What does it mean to be a bucket filler? Just ask one of our STA students.

In Term 3 students have been learning about feelings and how it is important to make sure you think about the feelings of others. We read a book called 'Have You Filled a Bucket Today?'. The students learned that a bucket filler is a person who does things to make other people people happy and feel good about themselves.

Loleni with the book 'Have You Filled a Bucket Today?'

The students thought about the different feelings that we have at different times. We wrote down a list of words to describe feelings like happy, angry, sleepy, sad and nervous. We talked about how sometimes someones face and body can show how they feel.

Feeling angry, feeling happy

Feeling lonely, feeling sleepy

Feeling strong!

In Art, both senior and junior students learned about how colour can represent different feelings. We read books and brainstormed what different colours can mean. Some students thought red was anger and others love. Some thought blue meant sad and yellow happy. Some thought yellow would be for when you feel sick.

Each student then made made a portrait using pastels or paint. They chose a feeling such as anger or happiness and tried to express that feeling with colour and lines.

Junior 'Feeling' portraits using paint

Senior 'Feelings' portraits using charcoal and pastel

After reading 'Have You Filled a Bucket Today?' with the senior and junior students we discussed what actions someone can take to make sure people feel happy, confident and loved. The students thought that saying thank you and kind words as well as smiling are important. We then did an activity where the senior students were grouped with one or two junior students to write kind words about each other. An example of some of the sentences are:

'Mwajuma you are a good dancer'

'Lawrence you are good at listening to the teacher'

'Gladness you help people when they need help. That is nice.'

'Shadia you are very funny. You make me laugh.'

The Prep and 1 students made buckets to put all the kind things written about them. Over the course of the term we have had many sessions where students reflected on what others had done well and said positive comments. Each student then put these comments in his/her bucket.

It has been a valuable learning experience for all students to think about what they say and do and how that makes other people feel. They know that bucket filling is really just making someone happy. After break and lunch we often hear students talking about how they filled someone's bucket and how happy it made them feel to know they had made someone else happy.

Global Classroom Questions

1. What does it mean to be a 'Bucket Filler'?

2. Write something kind about four students in your class.

3. What is a bully?

4. Create your own portrait using colour to show feelings.