Gratitude Tree

It was a busy start to the school year - aren't they always? An ongoing mission of mine is to create a caring and peaceful environment in our school, which means having student involvement. We have a tree that is painted on the wall at our front entrance that I often use as a display for various projects. This time, I decided to create a 'Gratitude Tree', given that our (Canadian) thanksgiving is the second Monday in October.

I began by removing the old decorations (I took this picture before removing the old decorations at the top). I added the slogan so that visitors would know what our tree represented. With the help of my daughter's Silhouette cutter , I prepared 325 hearts in fall colours.

Next, I met with each of the classes and explained their assignment. They were each given a heart and were asked to write what makes them happy on it. We brainstormed ideas together ... a good book, friends, family, the sand between my toes, homemade cookies, etc. It didn't have to be complicated - just something that makes them feel good.

Above are some examples of what makes these students happy.

The green heart in the top rights says "When people give me good news, they make me happy." "When mom is happy" is written on the yellow heart in the middle. I had an "Aw!" moment when I read that one. For the most part, the kids really understood the message and had written many beautiful things.

Our completed "Gratitude Tree

Once I collected all of the hearts, I placed them on the tree to simulate autumn leaves. The expression on the student's faces when they pass the tree and see the hearts on it is priceless. I feel it motivates them to recognize and appreciate people and things that feel good to them. In turn, they will hopefully extend this to others.