Today we spent some time learning about Veterans' Day. In the morning, we learned about what a veteran is, and why we celebrate Veterans' Day. We talked about how veterans serve in different branches of the armed forces, and that they work to protect us and to preserve our freedom. We also talked about how they protect others and help others. Most of the children know someone who is a veteran, which made our talks a bit more personal to them.
In the afternoon, the kids wrote about Veterans' Day and reasons they're thankful for veterans. They also made a craft - a handprint eagle. We talked about how eagles are a symbol for the United States.
They really enjoyed the craft!
Another thing we've started is a social skills initiative that I thought was really important.
A lot of children suffer from anxiety, and even without anxiety, everyone has worries. I started a mini-unit on worrying yesterday. We read The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside. It's a book about a girl who has lots of worries, and the worries start collecting in a bag that follows her around. At the end, her neighbor helps her "unpack her bag" and work through her worries.
After that, we talked about some of the kids' worries. They shared things like being afraid of the dark, worrying about going upstairs or in the basement alone, and people they care about getting hurt. They seemed reassured that others shared their worries.
From here, we're going to read more books and learn how to sort our worries into things we can control and things we can't control. We'll talk about how to work through worries, and how to deal when a worry seems too big.
I'm hoping that by teaching the kids about worries and how to handle them, they'll be able to handle things better both at home and at school. I'll keep you updated on the progress!
Enjoy your extra day off, and thank a veteran if you know one!
Enjoy your extra day off, and thank a veteran if you know one!
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