Creative Children Like the Animals of the World: Social emotional learning for elementary students

The students become co-authors by signing their name on the cover page. Inspired by scientifically based stories, art, creative questions & surprising prompts, they creatively color, draw and write in their ideas and impressions. Provide children with conflict resolution ideas drawn from the stories and nurture their well-being by conversing over what they expressed, for a creative, caring, and communicative learning environment.

The stories and poems of this book and the social emotional competencies they promote:

My Uncle Angel - What is nature. Openness. Imagination.Cute and Cuter - Butterfly life cycle. Cooperative behavior. Being brothers and sisters is more than being friends. We sometime take it for granted.If I were a Butterfly - Maybe in my imagination I can be a... Growth mindset.Secret Friendship - Perspective taking, seeing the broad picture.The Dawn of a Smile at the Heights - Reaching higher. Prosocial behavior.What Did You Think? I'm a Zebra Finch! - Emotion and behavior regulation. Purpose. Self-esteem. Constructive behavior.Such a Heart - Empathy and loyalty like man's best friend, the dog.A Smile for Only You - Playfulness, independence, and loyalty like the cat.Honey: The Bee Who Wanted to Fly - The bee must learn all the tasks of the hive before fulfilling its purpose as a forager. Behavior regulation. Optimism.The Glow of a Morning Stroll - Meeting an ant that prepares for winter. Planning, self-efficacy and self-directness.An Eye at the Tip of a Feather - Showing our true beautiful colors like the peacock confidently displays his tail feathers.The Chubby Cub and the Child of Courage - Native American story about care, leadership, and values (the child). Enthusiasm and support (the bear).In the Shade of an Old Tree - Emotion and behavior regulation. Perspective taking. Cooperation instead of competition.

Creative Questions:Sensational Senses - Discovering the senses. Cognitive flexibility.It's All about Eyes -Survival strategies (the butterfly) and behavior regulation.Why Do Trees Need Birds? - collaboration. Win-win situations.Coloring the Parrots in Red and Green? - Playful experience with colors.Lots of Brains in Little Heads - Small parrots-much intelligence. Not judging by looks.What Stories Do Colors Tell? Do people make things harder on themselves in order to convey social messages? A Domesticated Mouse? - Dogs are responsive to social cues. Cats protect their territory. Mice adapt to new situations. What can we learn from each?The Bee Nest: Not a Place to Rest - Time to grow and time to glow. Motivation to become better students toward potential fulfillment in the future.A Rainbow of Colors - The spectrum of colors visible to humans. Ultraviolet and infrared. Building up motivation to learn science. Cognitive flexibility.A Rainbow of More than Seven Colors? The primary colors in art and the primary colors of light.How does the butterfly see the rainbow? Openness. Curiosity. Imagination.Symmetry: It's Not Only a Matter of Beauty -Do people prefer symmetrical faces? Would it affect how they perceive the person?Nature's Wise Fair Share - Mother nature likes her creatures diverse. There's room for everybody.Letter to children - Connect to nature = connect to inner strengths. Values. Purpose.

This book was mentored by Dr. Moshe Rishpon - Founder of The Clore Garden of Science and The Science Oriented Youth Department in The Weizmann Institute, by Dorit Wolenitz - president of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History, & by Dr. Erica Landa