The Giving Tree

Students in TK, kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade participated in a guidance lesson on The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HWNWnm3IX2M).  The story is about a little boy who loves the tree.  The tree provides the boy numerous things throughout his life: branches for swinging on, shade for resting in, apples to eat, apples to sell, branches for building a house, a trunk for building a boat, and a stump for resting on.  Whenever the tree is able to help out the boy, the tree is happy. 

As a group we discussed that whenever they boy is happy, the tree was happy.  We related that to our own lives: when our friends and family are happy, we are happy.  Students were given the opportunity to draw one way they can give to someone else in order to make them happy.  It was encouraged that students thought in non-materialistic ways.  Some examples were: giving Mom or Dad a hug, holding the door open for someone, holding hands with a friend, washing the dishes, and helping to do laundry.  Students drew or wrote their examples on a hand shape and then it was displayed on our 'giving tree.'  This fit very well for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday -- thinking about what we can give to others.