Kindness Castle

crayola supplies

Markers
Model Magic®
No-Run School Glue
Pointed Tip Scissors

household supplies

recycled tissue box

Why?

Create a mailbox for kind thoughts. Express appreciation for acts of kindness with notes. There’s even space for "grumpies!"

Steps

1. Everyone appreciates knowing that kind deeds are recognized! Here are some suggestions for how to build a castle mailbox for your class to share kind thoughts with each other.
2. Glue several empty boxes together into a castle with Crayola® School Glue. Make sure there are at least two "doors" in which to place notes.
3. Using Crayola Markers, draw building stones on the boxes (cover the boxes with paper first, if necessary).
4. Decorate your castle with Crayola Neon Model Magic details such as turrets, flowers, or birds. Include a dungeon in which to put any "grumpies." Air-dry your decorations overnight. Glue them to the boxes. Air-dry the glue.
5. Start sharing kind thoughts and notes of appreciation with others in your classroom! And if something is bothering you, write a note to place in the "grumpies" section.

adaptations

• Try peer role playing. Set up situations where students read short scripts or improvise to do something negative toward a classmate. Come up with better solutions to resolve these problems. Act them out, too. Which strategies resolve issues most peacefully and to everyone’s satisfaction?

• Start a buddy system so that every student has someone with whom to discuss problems.

• Older students can start a peer counseling group. Often discussion solves simple problems by clearing up misunderstandings.

• Assessment: Expect an increasing number of notes as students realize the values of commending others for kindnesses.

benefits

• Children recognize the value of expressing appreciation to others.

• Students design and construct a castle-like structure in which to place notes of appreciation to classmates.

• Students increase kind behaviors and recipients acknowledge them with notes of appreciation.

grades

Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6

subjects

Math
Social Studies
Visual Arts

time

Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.