Bucket Filling at Ladera
What are Bucket Fillers?
This year at Ladera you may be hearing a lot about "buckets" and "bucket filling." During the first days of school all of the classes have read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. This book explains to children that we all carry an invisible bucket in which we keep our feelings about ourselves. When our buckets are full we feel happy and good. When our buckets are empty we feel sad or lonely. All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and what we do. Filling another person's bucket fills our bucket as well. Every interaction in a day either fills or empties our buckets.
"Bucket fillers" are those who help without being asked, give hugs and compliments, and generally spread their love and good feelings to others. This can be done through a smile or asking someone to play with you. Other ways to fill your bucket is to spend time with friends and family, help out at home and school, and using kind words to one another.
On the other hand, a "Bucket Dipper" says or does mean things that make others feel bad. "Bucket dipping" robs us of happy feelings by refusing to help with a task, not sharing, or by saying or doing cruel things. The challenging problem of bullying or teasing can also be seen as "bucket dipping."
The simple metaphor of a bucket helps students understand the importance of consideration and love for those around us.
Throughout the year and through various classroom lessons and activities we will be learning to be "bucket fillers" and not "dippers."
Bucket Filling at Home
You can reinforce this lesson at home by talking about how your family can fill other people's buckets. Each day, you can ask your child to tell you how he/she filled a bucket today. Perhaps you can become a "Bucket Filling Family." You can decorate your own individual buckets and work on filling each other's bucket each day.
Talk to your children, call a family meeting and discuss how they can be bucket fillers at home. Ask each family member what fills their bucket and use their statements to develop family goals. Discuss ways each family member can work together to make home a more harmonious place to be. Define ways to share more or to be more courteous to one another. It may be as simple as discussing what chores they can help out with at home. For small children it can be as simple as making their beds, setting the table, or putting away toys. For older children they can vacuum, dust, and clean their room. Even taking better care of a pet or garden can fill our buckets.
Bucket Filling in our Community
Look at the opportunities there are to volunteer in our community. It is important to look at community not only as here in our town and classrooms, but in surrounding areas as well. This can include recycling, volunteering to help in school outreach projects, volunteering at Manna, or even the local library. For other ideas of volunteer opportunities in our area look up Volunteer Match on the web. They will match you with volunteer opportunities within our community.
Finally celebrate success. Post pictures or mementos of any community projects your family has been a part of on a cork board. As the year progresses set new bucket filling goals to keep the idea fun.
How Many Buckets Will You Fill Today?
