18: The Gifts We Give

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Imagine what it would be like to live in a world made of plastic; to have trees that are manufactured in factories that have different features and come in numerous designs. Imagine having to buy your own air just to be able to breathe. Will you live a happy life? 

In the town of Thneedville, the people seem content with a life like this. 

This week, the kindergarteners continued their inquiry on wood as a material, especially its source and how to use it sustainably. We anchored our lessons on The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, which we watched as a class throughout the week. 

“What do you think will the world be like without trees?” I ask.

“It will be sad. We will not have air for breathing.”

“The Once-ler used the trees to make Thneeds. Do you think that’s okay?”

“No, he cut off all the trees! The animals don’t have their houses anymore.”

“But we also use trees for many things. Do you think that’s okay?”

“Yes,” said the others.

“No,” said some. 

After much discussion, this was what we agreed on: 

“It’s okay to use trees, as long as we don’t cut all of them like the Once-ler did.”

“What can we do to make sure we don’t run out of trees?”

“Take care of them.” they said. “And plant a seed!”

And “plant” we did as the children made their own versions of Truffula trees from the story.

This week, we also had our much awaited Christmas celebration. 

We were so fortunate to receive a letter from Santa Claus, who shared all the kind deeds that he witnessed the children do. Please have a read:

After reading the letter, one of the children asked me with much curiosity:

"Ms. Pam, how does Santa Claus see everything we do?"

At a loss for words, I said, "He's omniscient."

"What does omniscient mean?"

"It means he knows everything. That's his superpower."

"Wow."

"Whew," I thought to myself. 😅

In our class, we value the little acts of kindness that we show to others through our kindness bottle, which we have been trying to fill up since the beginning of the school year. When I read the letter of Santa Claus to the children, I invited each one of them to put a marble in our bottle for every kind deed that Santa Claus witnessed.

Because of their kind deeds, we were finally able to collect enough marbles to fill our bottle. 

Which means we finally get to have a...

sticker party! 😃

Kindness is beautiful thing -- even if no one is watching. 💚

Santa Claus was in such a flurry to deliver the letter and the gifts to the children that he accidentally lost some of the things he had in his sleigh. His elf, Jolly Snowball, knocked on the children's kind hearts and asked for their help in locating the things that Santa misplaced. He gave the children a list of the things to find, and off they went on a scavenger hunt!

After finding everything on the list, they had a big surprise as Santa Claus himself came to collect all the things the children found, as well as share his gifts with the whole school!

He graced the early years with his infectious Christmas spirit through his laughter, joy, and kind words. The children were all in awe of his presence, and were thankful for the gifts that he shared.

It's safe to say that his visit is one of the highlights of our celebration as his Christmas cheer was truly contagious. 

Before leaving the early years area, Santa asked me, 

"How were our knighted elves in Kinder 2? Were they able to create amazing presents for their friends?"

"More than amazing," I thought, since all of the gifts they made came from their heart. It was not only a testament to their creativity (as well as their parents 😀) but also to their thoughtfulness and attention to their friends' interests. They knew exactly what to create to make their friend happy.

This week, the children gave a new meaning to the essence of the word "gift." Oftentimes, we see it as objects that we buy from stores and are wrap in beautiful paper, but it can also come in others forms: 

the time we give to others

our appreciation for the people we love

the little seeds of kindness we plant

the joy we give when we share

As said by the Once-ler in The Lorax, 

“I know it may seem small and insignificant, but it’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become. That’s not just a seed, anymore than you’re just a boy.”

Little things matter, and oftentimes, these are the best things that we can ever give.

May you all have wonderful Christmas.

Your Kindergarten teacher, 

Pam