Week 2: Character Education
During this week I will talk about character education as well as feelings. They are not organized by particular days as the remainder of the curriculum is, so choose when you would like to implement these ideas during the week.
Group Activities:
Fishing Game
Download and print out little fish on card-stock paper in color (Click Download Button to the left). Attach paper clips to each fish after cutting out, and then laminate. Each one is labeled with character word descriptions such as honesty, kind, polite, good friend, interrupting someone, and caring. Make a pole with a wood dowel (you can purchase these at your local hobby shop) and strings. Attach a magnet to the end of the string so that as the children fish, the magnet picks up fish attached to the paper clip. Children take turns to fish out a card and talk about, or act out, what word is on the fish and the different ways we can apply the character word.
Compliment Game
Have a small box gift wrapped with a bow. Talk with the children about a “present” we can always give to others that doesn’t cost any money: Compliments.
Then have each child take a turn to pass the gift box to another child along with a compliment. Then talk about how it made them feel after they said something nice to or about someone and how both benefit from compliments.
Stepping Stones to Good Character Game
Instructions (Click the “Download” button to the left)
1) Print out the stars (page 2) on 8 /12″x11″ paper, in color.
2) Print out the game (page 3) on 11″x17″ paper, in color.
3) Cut out the “Character” stars and laminate separately. Then cut out each laminated star.
4) Laminate the board game.
How to play
Have each child roll the dice to see how many steps along the stepping stones to move. If they land on a stone connected to a star, have them collect that character star. They continue to collect character stars as each child lands on a character stone. When both children have made it to the end they both have made it to “gold star” children. Count how many character stars each child collected. The most collected wins!
Week 2: Feelings
Talk with the children about how we all have a way of thinking and feeling. It is something that we have been learning since we were born. There is a part you, and people everywhere that changes. Sometimes it changes in the same day, or in the same hour! That part of you is your feelings. You can be happy, sad, excited, calm, angry, loving, shy, afraid, or lonely. We show how we feel by laughing, crying, smiling, frowning, or maybe by being quiet. Your feeling can change because of things that may happen to during your day.
Feelings and emotions are all okay. What is important is how we control our emotions. What about when you feel angry at a friend is it okay to hit or hurt that friend because you are feeling angry? No, what could we do? Remember how the Peace Rose (Week 1) can help us. It is always very important to think about other people and their feelings. We want to try hard not to hurt others feelings. Do you think calling a person a name that isn’t nice can hurt their feelings? Sometimes we do, but, if that happens what can we do? Let’s all work hard to help each other to have good happy feeling in our classroom and take care of each other, this is being respectful toward others.
A story about feelings that I made into a Book on the Shelf (see below). I also traced the outline of the character body and placed copies of it on a tray for the Art Shelf with crayons. The children can color a character to describe how they are feeling that day.
Science Extras:
We will have special Science Extras monthly. We start with magnets. During these two weeks you can decide when best to introduce the lesson/experiment. Show children variety of work they can choose with magnets. Read appropriate books and make magnet work available.
Many works found in Science and Botany will have a magnifying glass with it. Be sure to discuss what these are and how they are to be used in the classroom.
Book on the Shelf:
Each month we will have a certain book that the children can retell as a work choice. I found this idea on mymontessorijourney.com. It is a great introductory book for the children. Dog’s Colorful Day will begin the Book on the Shelf work. I read the story and then demonstrate the work.
Helping Hands:
This is a little poster I made. I found the hands at a teacher supply store. You could trace each child’s hand to use instead. I listed some of the “jobs” that the children will take turns being helpers with. After our work period is finished, the child who is responsible for that job will attend to it. The same child has the job for the week. I used Velcro on the back of the hands for easy switching out of names.
Art:
Children can pin poking stars and a character trait can be written on it and/or children decorate and make into necklaces.
Upcoming Lessons – The upcoming lessons contain unit study information which have specific details as to what you can say and do for a lesson at circle time. (These are lap cards identified on the pages of each days lesson by the orange line down the left side of the information to be discussed). I learned about this idea from a teacher I had an opportunity to intern under in California. She shared many great things with me including this idea!
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