LAUSD Summer Workshops: Empathy is My Superpower

We have been working our way through the LAUSD Summer of Joy! We were selected to come to a dozen local elementary schools and offer two days of workshops. The theme of our presentations this year is “Empathy is My Superpower.”

The first day’s presentation includes a comprehensive first look at the concept of empathy, and the importance of connection. Students play games that help them find out more about the connections between them, do activities that learn about the long-term affects of lacking empathy, and learn that we all have things that are weighing heavy on us. We then read the book “How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids” and then create our own buckets that the kids are encouraged to fill.

The second day starts with a review of what was learned the previous day. The students then watch a series of short clips that are easily relatable and demonstrate empathy in action. The children then get to paint and keep a ceramic butterfly: No two are the same, but they are all beautiful. They have survived the change from caterpillar, and have grown with it. We also can become a more empathetic person through a butterfly effect of caring.