Happy Thursday friends! Can you believe that November is over halfway over and that Thanksgiving is already next week?? I can’t believe how quickly this month has flown by.

Happiness

This week’s topic is Happiness. Unfortunately with everything going on in our country currently, there’s a lot of unease, frustration, and sadness. I thought now would be a good time to talk about happiness, how to spread it, and how to find happiness. We had great feedback from the kids during story time yesterday morning who shared different ways that they find happiness and how they can spread happiness. One child shared that she finds happiness in snow globes, another in riding her bike, and another in smelling all the good things (a child after my own heart!). One child shared that if it was raining, she would share her umbrella with her friend who didn’t have one. How sweet is that?!

I think this would be a great conversation to have with your children each day – maybe you could add it to your dinner conversations. Ask your child “what’s something that made you happy today?” or “where did you find happiness today?” and “how did you fill someone’s bucket today?” Encourage your child to look for new ways to spread happiness and joy to others with their actions, as well as help them find ways to find things that make themselves happy.

Books:

Yesterday we read: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud and The Jar of Happiness by Ailsa Burrows. We talked about different ways that you can “fill someone’s bucket” to help spread happiness to others. The book also talks about “bucket dippers” where you dip into someone’s bucket by not being nice or doing hurtful things. If you read this book with your child on your own, or you watched story time, this would be a great conversation to have with your child about how their actions can affect others – either good or bad. In The Jar of Happiness, it talks about how a little girl makes her own jar of happiness, full of all the things she loves the most, and how she uses it to bring happiness to others. But one day she can’t find her jar, so her friend, grandma, and brother teach her how to share and find happiness through smiles, hugs, and silliness. I think this is a great way to teach young children that they can be in charge of their own happiness; they don’t have to rely on others to make them happy.

Songs:

If You’re Happy and You Know It (Emotions)

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it, and you really want to show it

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you’re sad and you know it, say boo hoo…

If you’re scared and you know it, say oh my…

If you’re angry and you know it, stomp your feet…

If you’re silly and you know it, make a funny face…

Activities:

Yesterday we talked about the letter “N”. We discussed what it looks like, how to draw it, what sound it makes, and words that start with it. Here are some activities to continue the learning about the letter N:

*play with noodles

— https://www.survivingateacherssalary.com/4-pot-sized-pasta-kid-craft-ideas-fine-motor-sensory-muellers-shortcuts-contest/

— http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2014/02/rainbow-sensory-play-with-dyed-noodles.html

— https://b-inspiredmama.com/rainbow-mobile-craft-kids/

— https://ourfamilyofseven.com/pool-noodle-boats/

*play with a net

*newspaper crafts

*no bake cookies

*name activities: https://handsonaswegrow.com/35-name-activities-for-preschoolers/

*make a necklace

Happiness Activities:

* http://www.momentsaday.com/bucket-filler-activities-creating-a-bucket/

* http://www.momentsaday.com/5-activities-to-learn-about-kindness-bucket-filler-resources/

* https://www.redtedart.com/pop-up-rainbow-card/

Craft:

This week’s craft is making kindness postcards. In this age of technology, not a lot of people send handwritten cards any more. But receiving cards in the mail always brightens up my day! Help your child design their own postcard to send to someone they care about and spread some happiness and cheer! https://growingbookbybook.com/writing-activities-kindness-postcards/