At the beginning of the week we read a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud.   This book is about treating others with kindess and the rewards that come from doing so, from helping out a friend, to including others, and even just offering a smile.  Children loved the book and have noticed many examples of bucket filling throughout the week.

We have also been talking about using words to let classmates know when something bothers us or makes us feel bad in some way.  I am encouraging children to be very specific with their words- for example instead of saying "stop it", try saying "please stop bumping me".  Along with this we have spent a some time talking about kid size problems versus problems that require adult help.  I am encouraging children to use their own words to attempt to solve kid size problems, and then let me know if they still need help.  I have also stressed the importance of always seeking adult help if someone is getting hurt or unsafe in anyway.  For kindergarteners this distinction can be tricky and I encourage the children to err on the side of seeking adult help if they aren't sure.

We had our first butterfly this morning.  We kept it with us for several hours while its wings dried out, and then released it with special wishes just after lunch.