The Wonderful Necklace

I was talking with the kindergarten teacher today about positive ways to support students (more of a "catch them being good" approach) and she told me that she has introduced The Wonderful Necklace in her classroom. When you observe a fellow classmate doing Wonderful Work you silently slip the necklace over their head. That student is then to observe other students and pass the necklace along to a friend who is doing Wonderful Work. She said that this has created a lovely atmosphere in her classroom where friends are complimenting one another and that the child who is quiet, focused, and hard working is often pleasantly surprised at the unexpected gift of the necklace. She said it has worked so well for her!

I asked if there was a book she used to introduce the concept and she said that Fly Free!is a great fit. It is all about the Buddhist idea of karma.




Her necklaces (she has a large class so she has 2) are simple beaded strands. I am bringing in a beaded sunflower seed necklace from back when my mom was a hippie. She gave it to me and I always thought it was so cool.

I can't wait to try this in my classroom! I had a student today compliment another friend on his hard work, and I think this is a lovely way to keep that concept going. Plus, Fly Free! is one of the picture book nominees for the Black-Eyed Susan award so we will use this opportunity to read it.

I'm also knitting a cluster of Black-Eyed Susans to keep on the bookshelf near the nominee list. 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: A Collection of Beautiful Blooms for Embellishing Garments, Accessories, and Morehas a Rudbeckia pattern (one of their simpler knitting patterns) which I am eager to experiment with.