Kindness Rocks Project
KINDNESS R O C K S.
This all started about a week before my kiddos school year began. Sending our kids off into the world can be mind boggling. There are so many things we think we need to prepare them for, right? No matter what type of education you provide for your little ones, I'm sure that socialization factors in some how. Out of all the things I wanted to send them off with, there were a few words that kept floating to the forefront of my mind. These words were ones that encompassed many situations all at once. KINDNESS was one of those words. But how do we teach kindness to young children in meaningful, mindful, beautiful ways?
I decided to incorporate collecting, making, and exploring into my KINDNESS ROCKS project. Imagine that. ; ) Here's how it all unfolded and why it works SO well.
COLLECT: ROCKS If you really want to take this project full circle, then start with a nature adventure to collect river rocks. If you don't have a river near you, then a lake, pond, or any place with water will do.
The reason this part is important is because it will lay the groundwork for the topic of KINDNESS in meaningful way. It will make it real because they will have a visual metaphor AND remembered experience to base it off of.
EXPLORE: THE RIPPLE EFFECT
While you are collecting rocks, have the kids take turns throwing a rock into the water. Watch as the ripples stretch and unfold, growing larger and larger as they echo out from the original source. This RIPPLE EFFECT is an amazing meditative practice. As you watch the ripples with your kids you may not want to introduce the topic of kindness, but rather simply comment of the beauty of that one act, throwing a stone into the pond. Spend some time reflecting this, quietly or through conversation.
MAKE: A MANDALA
Now that you've planted the seed for the project, pick a day to introduce the
KINDNESS ROCKS MANDALA.
FAMILY VALUES START AT HOME
Place a cut-out of a heart in the center of the area designated for your mandala. When I did this I explained that no matter how far they ventured out on their own, my kids could always touch their hear to remember their center: home. If you have family values, I am sure that being kind and respecting each other is something you already incorporate into your days. I reminded them of our family and what we value. We value each other and ourselves. But the question is, how do you ensure that that kindness that we show towards those we love, makes its way out into all the other people in the world we may meet along our way?
Of course, I had taken photos and videos of the ripple effect from our rock collecting day. But if you didn't just look one up to show. At the start of the project is a great time to bring back the memory of the RIPPLE EFFECT and talk about how it relates to kindness. For every act of kindness we put out into the world, it spreads and spreads as other feel happy and thus inclined to do something kind as well!
HANDS-ON LEARNING
With little ones I think hands-on learning is so important. A concept in abstract form may make a slight impression but if you really want to leave a lasting mark, then getting them involved directly with a concept is the way to go.
We completed our KINDNESS ROCKS MANDALA over the course of a day. We piled the rocks we had collected in a dish and left it by our mandala board. Every time anyone in the family showed a random act of kindness to someone, they got to add a rock ( or a circle of rocks) to the mandala. This beautiful organic method of teaching KINDNESS really resonated with us. The enthusiasm and connection they showed towards building our KINDNESS ROCKS project was so apparent. By the end of the day we were proud to see how many rocks (or acts of kindness) had been added throughout the day!
This is truly one of my favorite adventures with my kids so far and I think I may start random mandala days just to bring it to the forefront of their minds from time to time.
I truly hope that you start a #KINDNESS ROCKS PROJECT at home, at your school, or in your community. If you do I'd love to hear about it!! Consider this a CALL FOR KINDNESS and share with as many as you can. Let's see how far we can take this and show our kids how KINDNESS SPREADS!
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