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Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

What Can We Do About the Hate?

What can we do about the hate? There seems to be a whole lot of hate in our world these days. Here are some suggestions.


I'm sure you're as concerned as I am. We all are. 

It seems to be getting worse. It's all over the news.  

Dallas, Orlando, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Boston Marathon, Columbine...

Black lives matter, Cop lives matter, Gay lives matter...

 It's about lack of trust. It's about mental health. It's about guns...

Really, it's all about hate.  And it's eating away at me.

So, what can we do about it?
What can we do about the hate? There seems to be a whole lot of hate in our world these days. Here are some suggestions.

That's what I do. Every time I hear of another horror, I pray. 
It's frustrating because I want to do more!

As a teacher, I've been searching the corners of my brain, trying to think of what we can do to turn this around. 

One thing to think about
It's important to teach children to respect police officers. 
How do we do this?

Let them interact with police officers! 

I'm lucky I teach in a small town.
Most of the police officers in my town are former students, or parents of former students.

We take our second graders to the police station every year. 
The whole police staff is amazing to the kids! 
They let the kids climb into the police vehicles.
They let the kids have lunch in their lunch room. 
They give the kids pencils and water bottles with the police logo on them,
and they even take pretend "mug shots" of the kiddos! (and the teachers)
What can we do about the hate? There seems to be a whole lot of hate in our world these days. Here are some suggestions.
I'm such a ham, aren't I?
An interesting point... when the children asked about the "bad guys" having their pictures taken, this is what they heard:

"They're not bad people. 
They're good people who made bad choices."

I try to believe this. There are a lot of good people who have made bad choices: perhaps by how they are brought up, or perhaps because of things they have experienced, or perhaps because of a chemical imbalance in their brain. We need to help these people. Help them learn to make good choices.

I hope there are a whole lot more people out there that insist that people are good, but sometimes make bad choices. 

That's what gains respect... or loses it. The way we see people. 
Are they good, or bad? I believe they are good.

Another thing to think about:
What can we do about the hate? There seems to be a whole lot of hate in our world these days. Here are some suggestions.

Only love will conquer the hate. 
Let the kids see you being kind to others.
Let them see you let that car in that's been waiting.
Let them see you hold the door for the person behind you.
Smile at strangers.
Give up your seat on the bus.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
Visit a nursing home.
Offer to babysit for a friend, for free.
Donate blood.
Apologize.
Give money to the poor and needy.
Find opportunities to be kind to others.

And let the children see it. 

What can we do about the hate? There seems to be a whole lot of hate in our world these days. Here are some suggestions.

Here are some nice visuals of people doing good deeds.

I, for one, refuse to let hate have the last word. 
I believe that love will conquer hate.
I believe things will get better.

What are your ideas? 
What can we do?

Valentine Fun

 What is it about Valentine's Day that's so much fun for kids? 


Valentine Fun- continue learning and have some fun on Valentine's Day. Here are several ideas and resources for the primary classroom.


They're not involved in romance, so that couldn't be it! 
 
Valentine Fun- continue learning and have some fun on Valentine's Day. Here are several ideas and resources for the primary classroom.

We give them some class time to exchange some silly cards. Well, that's definitely fun. And there's all that candy... plus, it's something fun during the "longest" month of the year!


synonyms and antonyms
Yes, I know, February is really the shortest month of the year, and around here we have the last week off. But for those of us in New England who are totally sick of the winter cold by this point, February is the "longest" month of the year! Valentine's Day is a nice break from the mundane.


Well, as I was strolling through the Dollar Store yesterday, I saw packages of plastic heart containers. Immediately I started thinking about what I could do with them in the classroom. (Do "normal" people stroll through the Dollar Store and try to find stuff they can buy for their jobs?)

I found myself thinking of the activity I did last year with Easter Eggs, and I thought I'd adapt it to Valentine Hearts.


Valentine's Game

I made Valentine Synonym or Antonym Match Up.  I can't wait to show the kids!  I even found some shiny red bags to put the pieces in! 

Explore this image for a link to this fun word work activity!

Speaking of Valentine's Day, be sure to check out this fun resource: Valentine's Day Mini-Books!

Explore this image for a link to these fun mini-books!


There's a mini book with Valentine's Trivia, and a mini book for the children to list all the things they love!  Plus, it comes with directions on how to fold and cut the mini-books.
 
Here's my newest treasure! If you're a fan of Boom Learning like I am, you'll love this one: Valentine's Day Fun Facts Trivia

Explore this image for a link to this fun digital trivia activity.


Do you have a day off or a meeting coming? These activities are one way to continue keep the children engaged and learning, without making extra work for you! 

Explore this image for a link to this time saving resource!


I have one more activity to show you:  it's a math facts board game:  Have a Heart Math Facts Game! It practices basic addition and subtraction facts. The kiddos can play just addition, just subtraction, or combine both!

Explore this image for a link to this fun math facts game.

I can't blog about Valentine's Day without mentioning my very favorite Valentine's Day book: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch!  This book will warm your heart, without a doubt. It can actually be read any time of year, but it's a MUST-READ for Valentine's Week!

I love children's books!  I can't resist once I start looking at books, but here are several more with a Valentine's Day or a LOVE theme.  Be sure to click on each book for a link to Amazon to learn more about that book.  (For the Love of Autumn is another one of my all-time favorites - Patricia Polacco is an amazing author!) Each link is an Amazon affiliate.

Have a great Valentine's Day!  I hope your kiddos LOVE the day!

Valentine Fun- continue learning and have some fun on Valentine's Day. Here are several ideas and resources for the primary classroom.

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