This week in 2B, we did some work surrounding our social-emotional curriculum. We have discussed good and bad choices that we make in school, however this week, we framed the conversations and activities in a positive light. Earlier in the week we introduced a new feature into our classroom: a kindness jar! We spoke about the kind/nice/friendly things we can do for our friends. We gave some examples of kind behaviors we had seen them do that day such as open a snack for a friend or checking in on a peer when they got hurt. We then brainstormed ideas together of kind things we can do. When friends do a kind thing for one another, we put a pom-pom in the jar. When the jar is filled up with pom-poms, we will have a special (to be determined) treat. This ongoing project highlights their positive behavior and encourages them to be kind to their friends. We are currently at 7 pom-poms!
Today at our curriculum breakfast, we worked on an activity to help during moments of distress. We made calmness jars! We have found lately that most of our friends have sporadic moments of anger or frustration. When the children are frustrated, it can be hard for them to calm down, or they need suggestions for what to do when taking a break. Today we made something that will help redirect the anger and frustration. These jars are filled with: glue, water, beads, watercolor, and glitter. When they get overwhelmed or angry, they can now take some time off to the side and look at their calmness jars. The liquid and glitter will swirl around in a calming manner that they can watch. We look forward to continuing to discuss and explore new areas around the social-emotional curriculum.
