Bolivar Primary

Week of August 28: Feel Your Feelings

We had so much fun in counseling last week! We talked about ways we can be kind to others to "fill their bucket." This week, we are reading the story Feel Your Feelings. We will talk about different feelings such as happy, sad, angry, and glad, and we will discuss ways these different feelings may be expressed. 

For example: When I am happy, I.....

This lesson is so important, because kids at this age express many emotions - even if they cant identify the emotion at first.  We are going to learn how to 1) identify different emotions and 2) learn some safe and healthy coping skills to help us work through those big emotions.

Week of August 22: Welcome Back!

Welcome back, Liberators! I am so excited to see you! This week in counseling, we will be reviewing classroom expectations for our time together. We will then be reading Fill a Bucket by Carol McCloud and Katherine Martin. This book shows us ways to be "bucket fillers." A bucket filler is someone who pours love and joy into others by ways of kindness and compassion. After the story, we will discuss ways we can be "bucket fillers" at school!

Week of September 25 (Habit 3)

We are jumping right into Habit 3 this week! Habit 3 is Put First Things First, and it is all about taking care of the more important matters before handling the smaller issues. If you were to fill a jar with sand then try to put in big rocks, you don't have room for the big rocks. But, if you put those big rocks in the jar first, the sand can go in and fill in the spaces. The same goes with life. When we do the important tasks first (homework, chores, etc), we are able to spend the rest of our time doing the activities we enjoy. If we start with the more fun, but less important tasks, we often lose the time we need to focus on those more important tasks at hand. 

For this habit, we will read the story, A Place for Everything. 

Big Question of the Week: What are your " Big Rocks?" 

Week of September 11: 7 Habits of Happy Kids (Habit 2)

Last week, we learned what it meant to be proactive. This week, we are focusing on Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. This habit is all about having a plan, and why goal setting can be beneficial. We are going to hear the story Goob and the Bug Collecting Kit, and as a class, we will compare and contrast Goob's plan and Jumper's plan, and decide who was more prepared. We will have a coloring sheet to support this week's lesson as well.

Week of September 5: 7 Habits of Happy Kids (Habit 1)

Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a great three day weekend. This week in counseling, we will be starting a unit called the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. The 7 Habits of Happy Kids was written by Sean Covey, and is an adaptation of his brother's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This unit will run through September and into October. Each week, we will focus on a habit that is important in order to become successful leaders in life one day. This week, we will start with Habit 1: Be Proactive. We will read a short story about being proactive, and discuss what that means and looks like in our own lives. When we are proactive, we are able to focus on what we CAN control and change, instead of focusing on the things out of our control.

Week of October 23: Habit 7 (Sharpen the Saw)

We are wrapping up the 7 Habits this week! Habit 7, Sharpen the Saw, is all about finding balance in life. Yes, it is important to use our minds, but just like bodies need rest after exercise, brain breaks are important too. We will read a story  that goes along with our habit, then talk about ways we find balance in our own lives.

Week of October 16: Habit 6 (Synergize)

We know the importance of teamwork. I grew up hearing the phrase, "Many hands make light work." Working together not only lessens the work load, but it also gives us the ability to achieve great things together! In our counseling lessons this week, we are reading the story The Big, Bad Badgers. The 7 Oaks friends are up against the badgers in a soccer match. Will the friends understand the importance of teamwork and win the game?

After the story, we will try a team building activity together. Synergize: Together is better!

Week of October 9: Habit 5 (Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood)

Habit 5 is all about LISTENING before SPEAKING. In our story this week, Lily Skunk makes cookies. Instead of listening to her dad read the recipe, she tries making the cookies on her own. Much to her surprise, something goes terribly wrong! Will Lily learn the importance of listening?

Our discussion points:

• Why should we listen before speaking?
• Why is it important to listen with our heart, eyes, AND ears? What does this look like?
• How can listening help us when we are having friendship trouble?

Week of October 2: Habit 4 (Think Win-Win)

We are going to read the story Lily Plants a Garden. In our story, Lily Skunk is really wanting to plant a garden, but her mom fears she will not follow through to take care of the garden. After coming up with her own plan, Lily shows her mom that they can all benefit from Lily's garden.

Think Win-Win: This habit is all about working together, finding a compromise, and winning together! In the story, Lily gets what she wants (her garden) and her mom gets what she wants (yummy veggies, and she doesn't have to work in the garden).

Ideas for your student:

• The next time you want to argue with someone about who should get the best toy, ask, "How can I make you happy, too?"
• Make a "Wish Poster." Start by drawing a line down the middle of the paper. On one side, make a list of things you want (new toy, a pet, etc.). On the other side, make a list of what your parents want (a clean room, chores finished). Work together with your grownups to make your own win-win plan. This can be a fun way to communicate what you each want, and find a solution to make it happen!

Week of November 27: Clark the Shark

Clark the Shark LOVES his life. But, he loves everything so much, he accidentally gets rough with others. He has eaten his friends' lunches, and has played rough. Clark learns ways to control his excitement - there is a time and a place for everything! 

Week of November 13: Thankfulness Fun!

To celebrate an end to our thankfulness unit, we have a fun Thankful song on the ukulele. Students will sing along and have the chance to say what they are thankful for. This is a great way to connect to one another and express gratitude.

Week of November 6: Thankful for Teachers

This week, we extend our gratitude to the teachers we are thankful for! Students will have time to use their creativity to make thank you cards and letters to the teachers of their choosing. 

Week of November 1: Gratitude is the best Attitude!

We are kicking off November with a lesson on Gratitude. We will define gratitude, and then take turns expressing it. Then, classes will create a turkey feather showing what they are thankful for. These feathers will be used to build a school-wide turkey in the hallway, so everyone can see all the things BPS is thankful for!

Welcome Back! 

January has already proven to be a tricky month, thanks to the snow and ice! Throughout this month, on the days we HAVE been in session, we have been learning about Kelso's Choice. This is a program that is already used throughout the school. Kelso's Choice helps students learn which scenarios they can solve on their own. For example, if two students are having a disagreement on the playground, they can use different techniques to solve it on their own. Rather than running up to a teacher to get their friend in trouble, they can choose to take turns, go to another game, and so much more! The goal of Kelso's Choice is to provide students the skills to be positive problem solvers.