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This month we are “wild” about cranes. Our book of the month, The Paper Crane, reminds us of the magical powers generosity can have on others and ourselves. We learned that:

•  Generosity is the quality of being kind and giving.
•  Generosity is freely sharing what you have with others.
•  Generosity is being willing to offer money, help or time when it is needed.
•  To be generous means giving something that is valuable to you without expectation of reward or return.
•  Generosity doesn’t always cost money. Anyone can be more generous simply by sharing his/her spirit with others.

Our goal this month is to show generosity. Being generous does not have to cost money. You can be generous with your time, service and/or smile. In addition, you can be generous by donating a used coat to our Coat Drive, purchasing a new hat or mitten for the Winter Drive and/or making cranes for our school wide gift. Watch the video below or read these directions to make as many cranes as you can. Have fun!

This month we are wild about pandas and empathy.

• Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
• Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes.
• Empathy makes the world a better place.

Zen is a Japanese word that means meditation. “Zen shorts” are short meditations—ideas to puzzle over. Jon J Muth’s picture book, Zen Shorts, tells stories about people who feel and act in different ways than most of us do. The main character, a giant panda named Stillwater, teaches us to apply these valuable lessons from the story to our own lives. Be empathetic by listening to others, connecting with others and being altruistic by bringing in socks for Socktober.

Let’s practice empathy this month and learn more about pandas.

Check out the San Diego Zoo Kids website. It provides a fun and informative view of the pandas in the zoo through webcams, photographs, and videos.

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