TOPIC: Feelings

CONCEPT: The ability to identify and name feelings and to have empathy for others are essential to the development of communication and social skills and are protective factors that offset risks in children's lives.

OBJECTIVE: Students compare and contrast hurting someone's feelings with saying caring, healing words, noting that once mean words are said, they leave a scar, even when we say nice things afterwards.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Draw a large Humpty Dumpty on butcher paper according to the instructions given above. Discuss the story of Humpty Dumpty. Discuss how it feels to have mean things said to us. AVOID THE USE OF "GOOD FEELINGS" and "BAD FEELINGS." Say instead, "feelings we like to have, and feelings we don't like to have." Say something mean to Humpty Dumpty and tear off a small piece of him as you say it. Ask the students what Humpty Dumpty is feeling (sad, lonely, hurt, angry, afraid, disappointed, friendless, etc.) and make the corresponding face to demonstrate the feeling. Do this several times. Ask how they think they would feel if they hurt Humpty Dumpty (ashamed, mean, hurtful). Then invite the students to take the pieces you have torn away and carefully tape them back in the original place as they say nice, tender, reassuring, thoughtful things to Humpty Dumpty. Draw a smile on his face.

POST-TEST: After the children have finished taping, ask the class:

• What does it feel like to have mean things said to you?

• How does it feel to know you have hurt someone's feelings?

• Can you tell where Humpty Dumpty's torn pieces or hurt feelings were?

• Even after nice things are said, can we still feel the hurt feelings?

• How can we keep from hurting each other's feelings?

DISCUSSION: After the "Post-Test", explain that even when we say, "I apologize" and "I am sorry," a person can still tell that we said mean things... just like Humpty Dumpty. Even though we said nice things and replaced all the torn parts, we could tell where the mean words tore away or hurt him. Ask the students to agree to work hard at not saying mean things to each other, even when they are angry. Words can hurt or heal, and sometimes the hurt lasts a long time.

TOPIC: Feelings and Body Language

CONCEPT: The ability to identify and name feelings and become aware of body language is essential to the development of communication and social skills, which are protective factors that offset risks in children's lives.

OBJECTIVE: Students listen to a list of common feelings read aloud by the teacher, watch the teacher model body language and observe their body language in a mirror.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Cut the feelings (follow this link and print page) into strips and place in a paper bag and set aside. Do not use the mirror yet. Discuss feelings; explain that everyone feels lots of different feelings. Sometimes we can feel several different feelings in one day or one hour and sometimes we can feel two feelings at once. Name the feelings: happy, sad, surprised, scared or afraid, ashamed, lonely, disappointed and mad or angry. As you name each feeling, encourage the children to "make their faces and bodies show the feelings." Describe what you see (frowns, smiles, folded arms, pursed lips, etc.). Model what you see them do. Explain that this is called "body language"... you don't have to say something to show a feeling... your body speaks through its actions... your body's actions are like "sign language"... they can tell us things without words.

POST-TEST: After the children have practiced the feelings without the mirror, place the mirror in front of the class and allow each student to draw a feeling out of the sack. (You may assist the student in reading the feeling's name.) Ask each student to model the feeling they drew and observe him/herself in the mirror. Ask the child to explain what he/she is making her face and body do to show the feeling to others. As each child takes his/her turn, ask:

• What does ______________ look like? (Repeat for each feeling drawn)

DISCUSSION: After the "Post-Test", ask, "Do some feelings look alike?" (Sad, lonely and ashamed often do.) Explain that even when we think we know what a person's body and face are saying, we cannot be sure. We must always ask how the person is feeling to be sure. What might happen if we thought someone was feeling one feeling, but they were feeling another? We might behave in a way we thought was the best way to behave... like leaving a person alone when we thought they were angry, but instead they were lonely. What might they think if they were lonely and we just left them alone? We could hurt someone's feelings.

TOPIC: Choices about feelings and behaviors

CONCEPT: The ability to control one's feelings and manage one's behaviors is essential to social competency and bonding, which are protective factors that offset risks for children.

OBJECTIVE: Students listen to the teacher read aloud simple situations, name the feeling they think they would feel and state what they would do if they were in that situation.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Print out worksheet (follow this link and print page). Discuss feelings; explain that everyone has lots of different feelings. Name the feelings of happy, sad, lonely, surprised, scared or afraid, disappointed, ashamed and mad or angry. As you name each feeling, ask the students if they like to have that feeling or don't like to have that feeling. Discuss how we all have feelings we don't like to have. Everyone, even adults get happy, sad, lonely, surprised, scared, disappointed, ashamed or angry. We are all responsible for our words and actions, even when we have feelings we don't like to have. Explain that when some people have feelings they don't like, they try to give them to someone else... like when someone says mean things or does mean things when they are angry or mad. Giving away feelings we don't like doesn't make them go away. We still have them, but more people have feelings they don't like. What if everyone did that? Explain that the way to get rid of feelings we don't like is to do something that gets us feelings we like. When we are sad or lonely or mad or afraid or disappointed or ashamed, we can tell someone we trust how we feel and ask them to help us feel better. That way we can get rid of the feelings we don't like to have without giving them to others. Everyone gets feelings they like to have! Discuss who they could tell about their feelings.

POST-TEST: Read the situations (see link above) aloud and for each situation, ask the class:

• What feeling do you think you would be feeling if that happened to you?

• Is it a feeling you like to have? Or, is it one you don't like to have?

• What would you say or do if this happened to you?

DISCUSSION: After the "Post-Test", ask, "Do some feelings look alike?" (Sad, lonely and ashamed often do.) Explain that even when we think we know what a person's body and face are saying, we cannot be sure. We must always ask how the person is feeling to be sure. What might happen if we thought someone was feeling one feeling, but they were feeling another? We might behave in a way we thought was the best way to behave... like leaving a person alone when we thought they were angry, but instead they were lonely. What might they think if they were lonely and we just left them alone? We could hurt someone's feelings.

TOPIC: Choices

CONCEPT: To show the process of decision making for healthy behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: The prevention of unhealthy behaviors is easier than to change them once they have been established. Students in early elementary may not be using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs but they are at risk of doing so. It is necessary for students to learn at a early age that they have choices and that they have the ability to make good choices.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Engage the students in a discussion about choices. Explain that a choice is something you decide to do. For example, you can choose to play ball in the street or in your fenced yard. Ask the students which choice would be the safest and why? Ask for examples of choices that they have made. Discuss how important it is to make choices to keep us safe and that we must not do what our friends want when it is not safe. Stick pictures up around the room of items in a particular category. Ask the students to stand beside the one they like best. Repeat this activity with several different categories.

DISCUSSION: After the demonstration facilitate a discussion utilizing the following questions. Be sure to emphasize that learning how to make good choices can be an important tool in growing up healthy.

Discussion Ideas:

• What happened during this activity?

• Did everyone make the same choice?

• Why did you make your choice?

• Was it hard to make a choice some of the time? Why or why not?

• Did you ever make a choice just because one of your friends went there?

• When could going with a friend be dangerous?

• If your friend wanted to do something where you might get hurt what could you do instead of going along with your friends?

TOPIC: Choices

CONCEPT: To show the process of decision making for healthy behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: The prevention of unhealthy behaviors is easier than to change them once they have been established. Students in early elementary may not be using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs but they are at risk of doing so. It is necessary for students to learn at a early age that they have choices and that they have the ability to make good choices.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Engage the students in a discussion about choices. Explain that a choice is something you decide to do. For example, you can choose to play ball in the street or in your fenced yard. Ask the students which choice would be the safest and why? Ask for examples of choices that they have made. Discuss how important it is to make choices to keep us safe and that we must not do what our friends want when it is not safe. Stick pictures up around the room of items in a particular category. Ask the students to stand beside the one they like best. Repeat this activity with several different categories.

DISCUSSION: After the demonstration facilitate a discussion utilizing the following questions. Be sure to emphasize that learning how to make good choices can be an important tool in growing up healthy.

Discussion Ideas:

• What happened during this activity?

• Did everyone make the same choice?

• Why did you make your choice?

• Was it hard to make a choice some of the time? Why or why not?

• Did you ever make a choice just because one of your friends went there?

• When could going with a friend be dangerous?

• If your friend wanted to do something where you might get hurt what could you do instead of going along with your friends?

TOPIC: Identifying and Expressing Feelings

CONCEPT: Often children have difficulty identifying their feelings and don't realize that in one day many feelings might be expressed. Helping children learn to identify their feelings and talking about them enables children to feel comfortable expressing feelings rather than holding them inside. When children don't feel comfortable expressing their feelings they often choose alcohol and other drugs to cover the feelings.

GRADE LEVEL: K - 2nd

ACTIVITY: Have the children sit in a semi-circle. Ask for a volunteer to come forward. The child whispers a feeling in the teachers ear and turns his back to the group. When the child turns around he/she should have an expression on his/her face that shows the feeling that was whispered in the teachers ear. The class then guesses what the feeling is. You may need to provide some help to the students in picking a feeling or making the facial expression. After the feeling is identified have the child share a time that he/she felt that feeling. Give other class members an opportunity to tell about a time they also experienced the feeling. Give each class member an opportunity to show a feeling. Encourage using a variety of feelings.

DISCUSSION:

• Did everyone have the same feeling? Why not?

• How many different feelings did you see?

• Do we have more than one feeling?

• Are there good and bad feeling? Why or Why not?

• What might happen if you kept your feelings to yourself?

TOPIC: Choices & Consequences

CONCEPT: Students in upper elementary grades are often unaware of the consequences of their choices. This lack of awareness can result in self-defeating, destructive and dangerous behaviors. Awareness of choices and consequences is a protective factor that offsets risks in children's lives.

OBJECTIVE: Students name situations that could "entrap" them in a "web of consequences" and brainstorm ways to avoid poor choices, make better ones and help each other to make safe, healthy and responsible choices and decisions.

GRADE LEVEL: 3rd - 5th

ACTIVITY: Print out spider web. Engage the students in a discussion about how spider webs work and why insects don't see the webs until they are caught in them. Webs are not easy to see unless you are looking for them. To be safe, insects must be aware and watch out for webs. Unwise choices can trap us in situations that are like spider webs. Sometimes they are not easy to see. To be safe, we must be aware and watch out for situations that are like webs that can trap us. Explain that once in the web or situation, the insect must face the consequences, and once in a negative situation, people must face consequences too. Form pairs. Using the handout, instruct pairs of students to decide on and write a sentence describing a situation that could "entrap them in a situation that could cause them trouble or endanger them." Ask each pair to read their situation aloud to the class. Engage the class in brainstorming how to be aware of and avoid the situation. Ask them to name alternative choices and how friends can help friends avoid "the trap."

POST-TEST: After the activity, ask the class:

• How is making an unwise choice like being trapped in a spider web?

• What is one way we can avoid being trapped in a negative situation?

• How can we help our friends avoid trouble or dangerous situations?

• Does a friend encourage a friend to make choices that could be dangerous?

DISCUSSION: After the "Post-Test", discuss the role of friendship and when it is appropriate and necessary to ask a trusted adult for help on behalf of a friend headed for a "trap." Post the spider webs.