Tuesday, November 16, 2021
All available classroom slots have been filled. To be placed on the waiting list, email your school, grade and class size to Ben@EmbracingOurDifferences.org.
What
Embracing Our Differences, in partnership with Manatee and Sarasota County school districts and the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County and the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County, will again offer a unique classroom reading opportunity promoting kindness though “bucket filling” in early learning centers and pre-kindergarten through third grade classrooms.
Where
Our number one priority is the health and safety of our students, teachers and volunteers. Pre-recorded webisode read-alongs featuring colleagues from local performing arts organizations will be utilized on 11/16 in lieu of in-person or virtual volunteer read-alongs due to current COVID protocols and technology restraints.
Who
This program is open to all public, private and charter pre-k through third grade classrooms in Manatee and Sarasota County. Early learning centers in Manatee and Sarasota County are also welcome to participate.
Book Selections & Gifted Materials
The selections below are designed to promote kindness, appreciation and love by “filling buckets.”
In addition to volunteer read-alongs on November 16, each participating classroom, as well as each student, will be gifted with a copy of the book selected for their grade.
Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Early Learning Centers
Fill A Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young Children (Birth – Age 7) Children learn that everyone is born with an invisible bucket that holds your happiness. When we’re little, other people filled our buckets. Now we can fill buckets in many ways too! Children learn how special, valuable, and capable they are.
First Grade
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids (Ages 4 – 9) The original bucket filling book that uses the concept of a bucket and dipper to encourage positive behavior and discourage negative behavior. Children see how fun, easy, and rewarding it is to express kindness and love by “filling buckets.”
Second Grade
Bucket Filling from A to Z: The Key to Being Happy (Ages 4 – 9) Using the letters of the alphabet and rhyming prose, children learn many ways they can fill other people’s buckets while also filling their own. Because friendship, kindness, love and goodwill toward others is what makes us truly happy, children see that filling buckets leads to a happier you!
Third Grade
Buckets, Dippers and Lids: Secrets to Your Happiness (Ages 7 and up) Through the concepts of a bucket, dipper, and lid, children learn what gives happiness, what takes it away, and what protects it. This concrete concept helps children grow in kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness.
Virtual Teacher Workshop
Join Bucket Fillers creator/author Carol McCloud and co-author/Modesto Junior College instructor Karen Wells for a 60 min. virtual professional development exploring the Bucket Fillers concept and the question “how do I continue filling buckets with my students after reading day?”
| When: | Thursday, Nov. 4 from 4:00-5:00 PM |
| Location: | Live Virtual / Online interactive session via Zoom |
| PD Credit: | Participants will receive 1 hour of PD credit after attending |
| To Register: | Click “YES! Sign me up!” to the workshop participation question when signing up your class for the event. |
About Bucket Fillers
The Bucket Fillers’ books use the concept of an invisible bucket to encourage positive behavior and warm hearts. Each book shows children how rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love to others. As children learn to “fill bucket” by giving compliments, offering to help, and spreading good feelings to others, they see that their buckets are filled in return.
People who “dip” into our buckets, by refusing to help with a task or by saying and doing cruel things, often rob us of happy feelings. Children learn that “bullying” and “bucket dipping” are action verbs, not labels we put on others. The simple metaphor of a bucket helps all age-levels understand the importance of consideration and love, particularly towards those who bully.
Social-Emotional Skills Learned That Lead to Greater Happiness:
- Be a bucket filler. Be kind. You fill a bucket by sharing kindness, love, or even a simple smile with those around you. Be a helper; be a good friend and you’ll fill your own bucket as well as the buckets of everyone you meet.
- Do your best not to dip or be mean. Don’t be rude or cruel to others. People who bully often have empty buckets themselves. Showing off or seeking attention by dipping into someone else’s bucket won’t fill your own.
- Use your lid. Every bucket has a lid because sometimes you need to protect your happiness and the happiness of others. Use your lid to protect yourself and others from hurtful words and actions. Don’t let mean ideas sneak into your bucket of positive thoughts and emotions.
