"Spread kindness like confetti!" and "Be kind!" are two very popular sayings these days. Let's face it, today's world really needs more kindness! We are teaching our kids to be kind to others but are we teaching them to be kind to themselves. Are we being kind to ourselves and others? How do we really teach kindness? The answer to many of these questions can be answered with today's book. The book is The Kindness Machine by Chirstina Dankert and illustrated by Chad Dankert.
From the Publisher:
The Kindness Machine Written by Christina Dankert and Illustrated by Chad Dankert | Ages 4+ | 32 Pages | Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press | ISBN-13: 9781955119085Publisher’s Synopsis: Creative and artistic 2nd-grade teacher, Mr. Wilson, wants to teach his students about kindness. Mr. Wilson creates The Kindness Machine, a special machine that shows the students exactly what they can do to bring kindness to their classroom and into their hearts! Instead of telling his students to “be kind,” which is something children hear from a very early age, they learn exactly what they can do in their own lives by pressing the special buttons. In the end, Mr. Wilson teaches his students that they each have their own Kindness Machine within them to help make kind decisions for others and themselves.
This creative, innovative, and fun teaching method will direct kids to be kind to one another in their classroom and beyond. The book includes discussion questions to help the reader consider not only kindness towards others but also kindness towards themselves, a lesson that is not always taught.
The Kindness Machine is a practical and innovative tool for teaching emotional literacy, kindness, and acceptance of self and others.
Available in hardcover, paperback, and as an ebook.
About the Author:
Christina Dankert is a second-grade teacher. She has a passion for literacy and believes that we can change the world by reading to the children in our lives. This is her debut picture book. She lives in Sylvania, Ohio, with her husband, Chad, and their two children. She has dreamed of collaborating with her husband to merge their two professions of educator and artist into one meaningful product. The Kindness Machine allowed that dream to come true.
Learn more about Christina at www.christinadankert.com.
From Me:
This book is wonderful! I love that the male second grade teacher is creative and builds his own machines to help the kids learn and have more fun. The class is also very diverse which makes this book fall in the category of a multicultural children's book! The story itself is wonderful as well.
It is told by a student in the class, Cora. She seems excited to be at school and with her friends. It is obvious the kids really like their teacher as well. He brings in this cool machine that is to help them learn kindness and compassion. The kids get to push buttons and things appear on a screen. The ideas are things like smile, say a compliment, be kind to yourself. The lesson in this book is perfect for any classroom or at home. They are lessons we want our kids to learn and why the sayings in my introduction are so popular.
The story itself is fun and the kids will enjoy reading/hearing it. The kids are excited to learn about the mysterious machine and get even more excited as the kindness is passed around the room. The beginning of the book also has discussion questions for before the book, during the book and after the book. Some pages also have little asides with questions that will aid in discussing the book and the topics with a child or a group of them. It is a wonderful book with an important lesson. I hope you will check it out!
More Kindness for Kids:
To go with this book, I wanted to share some ideas from the blog world on teaching kindness to kids.
1) Bucket Full of Kindness Activity from Hands On Teaching Ideas
2) Give a Book and a Treat Kindness Challenge from Growing Book by Book
3) Kindness Challenge for Kids from Coffee and Carpool
4) The Ripple Effect Experiment from JDaniel4's Mom
5) Kindness Zoo Coloring Pages from Coffee and Carpool
6) Family Random Acts of Kindness from 24 Hour Family
7) Teaching Kids Compassion from Coffee and Carpool
8) Kindness Flower Craft from Natural Beach Living
9) Daily Acts of Kindness Cards from Organized 31
10) 110 Random Acts of Kindness for Kids from The Soccer Mom Blog
11) 25 Random Acts of Kindness for Kids from Natural Beach Living
12) Kindness Discussion Starters from Coffee and Carpool
13) Random Acts of Kindness from Frugal Coupon Living
Not Pictured: A Kindness Promise for Kids from Coffee and Carpool (she has many more ideas and activities to help raise kind kids)
And also, some more books that help teach kindness to kids.
1) Dr. Seuss's You Are Kind
3) Heartprints
6) Kindness Books Round-Up from Growing Book by Book
7) Community Service Books Round-Up from Mommy Evolution
Not Pictured: Personalized Book: I Can Change the World!
Giveaway:
Enter for a chance to win a classroom set of The Kindness Machine or one of five individual copies! Good luck!One (1) winner receives:
- A classroom set (30 copies) of The Kindness Machine will be sent directly to the winners' school of choice, along with autographed bookplates personalized for each student and the teacher.
Five (5) winners receive:
- A copy of The Kindness Machine, with bookplates autographed by author Christina Dankert
