Song to get little one's excited about character building

A character coach in MD came up with this song and it really is a great way to get kids excited about character education.

The tune is to Disney's song "Zippity Doo Dah"

Zippity Doo Dah, Zippity Ay;
My oh my, I'm a winner today
Plenty of Good things heading my way
Zippity Doo Dah, Zippity Ay.
Good character makes you a winner;
Keep your head up,
You won't fall,
Do what's right and you'll stand tall.
Zippity Doo Dah, Zippity Ay
It feels good to be a winner today!
 

(lesson created by Vin Brown)

Colors of the Rainbow.

Teaching young ones the character trait of self-respect can be daunting. They don't understand abstract concepts and need concrete examples.

Some examples of how little ones can show themselves self respect are:

• Eating healthy
• Brushing their teeth
• Getting a good night's sleeps
• Picking up their toys
• Treating animals nice
• Not being mean to nature (squashing bugs, destroying leaves on a plant, etc.)

 Here's an activity that kids will enjoy that teaches the need for a healthy diet.

Eating the Colors of the Rainbow.

Depending on the age of the children they can either draw a rainbow themselves or you can make copies of a black and white rainbow to be colored. Here is a link to a rainbow that can printed off

http://www.kindbook.com/maths/7_rainbow_maths.gif

With each color of the rainbow have the kids name fruits and vegetable that match each color.

Some examples

• Red: Apples, Strawberries, Rhubarb, Watermelon, Cherries, Raspberries
• Orange: Oranges, Squash, Carrots, Cantaloupes, Sweet Potato
• Yellow: Pears, lemons, peppers, bananas, pineapples
• Green: Peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, Brussels sprouts
• Blue/Indigo: Blueberries, Plums
• Purple/Violet: Grapes, Raisins, blackberries

Challenge the kids to eat something new. Express that it's OK if they don't like it, but they still need to try it.  If the school allows it, bring in samples of the different colors.

For older kids, share with them the healthy benefits that veggies and fruits have. Kids like to know that carrots help the eyes.

Giraffes Can't Dance.

The book "Giraffes Can't Dance" written by Giles Andreae, is an excellent book to read during a Character Education lesson. The story and colorful illustrations are perfect;  they hold the attention of even Preschoolers.
 
The story details a giraffe, Gerald, who can't dance like the other animals. They all laugh at him and pick on his long legs and lack of rhythm. Gerald is sad and goes off by himself when a cricket shows him how to access his own natural dance and self expression. 


There are opportunities for discussion within this book to get the children to think with empathy and then relate it to themselves and others.

• How did Gerald feel when all the animals laughed at him? Has anyone ever laughed at you for something? Have you ever laughed at someone and it made them feel bad?

• Gerald found his own way to dance, though it was different, it was wonderful. Do you know of anyone who did things different from others? Have you ever done something different just because you like it? Were you ever made fun of for it?