Over the last two weeks of this term we are continuing our focus on Ngākau Aroha, Empathy. The staff have really enjoyed teaching the children to think about how other people might be feeling, and encouraging them to put themselves in other people’s shoes.

For the following two weeks we are looking at the concept of Bucket Filling. This idea has come from the book: Have you Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. Look on Youtube for readings of it, if you can’t get the book.

The concept of bucket filling stems around the idea that everyone carries around an invisible bucket that throughout the day is being filled by the kind things that you do for others or that others do for you.

A bucket filler is someone who is showing positive character traits (kind, considerate, caring, respectful). When our buckets are full, we feel happy and when our buckets are empty we feel sad.

For the next few weeks, we will be learning about different qualities that bucket fillers and bucket dippers exhibit. We will continuously be reading and re-reading Have You Filled A Bucket Today? so students are able to really grasp the concept of bucket filling. We will be practicing being a bucket filler in the classroom, and encourage students to be bucket fillers at home.