We began this project with a discussion about the different homes in Singapore. We then focused on HDBs and explained how these were established to help most of the people in the country have a place to live. The children learnt that sometimes, there are people that may need extra help and support as they may currently be facing personal problems—parents of families may be unable to earn due to job loss, or elderlies have difficulty coping with living alone due to their age and mobility. Some homes look untidy and unkept due to limited space or inability of a resident to simply move around to clean it. Looking at the pictures, the children wondered how these households would cope if any of them got sick. In large families, if one person gets sick, the virus will easily pass to another because there is no social distancing. If they are living alone, will a neighbour help them out? If not, who else will be there to assist them? We discussed what we would need to avoid getting sick. We would need to wash our hands and bodies with soap. Apart from COVID-19, we also currently face the issue of dengue, and so we have to make sure to not keep stagnant water at home. We should spray insect repellent. Knowing all these, the children were then asked, how then can WE help the people in the pictures? The children thought that maybe we can donate! We can donate things like soap, repellent, and even toothbrush and toothpaste to help them stay clean and safe from dengue.
K2 discussion response snippets.
Nursery students learning about the living situations of families in-need.
It was then shared with the children that our school has partnered up with WeCare@Marine Parade, a centre that helps vulnerable households and families in-need in the community. It was great that the children themselves thought about soap, repellent, and oral hygiene items as these were also some of the things suggested by WeCare for us to donate! It was then explained that our school will be starting a project called “Box of Love: A Shoebox Gift to Uplift Our Neighbours in Need.” Why a shoebox? Because it will help keep the gift size somehow fair for everyone, and also, will have enough space to fill in with the donations being asked for. What is ‘uplift’? I asked the children when they see their friend upset, what would they do? Cheer them up! Uplift means something similar. We want to try and make someone’s day by giving this simple gift to them. What is ‘neighbours in-need’? We have a lot of neighbours, but there are some, again, who may need extra help or support. We want to reach out to them and let them know they are being thought about and cared for, too.
What is WeCare?
What is a Box of Love?
The K2 children then created a poster to help inform our school community about the Box of Love project. A letter, along with a copy of the poster, was also sent out to the parents to explain the initiative and encourage them to participate.
K2 info poster.
Following the announcement of the project, the entire school dedicated an entire week to discuss more about showing kindness to others. The children realised that being kind is incredibly easy and can be shown in many different ways! We introduced the story “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud and David Messing. Through this, our children learnt what it means to be a “bucket-filler.” When we fill someone’s bucket, not only does it make us feel good, but we let others feel good and happy, too! We talked about the different acts of kindness we can do for others, and also literally filled various buckets by collaborating and working together.
Story in focus.
How can fill someone’a buckets?
Apart from this, we carried out other activities to show kindness and “fill the bucket” of people dear to us, such as our parents, teachers, and friends.
1. The K2 started a Kindness Tree and encouraged everyone to help it “bloom” by adding little notes of appreciation and love for someone.
The K2 Kindness Tree.
The Nursery writing appreciation notes and adding to the tree.
2. We wrote cards for our teachers and friends.
PN giving hearts and love notes to each other. The K2s handing over letters to the school teachers.
3. We baked brownies and wrote thank you cards for mum and dad.
Thank you for the things you do and give me, mum and dad!
4. We discussed and sorted out pictures of kind and unkind acts.
How will you feel if someone was kind/unkind to you?
Towards the end of the week, the children did a share and tell about the Box of Love they had prepared at home with their mummies and daddies. They expressed how it felt to make their box and how they hope it would uplift and give happiness to the people who receive it! Most of them shared that it made them feel good as they knew it would be helping someone in-need.
Sharing about the Box of Love we each made with mum and dad.
Our PG participated, too!
By the end of our Kindness week, the boxes were delivered to WeCare for distribution. We managed to collect more than 60 boxes! This meant we were able to reach out to that many households! It was very heartwarming to see photos of all the people who have received our Boxes of Love! We hope to be able to continue to contribute and bring joy to our community in other small ways.
The children making their Box of Love at home.Truly grateful for our supportive parents and families!
Handing over our Boxes of Love to WeCare.
Our Box of Love beneficiaries.
Indeed, it is incredibly easy to show kindness and be a bucket-filler!
