They say that everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten. - back when learning the difference between right and wrong was always found by discovering the moral of the story.
Little Red Riding Hood teaches not to talk to strangers; The Boy Who Cried Wolf not to tell lies; and The Ugly Duckling teaches to accept who you truly are.
But over the next few months, students at Chinook Centre School (CCS) will be guided by the words of a new children’s story called Have You Filled a Bucket Today? which is described as a guide to daily happiness by author Carol McCloud.
The book staff inspired staff at CCS to begin a new initiative within the school’s Positive Behaviour Program (PAL).
The story is about doing positive and helpful things that are called “bucket fillers” instead of negative things that act as “bucket dippers,” said CCS teacher Janelle Carey.
“We are encouraging children to work on being helpful not hurtful.”
The program kicked off this month with a reading of the book to students and a puppet show that displayed examples of situations where they can act as bucket fillers.
“Being ready to learn, being kind on the playground, being friendly, and not wasting time are all things that are bucket fillers,” said Carey.
When the teachers or staff witness the students being bucket fillers they will be presented with small hearts or stars that they can place in a bucket in their classroom.
“We are hoping that they will see the good things happening and watch as the bucket fills up,” said Carey.
However bucket-dipping actions can also get the hearts and stars removed.
Carey said that so far the children are already excited about the program and have been passing out hugs and looking for ways to be bucket fillers.
The students have also made their own buckets to take home so they can practice bucket filling wherever they go.
