have you filled a bucket today?

When I started work at Douglas Road Elementary School this year, I heard a lot of talk about "filling buckets" I was terribly confused, so I asked some of the kids about it....

Based on a book by Carol McCloud "Have You Filled a Bucket Today" A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, everyone has a bucket, an invisible bucket, that was to be filled with praise and kindness, and emptied with putdowns and name calling....each teacher had their own adaptation to the program in their classroom, they also have a HUGE illustrated bucket in the front entrance of the school where school mates can add a water drop to the wall above the bucket with their name, who it was that filled their bucket, and what they did to fill their bucket. I thought this would be an interesting way to share kindness in our home....

We read the book together at home, talked about some things he thought would earn him a water drop, and things that would make mommy want to take them away...he seemed to be getting the gist, so I made it a project for us! I drew out some buckets, cut them out, let the kids colour them, put them on the wall. I cut out water drops from blue foam paper and have them in a container...Anabelle is learning quickly the things that earn her a water drop, neither of them are happy when their buckets are emptied, it has happened a few times. We do have moments when he only does nice things to get a water drop, but he is filling her bucket none the less, as well as his own for being kind, and becoming more aware of things that are great deeds like serving his sister pancakes in the morning...

How often does your bucket feel full? Do you feel that people dip into yours? I think we should all be a little more conscious of our invisible buckets, as well as others :-)

Get your copy of the book at Costco, $11.49!!

K