Gratitude Projects 2016

This is the time of year the kiddos are starting to mentally check out. We have so many events in these last few months-field trips, awards celebrations, Field Day, etc. I want to do some kind of project each week to try and channel that focus. One of the projects I do every year is a Gratitude Project.

I start talking about gratitude from Day One with my kiddos. Once a week we write in a Gratitude Journal-sometimes they write about whatever they'd like, sometimes I give them a prompt like "write about what you are grateful for that you can't see". When they complain about things like why didn't a parent bring juice if they bring cupcakes for a birthday-I see that as a teaching moment-be grateful you have cupcakes. If they complain about having to do an assignment, I remind them of students in other countries who would love to be allowed to go to school.

So this time of year I ask them to put their ideas down on a poster. Name six things you are grateful for. I ask them to thing deeply on the subject and see what they can come up with.

earth, teacher, flowers, furniture, God, water and butterflies.

family, dog, Dad, friends, mom and everyone

Electricity, house, mom, earth, family and sun

mom, school, my teacher (I've been working out-look at those arms! :), food, friends and birds

birds

parents, water, electricity, pencils paper and animals

mom, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish

Scientists, astronauts, brother, mom, house, dog

superheroes, lizards, friends, angels, princesses, you

princesses

toys, ocean, animals, trees, magnets and electricity

trees, the world, houses, vegetables, puppies

dogs, trees, rain, gravity, clothes and friends

Love this illustration for gravity.

cousins, dog, friends, parents, brother, family

pinecones,pools, horses, dentist, mom, ocean

pinecones :)