Self Care in 6th Grade

We, as adults, easily get lost in our daily to do's and prioritize everything but ourselves.  When was the last time you did something selfishly for yourself?

Our sixth graders are feeling the weight on their shoulders with middle school applications, schoolwide projects, science fair and standardized testing just to name a few.  After a relaxing winter break I thought it would be the perfect time to help our sixth graders recognize what they selfishly enjoy and then sprinkle more of that into their stressful lives.  

I first shared the ways I take care of myself with this simple picture:

Then I opened up the discussion for them to start sharing the things they enjoy.  We used a simple graphic organizer that I made in Microsoft Word (you can download it here) to list out ways we can slow life down and show ourselves some love.  I separated the ideas into 3 main categories of self love: our mind, our body & our support system.

 

Lee Roadrunners are Bucket Fillers!

My favorite books to read at the beginning of the year are Have You Filled a Bucket Today? and Bucket Filling A to Z, both by Carol McCloud.

Each of these books does a great job explaining how each of us has an invisible bucket that we carry around each day.  When others are kind to us, it fills up our buckets.  When we are kind to others, it fills up their buckets.  However, when we are unkind to each other it dips into a bucket.  Across the lower grade levels, I did a variety of lessons and activities to help students learn about bucket filling behaviors.

We sorted behaviors into Bucket Fillers and Bucket Dippers choices:

We drew pictures to show us being Bucket Fillers:

 
We made Bucket Filling acrostics using our names:

We sorted choices we make that show others we are Bucket Fillers or Bucket Dippers:

Tears & Cheers

Screen Free Week

I found this great website with 50 ideas you can do as a family instead of watching tv!  Check it out:

Screen Free Week is May 5 – 11!
 
This annual, international initiative was created in 1994 to encourage families, schools, and communities to embrace screen-free entertainment for a week. Hundreds of organizations such as the American Medical Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the YMCA, support the movement.
Here are some fun ways to shut off the screens and have a blast — outside or inside — with your family.  These ideas are also good to think about as we all begin planning for summer! 

1. Get the imagination going by helping your kids write & illustrate their own book.
2. Take a ride and ask the kids to paint what they saw.
3. Go for a family bike ride.
4. Gather some yummy goodies and take the family on a picnic.
5. Take your kids to read to patients at nursing homes.
6. Visit the local humane society to give love and attention to the animals waiting for new homes.
7. Draw out your family tree.
8. Spend an afternoon sorting through old clothes and toys that can be donated to a shelter.
9. Play cards! 
10. Prepare and plant a garden – even if it’s just in pots! 
11. Go on a nature hike & have your kids journal what they see.
12. Learn about your local culture and history.
13. Attend a local event, play, or musical performance.
14. Spend some time at a local bookstore.
15. Visit a new restaurant.
16. Visit a museum.
17. Create costumes out of old clothes and craft scraps. 
18. Build a blanket fort and tell camp-style stories.
19. Play hopscotch or freeze-tag.
20. Draw portraits of each other.
21. Go on a nature scavenger hunt.
22. Play in a creek and discover what lives there.
23. Help your child complete random acts of kindness.
24. Go tree climbing.
25. Visit a “pick your own” farm.
26. Visit a local farmers market and get to know the farmers.
27. Go bowling.
28. Visit a local park and help pick up trash if you see any.
29. Put on a play.
30. Help the kids plan a meal that they can make.
31. Play board games.
32. Take an art class.
33. Plan a living room ball and dance the afternoon away.
34. Make mud pies.
35. Create crafts from upcycled items like toilet paper rolls, milk cartons, etc.
36. Go camping. 
37. Blow bubbles.
38. Build a sandbox.
39. Explore local landmarks.
40. Spend an afternoon picking wildflowers.
41. Grab a blanket and watch the clouds – what shapes do they see?
42. Get up early, grab a cup of tea, and watch the sun rise.
43. Prepare a freezer meal for a neighbor, new mother, or pantry in your area. 
44. Jump rope (and teach your kids the classic songs and rhymes).
45. Rearrange the furniture.
46. Build a town with blocks or Legos.
47. Roll down a hill.
48. Organize a classic neighborhood game like tag, capture the flag, or Red Rover.
49. Take a boat ride.
50. Go on a nature / critter walk before bedtime with a flash light.

100 Things to Do This Summer