BUCKETFILLING PROGRAMS

Click here for a Video Clip of Assemblies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhKMDAfaaE0

​

Bucketfilling programs leave behind an easy-to-understand metaphor that becomes a part of the social-emotional fabric of the school community.  With a little bit of continuation and continuity it becomes a forever tool in the character education toolbelt that is accessible at all times by students, staff, and families. Here is how I teach it:

​

School Assemblies: I offer large group assemblies (K-2/3 is 35 minutes, and 3-5/6 is 40 minutes).

Grade-level workshops: I offer a variety of 20-30 minute whole-grade enrichment workshops.  Workshops are typically delivered after the assemblies, are highly interactive and allow students extra time in a smaller group setting to work with the concept of choosing kindness as a habit.

Parent workshops: Parent morning workshops (45 min) provide opportunities for parents and caretakers to learn ways to support and grow the bucketfilling message in the home environment.

Description of Large-group assemblies:

Younger assembly (K-2/3) is approximately 35 minutes and includes

• Introduction to the bucketfilling metaphor and how our personal bucket level impacts how we feel

• Concept of choice in being a bucket filler or a bucket dipper

• Effects of Kindness, Caring, Loving, and Sharing for filling others’ and our buckets

• Effects of Meanness, Anger, Selfishness, and Bullying for dipping in others’ and our buckets

• Using our “lid” of resilience

• Four students come up, play instruments to "Fill More Dip Less" song

• Four teachers come up, have silly hats put on them, take bucketfilling "test"

• Repeat after me Bucketfillers Song (“singing oh way oh!”)

• Simple pledge

• Presentation of framed certificate to Principal

 

Older assembly (3/5-6) is approximately 40 minutes and includes

• Introduction to the bucketfilling metaphor and how our personal bucket impacts how we feel

• Concept of choice in being a bucket filler or a bucket dipper

• Effect of Kindness, Caring, Loving, and Sharing for filling others’ and our buckets

• Effect of Meanness, Anger, Selfishness, and Bullying for dipping in others’ and our buckets

• Using our “lid” of resilience

• Three ways to be an incredible bucketfiller:  1) Have more fun 2) Be more positive 3) Be more welcoming

• Bucketfiller Rap

• Simple pledge

• Presentation of framed certificate to Principal

 

7th and 8th grade programs are grade-level presentations that bring the core concepts of the assemblies to life in a fast-paced, funny, and highly-engaging learning experience that includes relevant stories, multi-media examples, and student involvement. While this is admittedly a challenging age group to move to outcomes in a 40-minute presentation, the simplicity of the message and the power of the metaphor accelerate the internalization of the benefits that will motivate participants toward mindful, intentional positive behavior choices.

 

Description of Grade-Level Workshops (20-30 min)

The grade-level workshops are always changing and evolving as Kelly discovers and creates new activities, object lessons, examples, and  video clips to reinforce the content in meaningful ways.

For K-2nd graders, Kelly uses songs, repetition, and physical movement to help children remember specific ways to act in order to be a bucketfiller, ways to prevent being an accidental or purposeful dipper, and ways to remember to use our lid.

For 3rd-6th graders Kelly will clarify the metaphor and discuss examples of behaviors and how they apply their daily lives, have staff dramatize bucketfilling vs bucketdipping using “real” interpersonal examples from their day, and then also do a pair-share activity where the students learn a little bit more about their fellow students (it’s about building community, getting to know each other, finding out what makes us unique, leads to empathy and appreciation of others).

​

Parent and caregiver workshops (45-60 min)

are designed to inspire participants to keep the bucketfilling message alive at home with a focus on creating a positive atmosphere, promoting social-emotional development, and helping children understand what makes them valuable to their world.

Parent workshops include research, examples, strategies and techniques to help parents and caregivers build a bucketfilling family filled with bucketfilling kids (and parents). MORNING Parent workshops start right when school begins but before the first student assembly.  These are typically well-attended and the mood is uplifting and leads to a positive start to the day. EVENING Parent workshops can be scheduled the night before or after day of the student assemblies.

​

All programs can be customized to support your desired outcomes and existing character ed initiatives. Just know that Kelly is very flexible and can work with special requests.

​

Staff and Educator Conference Workshops

 

How to be your kids' favorite teacher:  Teaching strategies to help home-schooling parents master instructional excellence

This workshop is designed to teach home-schooling parents the most up-to-date educational research and brain-based engagement strategies to lead and coach their children to become motivated and reflective life-long self-led learners.   Drawing from the works of Eric Jensen, Ned Hermann, Howard Gardener, and Daniel Goleman, this class will teach educators and parents the skills and techniques they need to help their learners develop the habits and mindsets that will drive them to achieve the outcomes they desire.  This workshop is really for anyone who strives to be more engaging and effective at leading and teaching others in any learning environment.

​

Train them up right: Developing character and social-emotional intelligence in children and youth

This workshop is designed for anyone who interacts with children and youth on a regular basis including parents, foster parents, caregivers, teachers, instructional aides, camp counselors, Sunday school staff, and more. An extensive survey of current research on SEL will allow participants to develop a deep understanding of the role they play in developing the personal character, social skills, and emotional intelligence of children and youth in their midst, and provide them with simple strategies, free resources, and engaging activities to help promote and teach the critical life skills that children and youth will need to enjoy personal and professional success in the 21st century.

​

How to be everyone's favorite co-worker: Strengthening your emotional intelligence and communication excellence in the workplace

Working well with others is a dynamic interpersonal dance that requires precise management of your verbal and nonverbal communication, a comprehensive understanding of human diversities, a proactive positive mindset, and a highly developed emotional intelligence. Good news is that all of this can be attained through knowledge and practice.  In this workshop you will gain the wisdom and skills needed to help you interact with your co-workers with empathy, clarity, consistency, and resilience so that everyone will see through your words and actions how they too can become everyone’s favorite co-worker.

​

How to be everyone's favorite speaker/presenter: Discovering strategies to improve your presentations and appear more perfectly natural as you strive for universal engagement

This workshop is for anyone who wishes to improve their ability to be more memorable, credible, engaging, and effective when speaking or giving presentations to small or large groups in formal or informal settings. You will learn over 50 simple strategies to help you immediately change and improve what you say and how you say it in order to appear more natural and better connect with your audience whenever you speak or deliver presentations.  You will learn the best ways to control your delivery, organize your thoughts, design your slides, and provide the most relevant information so that a hearing-seeing audience can experience maximum retention by being fully engaged at all times.

​

How to be everyone's favorite service provider:  Connecting the science of customer service to your everyday actions including everything you think, say, and do when providing service to others

Serving others well is imperative to your personal and professional success, yet it can be difficult to achieve 100% of the time because humans have emotions, reflexes, and limited supplies of willpower. This workshop will look to the fields of behavioral, psychological, and communication sciences to discover how to navigate any service encounter well by understanding human being’s motivations for doing what they do.  Particular attention will be on developing interpersonal communication strategies to manage the impressions, perceptions, and expectations of customers through precise thoughts, words, and actions.  Participants will gain a deeper understanding of their own personal “why” of serving others through a written “personal philosophy of serving others.”