How Full is Your Bucket?

Wow! What a crazy, busy week it has been! I apologize, once again, for a late first post for the week.

We started the week off by learning about what it means to be a Bucket-Filler. I read the kiddos a story called How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids. The book is based on a theory that we all have invisible buckets over our heads; throughout the day those buckets have varying levels of full-ness. When your bucket is full, you feel great. When your bucket is empty, you feel bad. People you meet and events that happen in a day can either fill your bucket or dip from your bucket. We have spent time each day this week talking about how we can be a Bucket-Filler and how we can avoid being Bucket-Dippers. It is the neatest thing to hear the kids say things like, "Hey! You just filled my bucket!" and "Thank you for putting another drop water in my bucket!"

My biggest goal with the bucket theory is to give the kids the words and vocabulary to describe how they are feeling. By being able to verbalize that someone dipped from or filled their buckets, the kids have the power to better deal with their emotions.

This week, we also did some investigating on what people do with balls. We watched a video of a kiddo who was talented at dribbling and shooting, and then we practiced those skills on our own.

We also prepared ourselves for the football field by running sprints, practicing weaving in and out of "oncoming opponents" (playground equipment), and throwing and catching.

Another question the kids asked was what makes a ball bounce. In order for us to find out what makes them bounce, we had to separate the balls that bounce with the ones that don't. We especially loved seeing if the bowling ball bounced! (Of course, we didn't drop that one from eye-level like the others!)

This morning, we had our very first Cooking with Jodie session! Jodie, the fantastic cook for Salem's Wednesday night dinners, offered to cook with the children on Wednesdays, and, especially after today, I am really looking forward to this opportunity. We made Ants on a Log today. My young friends had a blast spreading their own peanut butter, adding their raisins, and trying something new. 

On Tuesday night, the Parent Advisory Board met. We have many exciting things planned for the upcoming months, and I am excited to tell you all about them. I'm hoping I'll be able to tell you about a special event coming up in October on Friday, so stay tuned!