Jodie Bomhof

Surrey Christian School

Learning to LoveKindergarten

What if….

My students learn to show love in their community, their school and their classroom.

Deep Hope:

I can practice being a community builder by showing love to the Elim Community on Valentine’s Day.

I can use tools to make cookies and give them to people who work at my school as a way of saying thank you.

I can show care for a classmate who had surgery by making her cards.

Essential Learning Targets:

• Begin to use language to identify, create and express ideas and feelings.

• Recognize the importance of story in personal, family and community identity.

• Plan and create a variety of communication forms for different purposes and audiences.

Curricular Outcomes:

Habit(s) of Learning: Core Competency Outcomes

I can work cooperatively with

a group.

I can participate in activities that

contribute to our classroom

community.

I can be kind and include others.

I can be a servant worker to meet

some needs in my community.

*Surrey Christian School uses the language of core competencies for Habits of Learning.

Creation: God created all people and loves all people. He wants us to love all people too.

Fall: Things get broken when we get too focused on ourselves and when we forget about others.

Redemption/Restoration: We can be reminded to be thoughtful, caring and encouraging people through kind and simple acts like making cards. We can give to others and expect nothing in return. We can find joy by blessing others with our kind acts and we can show God’s love to others and bring restoration to our relationships.

See God’s Story:

Storyline:

Learn to Love:•Becoming aware of needs•Doing their share•Giving without receiving•Wanting to care

Love to Learn:•Printing•Counting•Cutting•Tallying•Drawing pictures

Community Builder:

-Deepen awareness of community.

-Work together for a common goal.

Image Reflector:

-We show love to our neighbours because Christ loved us.

Servant Worker

-I can work to meet the needs of others.

-I can put others ahead of myself.

Throughlines:

Real Needs: Encouraging people with kindness.

Real People: Elderly people who live at the Harrison Care Facility in Elim Village, people who work at our school, our classmates.

Real Work: Making Valentine Cards, making cookies, making get well cards, everyday kindness to classmates.

Formational Learning Experience:

We read the Kindness Book

and Have you Filled a Bucket

Today. We discussed the ways

we can show kindness

everyday. As part of our

formative practice, we ask God

to help us to be kind with the

things we say and in the things

we do.

Invite

Students were invited to make Valentines for the

residents of The Harrison at Elim.

Students were nurtured to use their skills of cutting,

printing, counting and gluing to make these cards

independently.

Invite

Real Work for Real People: Stuffing and

sealing envelopes.

Snickerdoodles

½ cup butter ½ tsp cream of tartar

¾ cup sugar ½ tsp baking soda

1 egg pinch of salt

1 ½ cup flour

Method:

Mix butter, sugar and egg thoroughly. Add flour, cream of tartar,

baking soda and salt and stir into above mixture. Form dough into

1 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and cinnamon topping. Place on

baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

We used tools to bake cookies as

part of our Tools and Community

story telling tool. As an act of

kindness and to thank people in

our school community, we brought

cookies to Mr. Nagtegaal, Mr.

Stewart, Mr. Loewen, Mrs.

Daigneault, Mrs. VanRanden, Mrs.

Klomps, Mrs. Vanderbeek and Mr.

Laws. We did real work to thank

some real people.

Nurture

One of our classmates needed to have her tonsils out. She had some complications

after her surgery and was away from school for almost 6 weeks. To show their kindness, care and concern, the students decided to

make cards. They were being servant workers who showed God’s love through

their acts of kindness.

Alcy with her collection of cards.

Nurture

Alcy was away for almost two months and our

class decided we needed to show Alcy we

missed her and we were thinking of her and

praying for her. We made her butterflies that she

hung all over her room.

Empower

Alcy made us a card, too.

After making cards for Alcy, we made a post office in our classroom. We enjoy making cards for each other and our families.

Making cards has become a way of making new friends,

showing kindness, and expressing care.

Empower

We’ve been makingcards and letters since the beginningof February. It has become part of howwe show kindness.

Students love making cards so much, they choose to do it

during center time.

Student Reflections:

Student reflections

on the Core

Competencies in

their journals. They

reflected on

showing kindness

by making a card

for their classmate.

Students reflect on building

community by saying thank

you to people who work at our school.

Student Reflections:

“I am learning to love. This is me. I am sharing cookies with

people.”

Student Reflections:

I am kind when I

help a friend who

fell.

Being kind is when

I give a

compliment.

I believe my deep hope for my students is beginning to be realized as they worked together to make cards and baked cookies. They used what they learned to show kindness to others. It was a joy to see their hard work, concentration and enthusiasm as they completed their task. I also think that it’s telling that students continue to choose to make cards as a way to show kindness. Recently I was reading about Children and Social Justice. The author wrote that the number one thing to help children become caring compassionate adults is to teach them to be kind. Being kind instills selfless love and compassion for our neighbours and that will be important for a lifetime.

Teacher Reflections:

Creating cards is

something students

can do

independently with

little help and with

materials

that are easily

accessible. They can

show care and

kindness to others

independently.

Additional Information to tell the Story:

• Have you filled a Bucket Today? Carol McCloud

• What does it Mean to be Kind? Rana DiOrio

Additional Information to tell the Story: