In our school district we celebrate Harmony Day, an opportunity to highlight the importance of diversity, kindness and understanding. One of our amazing students wrote a great piece about what harmony means to him and I just knew that it needed to be shared. Although I was pretty sure I knew the answer, I asked him if he would present it at the Harmony Day assembly. His answer? "No!" So I tried again - "How about we film you doing it and show that at the assembly?" Once again, "No!" Although no one would call him shy, he just doesn't have the confidence to stand up there in front of everyone and share something so personal So finally I convinced him to use Adobe Voice (definitely an app worth checking out for ease of use and cool final product factor) to share it. I think his final product is amazing and wanted to share it with all of you.

Enjoy!

This little tub of rocks, lovingly collected from a sunny beach on a snowy day in January, has quite the adventure waiting for it.

Oh, these rocks don't know it yet. Right now, they are beautiful in their own right, sitting there in a tub on my classroom floor. They have no idea of the amazing fate that awaits them.

You see, each of these rocks is a kindness rock. Come Friday, these rocks will be transformed by creative little hands in to pieces of art that will lift the heart of someone who is hurting, bring a smile to the face of someone who needs it and acknowledge the wonderful kind deeds of another. ​

.These rocks will get passed from hand to hand around our school community, reminding our students that kindness is simple, it is small and it happens all the time.

Students will be encouraged to give away every rock they get (why is the hoarder mentality so darn strong in children?!) to a friend, a classmate, a teacher, a stranger who seems to need it. Hopefully this will gently nudge them to recognize the feelings and needs of others and to place those feelings and needs (momentarily anyways) above their own wants. Hopefully it will teach them what it means to be kind.

It's the little things that help our kids learn how to do the big things; how to grow up to be amazing, kind, caring, thoughtful human beings who look out for one another.

And maybe, just maybe, those amazing, kind, caring, thoughtful human beings will have a kindness rock in their pocket.

#kindnessrocks, friends. Feel free to paint a rock or two and join us!