elementary school, I am constantly educating my students on feelings.  What is a feeling? Is it normal? What does it do to your body? What causes certain feelings?  When a student visits with me, I always ask how they are feeling as my initial conversation.  The students typically use my bear of feelings poster to help identify.  I then ask students on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the angriest, 10 being the happiest, what number they are.  The student visualizes in their head and provides me with a number.

I have been looking for a feelings scale all over pinterest and driving myself crazy to find one that I felt was simple and easy to understand.  When I couldn't find one I liked, I decided it was time to create my own!  So here it is...it was so simple to make.  Here is what it took:

10 pieces of red construction paper

Number cut outs from the $ store

Feelings Faces.  I used Teacherspayteachers

It took me about 15 minutes to make and put on my wall.  I'm really excited for my students to see it and use it!

Crisis Counseling...how do you prepare?

This week, there was a school wide crisis situation at a nearby school.  I, along with other counselors were asked to be on hand for the students at the school.  When I first heard, of course I was ready to help and support the students and school.  But.....what did I need?  I thought about what I needed to help these students, but I realized that it was just me!  However, I decided to bring a couple of tools with me.  This was my crisis carry on:

Colored paper
Crayons/markers
Calm Jar
Squeeze Ball
Tissues
Water

Overall, the most beneficial tool was my ear and shoulder.  I also used solution-focused techniques to focus on what the students to could do in the here and now.  They spoke about memories and a project that they wanted to start in remembrance of the person they lost.  We spoke about music and developed a list of songs to listen to that would comfort them in their time of grief.  

Rudolph and Bullying

I have had a lot of bullying incidents occur in the 3rd and 4th grade.  I decided to do a lesson created by Danielle at School Counselor Blog, which by the way was my counselor bible my first year! I made this into a two part lesson.  To start, I scheduled a time with the teachers for all of the students to watch the video.  I had a showing for all 3rd grade, and one for all 4th grade.  I created a powerpoint of focus questions for each scene that I showed.  I had to watch Rudolph all the way through and determine the scenes of most importance.  I have included the scenes and times incase you want to show it.  There is a lot of bullying that takes place in the movie!

Here is the lesson plan with ASCA standards included:

School Counseling Lesson Plan 

Character Traits: Responsibility and Courage 

Two Lesson Unit 

Lesson 1

Title: Bullying                           Grades: 3-4

Summary:  Students will identify forms of bullying, and have group discussions about empathy, strategies for helping a victim, ramifications of bullying, and celebrating differences.

Objectives

A:A3.5 Share knowledge

PS:A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior

PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect, and appreciate individual differences

PS:C1.6 Identify resource people in the school and community, and how to seek their help

PS:A2.8 Learn how to make and keep friends

Materials Needed

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Projector

Procedure

Students will watch specified clips of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Students will be prompted to answer questions regarding these clips.  The clips will identify bullying, empathy, ways to help in a bully situation, and ramifications of bullying.

Closure/Evaluation

-       Students will complete a worksheet in their classrooms

dAnd here is the Rudolph scene list:

1   1st Scene 4:00- 6:52 Rudolph, Santa, and his parents

S  2nd Scene 7:34-9:38 4:00 Hermey and Rudolph

3    3^rd Scene 15:03-19:30 Reindeer games

4   4^th Scene: 21:23-23:30 Seems we don't fit in song

5  5 ^th  Scene: 30:26- Land of Misfit toys  34:08 (finish song) or 35:15 (promise from Santa) land misfit toys

6    6th  Scene 40:00-ending

f

   I have attached the worksheet that the students had to complete.

    Rudolph Worksheet

I   I will post about the second part of the lesson soon!

   

We're Better Without Bullying

In November, our school celebrated Anti Bullying Week.  We made it extra special by having our School Wide Positive Behavior Plan mascot, GeRRRy the Giraffe's birthday.  His birthday happened to fall during the same week, and we thought the students would get a kick out of celebrating.  It was incorporated so well, and after all he is the face of our 3R's (Respect, Responsibility, and Ready to).  He is the ultimate friend and so against anti bullying!  To prepare for the week, the SWPBIS team decorated the auditorium for Monday's assembly.  We posted anti bullying posters, and birthday cards for GeRRRy.  The art teacher created the cards and had the students complete during class.  Inside the card, they wrote an anti bullying message!  When I came in on Monday, two of the teachers had outdone themselves completely with decorations.  There were streamers, posters, and balloons hanging everywhere! It made the vibe so much fun.

The art teacher made t-shirts for us to wear too.

The assembly was a success, probably the best assembly that I have had to date.  My peacemakers group, which promotes positive behavior and interactions, and works on developing anti bullying activities, performed a skit.  I read the book One, by Kathryn Otoshi, and the students acted it out.  I got the idea from a youtube video that I watched the author perform with children.  The students only practiced three times, and it was perfect.  Not only did they do a great job, but EVERYONE was engaged.  It was so effective....in the moment :)

Along with the skit, I had a powerpoint that focused on important points in relation to bullying.  And to finish the assembly off, I created a slideshow of GeRRRy the Giraffe.  I put pictures of him with students, and doing random things, like drinking out of the water fountain and walking quietly in the hall.  We played an anti bully song, Who Says, by Selena Gomez.  All of the students were singing and laughing.

We also wore yellow to school, to show that we are too bright to bully!  And we bought soft pretzels for all the students as a present to celebrate his birthday.

On Tuesday, I had the Sorry Box available in the cafeteria.  Students had the opportunity to anonymously apologize for a bullying behavior.  There were tons of letters in there.

I have pictures of the auditorium, the SWPBIS team, props for our One skit, and the Sorry Box.  I don't know how to post the powerpoint, or else I would!

To make the props, we simply painted dots and numbers on a poster board.  I hole punched two holes and tied yard inside to allow it to hang on the students while they performed.  

For the sorry box, I used spray glue and scrapbook paper.