Little Miss Smiley

I have recently subscribed to the Scholastic website on Google Reader.  I always love to see what people are doing in their actual classrooms.  Today, a project immediate caught my eye because of memories from when I was a youngster.  I remember reading many of the Mr. Men Little Miss books as a child.  I love seeing that they are coming back in popularity with children. 

One teacher, Allie Magnuson, posted about using these books as a character exploration in her classroom.  She said, "This is a good introductory activity to get kids thinking about who they are and who they would like to be. It is not meant to be a serious discussion on character development, but instead a light-hearted activity that makes kids feel good about themselves, no matter what...Everybody has weaknesses as well as strengths, and tries the best they can. Let students pick any one of their many qualities, even a not-so-good one. Explain that since the quality they pick is just one of many, and can even be changed if they want, it does not define them or limit them. It's just part of what makes them special."

I feel like focusing on the good and not-so-good qualities of your personality is a good reflection for children of all ages.  Ms. Magnuson even shows pictures of her students as they show their self-portraits which reflect the concepts of these Mr. Men Little Miss books.  Follow this link to get some ideas of your own!

http://blogs.scholastic.com/classroom_solutions/2010/10/mr-character-and-little-miss-personality-a-celebration.html