Let's be KIND! (& St. Patrick)
A lesson on teaching children kindness through the story of “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” and the story of St. Patrick! Rainbows, buckets, smiles, gold coins. What a fun time!
Educational Framework: Heart for People
“Let’s Share!” Unit: Fruitful Manners
LESSON PURPOSE: We can be kind by filling buckets!
MATERIALS: Picture Book, learning toys- buckets + pom poms or gold coins, craft supplies
BOOKS: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud / The Story of St. Patrick’s Day by Patricia Pingry
SONG IDEAS: This Little Light of Mine, Open The Eyes of My Heart, Put a Little Love , Pass It On, The Rainbow Song
AS CHILDREN ARRIVE: Choose 1 Sensory Activity:
Buckets sensory play: Pouring water between buckets or playing with sand, buckets & shovels.
St Patrick's Day Sensory Bin: green items, gold coins, rainbow items, buckets or cups to pour.
Playdoh: make rainbows or shamrocks out of play dough!
Color Sorting: using duplo blocks, pom poms, fruit loops, stickers, beads on pipe cleaners etc.
SCRIPTURE: Display the weekly scripture reading, have an older child read it or use it in the lesson as you like.
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” -Colossians 3:12
“We are to live our lives for others. You live for others and others live for you. God lives for man and man lives for God…This is goodness.” - Rev. Sun Myung Moon
INTRODUCE the Lesson:
WELCOME: SONG, PRAYER, TP Greeting
SONG IDEAS: This Little Light of Mine, Open The Eyes of My Heart, Put a Little Love , Pass It On, The Rainbow Song
REVIEW & TRANSITION:
Which important manner did we learn about last Sunday? SHARING! Yes, rainbow fish taught us how to we can on bring joy to others, ourselves and spread friendship & love by sharing! Today we are going to learn about being KIND!
ATTENTION GRABBER: choose 1:
Letter Scavenger Hunt: Have children search around the room for letters: K-I-N-D-N-E-S-S. Once children find these letters- the teacher can unscramble them to make the word “Kindness!”
Kindness Brainstorm: Sort feeling emoticons by “Kind” feelings 😁 happy, excited, loved vs. 😓 “unkind feelings” upset, sad, hurt. OR on some post it notes write a few examples of being kind and examples of being mean or unkind, selfish. Sort them together with the children.
INTRO:
Ask children: What does it mean to be kind? (Nice words, sharing, helping…). Jesus & TP teach us that as God's children we should be kind to everyone, even our enemies!
CHOOSE 1 OR 2: READ A STORY, SING A SONG OR POEM, WATCH A VIDEO: *Use this before or during your lesson.
VIDEOS: click on the link for educational, sing along or dance videos
Bucket Fillers- Nature Jams- Dance or Sing Along Song
I’m A Little Leprochaun Sing Along
St. Patricks Day Brain Break- Fun Movement Break
READ ALOUD STORY VIDEOS:
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Read Aloud
The Story of St. Patrick’s Day Read Aloud
SONG OR POEM:
Bucket Filler’s Pledge I’m a Bucket Filler! Each and every day. Kind things I do. Kind things I say. And I do my best Not to ever dip. And I say “I’m Sorry”. If I ever slip
The More We Get Together The more we get together, together, together, The more we get together, the happier we’ll be. Because your friends are my friends And my friends are your friends. The more we get together, the happier we’ll be. The more we share together… The more we play together… The more we pray together...
*TEACH the Lesson:
TEACHING POINT 1: Let’s be KIND by filling buckets!
TEACHING WITH DISCUSSION:
STORYTIME: Idea: Pass out a small bucket or cup for each child to hold in their lap during storytime- Did you know that each one of us have an invisible bucket?! Hold your bucket tight & let's read & learn about it! Story Video: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Discuss the story. Place a pom pom or gold coin in to each child’s bucket as you read the narrate the story! (When we are kind- our bucket is full! If we are unkind, our bucket dips and gets empty. If we show kindness by smiling at someone not only will we fill our own bucket- you we’ll also fill their bucket! If we say something hurtful to someone, we hurt their hearts and empty their bucket as well as ours. Our invisible buckets (our hearts) are all connected!)
Optional teaching tools:
Anchor Chart: As you discuss, write or draw ideas on what creates a “Bucket Dipper” (hurtful words, pushing etc) vs. a “Bucket Filler” (help others, be a listener, be polite, clean up, share, say kind words...) Another class Chart sample.
Activity: Have children sort “Bucket fillers” and “Bucket Dipper” notes in to 2 different buckets. Role play scenarios throughout the story- fill & empty their buckets.
TEACHING POINT 2: St. Patrick Was Kind! *OPTIONAL EXTENSION
TEACHING WITH DISCUSSION: choose 1:
St Patrick- Share the story of St Patrick. Did you know that St Patrick from Ireland was a very kind person? He shared God's Words and shared about God's love and started churches all over Ireland! When you think of St Patrick's Day- gold, rainbows, leprechauns- remember it's all in honor of St Patrick! Let’s be bucket fillers by filling pots with gold & creating joyful rainbows through our kindness!
Toothpaste: Show children a tube of toothpaste. Squeeze some out- then try to get it back in the tube using toothpicks. Discuss how it was easy to squeeze out but hard to put back in. Share that this is like our WORDS! We quickly say words with our mouths. We have to watch what we say. If we say a mean or hurtful word- it’s hard to take it back- you can’t squeeze it back in (like the toothpaste) once you’ve got it out. So we want to use kind words with everyone all the time!
CONCLUSION:
Let’s have great March Manners this week by being kind and filling buckets! We need each other to practice kindness through give and take action. Let’s be bucket fillers, just like Jesus and True Parents!
TITHING & PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Parent, thank you for our invisible buckets. We are so excited to become bucket fillers! Help us to fill our buckets and the buckets of others through showing Kindness just like Jesus & TP. We love you and thank you! Amen! Aju!
APPLY the Lesson:
GROUP ACTIVITIES: choose 1 :
Friendship Train: Children get in a choo-choo train line. Child in front gets to hold a bucket. The train moves around the room to music. When teacher says “stop”- children stop and child in front gives the bucket to next child & moves to the back of the train until all children have had a turn being the conductor. (Put a new pom pom in the bucket each time someone gets a turn.) Practice taking turns, patience & filling buckets together.
Cootie Catcher Game: Teacher can make one ahead of time & have children play and act out the actions.
Random Acts of Kindness: Have children walk around the class with their buckets and perform random acts of kindness such as cleaning up, helping someone, giving a friend a hug. As you see acts of kindness- place a pom pom or gold coin in the child’s bucket! Or let them fill their own bucket & their friends.
CRAFTS: choose 1
Bucket- make and decorate buckets using cups & ribbon or pipe cleaners for the handle. Have children draw a “kind” (happy) face and decorate. Give children a few gold coins, pom poms or other small items to fill their bucket with to take home & practice filling it!
Pot of Gold- Instead of a bucket, fill a pot with gold! (St Patricks Day theme)
Bee Kind- Make a bee craft out of construction paper or toilet paper rolls- black & yellow stripes, light blue or white wings, happy face! Write “Bee Kind” on it.
Kindness Rocks- gather rocks. Paint rocks in your favorite colors. Place them outside around the church or take one home as a reminder to share kindness!
Kindness Tree- Make a classroom tree. Each time someone performs a random act of kindness put a heart up on the tree! Make a goal like “100 Random Acts of Kindness!”
Kindness Bucket Printable- Color (and write words) on a printable!
SNACK IDEAS:
Rainbow snacks - for St Patrick's Day, share rainbow gold fish, fruit loops, rainbow fruit or lucky charms. Use cups to make “buckets” for your snacks. ;)
Enjoy the lesson! Feel free to submit photos to lgavin@unification.org Love seeing lessons come to life and each community