“Kindness begins with me” was the main value we had wanted the kids to realise and embrace when we decided to push forward with the Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) project.
Anchoring our initial discussion about SSDB on the book “How Full is Your Bucket?” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, our K2 children learnt the significance of being a “bucket filler” instead of a “bucket dipper.”
Story in focus: “How Full is Your Bucket?”
In class, the kids showed kindness to each other by writing notes that compliment, encourage, or say thanks. They designed a mini bucket out of paper cups and placed their letters for their friends in them.
Exchanging and reading notes we wrote to each other. Thank you, my friend!
There are other people in school whom we can show kindness and appreciation to, apart from our friends. To show their gratitude to the other teachers, the children wrote them notes that stated three reasons why they think they are great. Based on the teachers’ reactions, the K2s were glad to have surprised them with these simple words of love!
I think you’re a great teacher!
We extended this activity towards our school cleaner. The class talked about the many things she does for our school and how we can best repay her or help her carry out her job. A few of the children suggested to get her mosquito repellent, sunscreen and sunglasses as she works outdoors and it gets hot. Others said to buy her gloves and hand cream to keep her hands soft and moisturised. There were also some who said to buy her drinks and perhaps a water bottle with a fan to keep her cool as she rests. We then shopped for these items and dedicated a day to share these gifts with Jiejie and let her know we care for her, too.
Summary of discussion: Who is jiejie Fong-Fong? What does she do? What shall we get her or do for ber to make her feel loved?
Thank you for all your hardwork, jiejie Fong-Fong!
As we learnt to practice kindness in school, we thought to venture further and discuss how we can spread kindness in a bigger community. The K2 children had a role in last year’s SSDB initiative. They recalled that our school launched the “Bucket of Love” project, where buckets were filled with goods to help and give sustenance to low-income families. For this year, the children had decided to recreate this project and plan their own fundraiser event. We brainstormed ideas together and talked about ways to earn money to support our aim. Our targeted goal was $2000. Together with all the teachers and staff, we set out to plan our Family Fundraiser Circus. In a mighty display of teamwork, we managed to pull everything off one Saturday morning. The teachers dedicated extra time the week prior to the event to decorate and set up the booths. They also prepared food, drinks, and even slime to sell! The K2s created the posters. In addition, about a month before the day, they made art using recycled materials. The first project was a frame made of rolled newspaper and magazine pages. Second, they had a special art class with Ms. Chella of Goshen Arts and Crafts. The kids learnt to recycle cardboard and repurpose things like shells, screws, and mini Lego pieces to create craft pieces to sell.
Creating our sushi roll frame.
Building art pieces to sell with our guest artist, Ms Chella.
Beautiful chaos–getting the decorations ready for the big day!
Our food and drinks station.
Circus games all set and ready to go!
Our slime, facepaint, and art gallery stations.
During the day of the event, the K2s, along with a few N2 and K1 children, performed a special circus number for our dear guests. All parents and children from different levels came. They even invited other family members and friends to join us on this special affair! Coupons were sold and these were used to pay for the games, slime, facepaint, food, and beverages. For a short while during the event, the K2s also helped the teachers in managing the booths. Moreover, the parents were very proud of our art gallery, and were more than happy to purchase the children’s work.
Getting ready for our performance!
Our hosts welcoming our guests.
We’re about to perform! We appreciate your donations!
Our guests enjoying the games and socialising. Thank you so much for coming and supporting our fundraiser circus!
**Watch our performance through this link: Little Big Circus Performance 😄🎉
The event was a huge success! By the end of it all, we surprisingly exceeded expectations as our school earned a total of $2722. We were very pleased to learn that all our efforts paid off! The K2s, in particular, are very proud of this achievement and are excited to begin shopping, setting up the buckets, and of course, delivering our gifts to our neighbours who need it the most. They are very ecstatic to have been part of this project! They hope to be able to give and reach out to as many people as they can in the community. Indeed, kindness begins with ourselves. And through this effort, we can only hope to have inspired the people around us to be kinder to one another, too. No matter how small or huge the act, we should continuously show compassion and pay kindness forward.
