When I teach Kindergarten or first-grade children, I always teach my students a little song called “Five Little Bluebirds”. I developed some motions for the song, and always end this subtraction-type song by making a very sad face and saying, “No little bluebirds in the nest.” The kids find this hysterical!
We sing the song through a second time with them joining in with more enthusiasm, and I can see in their mischievous eyes that they cannot wait until we get to the last line and they get to see my sad face AND make a sad face of their own. They laugh with their entire bodies, as 5 and 6-year olds are prone to do - and yes, that means some of them end up “prone” as they fall over on the carpet with laughter.
Whether you teach your children a song like that, or find some other way to introduce emotions, you can lead them to discover their Superpower.
I ask them to show me their sad face. Show me their surprised face! Show me their sleepy face. Show me their angry face! And finally, show me their happy face! Then I tell them that we are going to do a trick.
While I was in Washington I was at a pizza place and saw an elderly couple. The man was in an electric wheelchair and appeared not to have much use of his arms. His wife also arrived in an electric wheelchair but left hers outside because there wasn’t room for two in the small space. She hobbled inside and fed her husband his food. It was just so sweet watching them. So I went to the counter, away from those I was dining with, and paid for their meal asking that they not be told it was me. read more →
The power of classroom circles for fostering emotional intelligence, improving well-being and creating a culture of kindness is well documented. Circles are important tools for nurturing relationships and feelings of community and can be used in any classroom.
Schools with a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) often use circles to help build a positive culture to reduce bullying. Circles work because they help all children to feel loved and encouraged while creating bonds between peers. They are especially important for nurturing feelings of belonging, acceptance and stability in troubled children.
When a friend told me that they were going to move house, my heart sank. Why? Because I am really rubbish at offering to help. My husband works away and I have five children to juggle alone for the most part of the year. I also suffer from three autoimmune diseases which restrict me physically. read more →
What would happen if people saw reminders of kindness everywhere they went?
That’s what I sought to find out as I walked around downtown nearly two months ago brandishing bright, orange signs that said “Do Good. Be Kind. Change the World.” My goal: Kick off “Signs for Good”, a new project aiming to plant these orange signs in yards or windows around the country. That simple message — Do Good, Be Kind, Change the World — reminds people that there are some things we can all agree on, even in a time where finding common ground can be difficult. It’s a message that can resonate with folks of any religion or political affiliation; from any walk of life. read more →
Dean was a guy that always had a hug and a good parting word for everyone he met. Each morning he left me a post-it note next to the coffee maker for me to find when I woke up. Always words of encouragement and love. read more →
Most children enjoy being creative with pencils and crayons. But did you know there are an impressive number of reasons why both kids and adults should partake in this peaceful pastime?
The significant benefits of coloring are now being realised for all age groups as it takes its place alongside yoga and meditation as an enjoyable way of improving mental and physical well-being.
A friend of mine has not been to see me in a long time, not since I had my fifth child and so I have been monitoring her through the ever so stalker-like Facebook. read more →
Our elementary school serves approximately 800 students PreK-3rd grades.
The week of February 11th, 2018 happened to be “Random Acts of Kindness Week” so I challenged the staff to a Kindness Challenge — I challenged them to complete these simple, kind acts that would make our students’ and colleagues’ days just a bit brighter!
Complete a challenge – mark it off on the challenge sheet Each challenge completed earned a TICKET in the raffle Earn an EXTRA TICKET for each challenge that is completed and shared on social media with the challenge hashtag The WINNER of the raffle… earned a HALF DAY OFF!
One thing I have found that makes me feel good is lifting up those around me.
During my long wait in the ER, I was in close contact with all kinds of people both in the lobby and while I was waiting on a gurney in the hall. There was nothing else to do, so I just started talking to people. read more →
Placing Kindness Rocks throughout neighboring communities
I started painting Kindness Rocks with my daughter in April for Random Acts of Kindness Day.
Well, it has caught on and we now have a Facebook group with 300 community members and we’ve built a Kindness Rocks Garden at our local library with the help of the children’s librarian. My daughter’s preschool also created over 30 rocks in the week leading up to graduation to celebrate kindness which they donated to the garden.
Weekly delivery to the Kindness Rocks Garden
My daughter and I fill the garden weekly and spread rocks through the community as well. We paint 50-60 rocks per week. My daughter is 5 and has since started her own Facebook Page to encourage children to be kind. – Meaghan Haskell
I started following the Ripple facebook page back in 2013 when I first found I was in a very tough place in my life. I found the stories people shared, where doing and receiving kindness, incredibly uplifting and was inspired to participate. Living in a remote rural area, I was unsure of what I could do but the page gave me lots of great ideas, many that cost nothing or very little. So I started to create ripples of my own.
My latest ripple began very small and through a chance meeting… read more →
Stories of Kindness
07 Dec 2018Serendipity or God at work?- 04 Dec 2018The Science of Kindness – Dr David Hamilton
12 Nov 2018The kindness of strangers!- 01 Nov 2018Our time to pay it forward
- 10 Oct 2018I’m still smiling about this one thing
