Deborah Delisle

This book helped me to think about how to create community within our new virtual world. At the outset of this school year, I was looking for inspiration, especially around activities that would help my kids listen to one another and grow together. I have adapted a few of the activities for use on Zoom, and it was just the inspiration that I needed to get my year back on track. I teach middle school, so a few of the activities were not age appropriate, but many (especially the "grate misteaks lesson") were a just right fit.… (mais)

This book is full of fantastic activities to help kids get to know themselves and others better. I cannot wait to use it this school year. The introductory section talks about how to use the activities and why. The next section talks about inviting children in to learn by providing positive guidance instead of negative rules (don'ts, nos, and nevers.) The idea is to give students a better idea of themselves and appreciate the similarities and differences they have with others. One of the activities I cannot wait to try is the License to Be Me activity where kids pick their own vanity license plate message. This activity has so much packed into it; creativity, puzzles (use only a combination of 7 numbers and letters to convey a message), symbolism (through the drawing of the background), and fun as they think up plate messages not only for themselves but other famous people as well.… (mais)

The purpose of this book is to help teachers design lessons that will enhance students' "self-awareness, empathy and personal growth," all attributes we want our young people to develop as they become adults. This book is designed for grades 3-6 but many of these activities could be used as a basis to develop activities for older students. I loved how the book is set up - especially the activities. Each describes the objectives of the lesson, the material needed, an estimate of time, a description of how to do the activity and worksheets if pertinent. This is a wonderful resource for teachers.… (mais)