Tomorrow is the first day of school! I am SO excited to *officially* meet my little first grade friends. Some of them came in on Friday for our school’s “Sneak a Peek.” Wow, they are DARLING! One sweet little girl told me, “When I saw I had you as my teacher, I kept saying ‘My wish came true, my wish came true.’” MELTS.MY.HEART! This year, we are doing a school-wide character education program based around this sweet book:
It’s a wonderful book that encourages children to be positive, kind, and loving to themselves and others. It is a GREAT book for any age group! You can read the book online here:
I’ve seen many different ways people incorporate this book into their classrooms. There are some seriously adorable ideas on Pinterest.
Here’s how my first grade team and I plan on using this book in our classrooms: Each class has a bucket. Every time a student does something kind for someone else, we will add a pom pom to the bucket. When our class bucket is full, we will have a class celebration (board games, dance party, etc.). I know my kids will eat this right up! I’ve created a few bucket filling activities to complete after reading the book. You can grab them below for free! 
Also, here’s a fun song that helps reinforce the message from the book. Enjoy!
Thanks for always filling my bucket, Sweet Friends! Have you filled someone’s bucket today?
Brandi
August 27, 2012Thanks for sharing the freebies. I'm working on my bucket filling wall tomorrow!
Brandi
Success in Second Grade
Don’t forget to check out My Summer in Pictures Linky Party
Suzy Q
August 27, 2012Thanks for sharing…just bought the book this summer and am eager to implement it in my class!
Lita Lita
August 27, 2012What a great book!
Can I have that sweet girl in my class? 🙂
Karen
August 27, 2012Thanks for the great activity. Reading this book is on my list of things to do tomorrow with my class. Your activity is way cuter than the one I had orginally planned to use! Can't wait to use it! Stop by and visit my blog sometime!
Karen
An Apple a Day in First Grade
Cyndi Lacy
August 28, 2012Thanks for sharing! I pinned it for future use!
Cyndi
Lacy's Letters
Teaching Fabulous Firsties!
August 28, 2012Thanks for the Bucket Filler pages! I love Bucket Filling! 🙂
Corinna
Teaching Fabulous Firsties!
Anonymous
August 30, 2012I used the book in Kindergarten. I took in a bucket and some sand and a dipper to use as another visual. The kids loved it and talked about the concept all day long and still refer to it. I love the print outs so I can give those little notes to the kids when I spy them filling buckets and want to let them know I appreciate them for it. Thanks for this!
:)
November 2, 2012Your pages are SO cute! I am a school counselor and so happy I found them! They look super professional and snazzy. You are awesome!
Hey, quick question- do you know which font you used for the writing "Bucket dippers are people who…" and those other parts of your page? It is adorable! I would love to know the name of it if you don't mind telling me!
Heather
November 6, 2012I would LOVE to know the font as well!