"Toothpaste Activity"

Today we did an "experiment" with toothpaste and it didn't involve brushing our teeth! I gave each child a small tube of toothpaste, a paper plate and a wooden coffee stirrer. They were all allowed to squeeze all of the toothpaste out onto the plate.

Next I asked them to put all of the toothpaste back into the toothpaste tube using the coffee stirrer. I heard a lot of, "This is hard!" "It's impossible!"

After letting them struggle for a little bit, I explained that the same thing is true with our words and actions towards other people. Once we say or do something it is out there and it can't be taken back. Just like with the toothpaste, we can try and clean it up, say we're sorry, etc. but we can't unsay the words or undo the actions. Mistakes happen and apologies are important. But it is also important to think about how our words and actions will affect other people before we say them.

In the next few days and weeks we will be talking more about empathy. We will be reading some books and talking about different situations. We will be working together as a class to create a classroom that is inclusive, welcoming and supportive to everyone!