All people have need for and deserve friendship and belonging. In this lesson, we explore the elements of community relationships, like kindness, inclusion, listening, and trust. The children compile pages to make a big book that teaches others to be caring community members. 

Students brainstorm simple acts of kindness and design a bookmark as a reminder.

Based on the recommendations of the soup kitchen guest from lesson one, young people decide how they will take action to help address a need. They may donate canned food, volunteer to serve lunch, bring games to play with children at the soup kitchen, or make bowls to sell as a fundraiser. This...

All cultures have practices and customs regarding hospitality, or how we treat guests. In these folktales, we learn about different expectations and degrees of these customs and how travelers test the limits of hospitality and feel the effects of their host's generosity. 

Students learn how and challenge others to reduce waste based on observing habits in the lunchroom or in the classroom trash can.

Adapt this one-period lesson plan for your grade level and follow it with a simple and powerful service project...

Students learn facts about hunger and food insecurity and understand the three stages of hunger.

Now that the need they want to address is identified, the children meet people in the community who address the need and others who may want to help them with their fundraiser. 

Learners research the environmental effect of crayons and their own power to make an impact. They collect gently used crayons from restaurants and other places in the community. They sort them by color, repackage them sustainably for re-use, and add a kind note. They learn about the...

Learners take action for the common good to promote kindness in their school. They give smiley stickers to others or create posters to display around school with messages that promote kindness or teach people how to respond to bullying behavior.