Weekly Activities

In The Gift of Nothing, by Patrick McDonnel, Mooch wants to give his best friend Earl a gift, but Earl has everything. After some thought, he has the idea to give him Nothing! "But in this world full of so many somethings, where can he find nothing?" After some searching, Mooch finally finds nothing when he least expects it. He fills a box with nothing and takes it to his friend's house to give to him. "There's nothing in here!" Says Earl. "Exactly, Nothing! Just me and you." And so they sit quietly and enjoy nothing together. The children find this book hilarious. So I thought it would be interesting to give them the experience of receiving the "gift of nothing." I wrapped each child an empty jar and told them they were getting a present. Everyone was excited. Perhaps so excited that I was a little concerned about possible disappointments. Before they began unwrapping, the children spoke about how getting a present made th...

What does it mean to be generous? "When I gave everyone my carrots, I became happy." -Isla reflects. Given the chance to eat all his popcorn by himself or to share with his friends Olin decides, "I would like to share because they are my best friends." In the past, the children have explored the concept of friendship and sharing. When asked about it they describe that sharing makes them happy, and that it makes their friends happy too. At the picnic, the feeling of warmth and community is tangible. Unprompted "please"s, "Thank you"s and compliments float in the air and each child patiently waits a turn. The children lead the activity and I just feel privileged to be there.  "Sharing is nice and kind." "Thank you. You are being generous." "Generous means giving to people that like it." "You're being kind." "Everybody likes being kind." The phrases that float aro...