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Cool Kind Kid

I’m a Cool Kind Kid… so I’m PATRIOTIC

When the kids came in for class, Ms. Gilmour handed each of them a small flag. Tanner, Nicole, Rudy, Carmen, Stephen and Truman the Dragon greeted her and took a flag. Tanner asked her, “What are we doing with the flags?” Ms. Gilmour then asked, “What do we celebrate in the month of June?” “I know,” yelled Stephen, “School is over!” The kids all laughed, cheered and high-fived Stephen. “Yes, that is true,” she replied. “But what day in June is a special day for our country?” “I know! June 14 is Flag Day,” said Nicole. Ms. Gilmour then asked, “Why do you think we celebrate Flag Day?” Tanner jumped in with, “It’s the symbol of our country.” Carmen added, “It shows others that we are Americans.” “Flying the flag shows that we are patriotic and love our country,” Rudy said. Ms. Gilmour looked at Truman the Dragon and asked, “Truman, what does the flag mean to you?” He stood up to his full height and said, “The American flag is a symbol of freedom and acceptance. It shows that everyone is accepted here — even dragons.” Everyone cheered for Truman and gave him pats on his arm, because they couldn’t reach his shoulder. They then all marched around the room parade style, laughing all the way. After everyone was quiet again, Ms. Gilmour continued. “Rules help you learn how to play your favorite sport, right?” The kids all said, “Yes!” “Well, did you know that there are rules for how to treat and display our flag? These rules can be found in the U.S. Flag Code. If you Google U.S. Flag Code, you will see all the rules.” Rudy jumped up and acted scared as he said, “If we don’t follow the rules, will the flag police come and get us?” Ms. Gilmour laughed then asked, “Who knows a flag code rule?” Tanner explained one rule, “At my house our flag goes up in the morning, and we take it in at night.” Stephen added, “You can leave it out if it is lighted.” Nicole added, “But shouldn’t we take it in when the weather is bad?” “Good point, Nicole. Yes, that is right,” answered Ms. Gilmour. Carmen shared, “I heard that when a flag is old or worn out it should be burned, not thrown away.” “Yes, that’s true. The American Legion proudly performs that service for us,” added Ms. Gilmour. She continued, “And it should never touch the ground, be in water or be stepped on.” “When I go to parades with my family, I see people stand when the flag goes by. Others put their hand over their heart. It would be cool if everyone did that,” said Nicole. “Wow!” said Truman. “All these things show respect for our flag. I want to check out the U.S. Flag Code to learn more of the rules.” The kids said, “We are Cool Kind Kids, so we are patriotic!”

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Cool Kind Kid

I challenge you to…

As the kids were coming into class, Ms. Gilmour was hanging some posters on the wall. The kids all greeted her and asked what the posters were for. She replied, “I put all the ideas you had last time for ways that Cool Kind Kids speak, act and think, onto these posters so we could work with them today.” Tanner said, excitedly, “We made posters in art class at my school.” Nicole added, “We did that, too. Kids in my class thought it was fun.” Rudy had his hand up, “What are we going to talk about today?” Ms. Gilmour answered, “When you left last time, we were talking about taking all the Cool Kind Kid ways of behaving and making them into Cool Kind Kid Challenges.” Truman the Dragon said in a loud voice, “Are you TOUGH enough to be KIND?” Carmen added, also in a loud voice, “Are you COOL enough to be KIND?” The kids all high-fived Truman and Carmen. Ms. Gilmour laughed and said, “I’m glad to see that you remember what the Cool Kind Kid Challenge is all about. Let’s write your challenges on the posters here next to each Cool Kind Kid action.” She then said, “Let’s get started. Who wants to go first?” Stephen hadn’t said much since coming to class, but was eager to do this. He said, “Are you TOUGH enough to treat everyone with the same respect?” Nicole was waving her hand, “Are you COOL enough to try your best to be kind?” Tanner was next with, “Are you TOUGH enough to not be mean or rude to others?” Carmen added, “Are you COOL enough to comfort your friend when she is sad?” Rudy said, “Are you TOUGH enough to help a new kid find his way around the school?” Truman the Dragon stood up to his full height and said, “Are you TOUGH enough to stand up for a friend who is being bullied.” He then blew a little fire at the kids, who pretended they were afraid of him. Nicole laughed and added, “I think it’s important to be a helper, so I challenge kids ‘Are you COOL enough to help when asked, or see a need?’” Ms. Gilmour told Nicole that was a good one. She then asked the kids, “What are some challenges you can think of about being a good friend?” Tanner was the first to respond with, “Are you TOUGH enough to play fair and share so others will want to be your friend?” Carmen added, “Are you COOL enough to watch what you say so you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings?” Rudy said, “It’s important that we be TOUGH enough to not brag and boast around friends.” Everyone agreed with Rudy that bragging and boasting wasn’t cool and was a good way to lose friends. Truman the Dragon added, “Are you COOL enough to treat others the way you want to be treated?” Ms. Gilmour said, “Great job!” as the kids were leaving. Why don’t you try this at your school? Note To Parents From Ms. Gilmour In response to parent focus groups, Cool Kind Kid® has just introduced new products to help parents [and educators] provide the social skills tools necessary for their children [or students] to reject bullying. These include three books, flash and game cards, a Bullying Prevention Resource Kit and more can be found at www.CoolKindKid.com.

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Cool Kind Kid

Cool Kind Kid – March 2016

As the kids came into class they were talking all at once. Ms. Gilmour stood there and waited. One by one, Tanner, Nicole, Stephen, Carmen, Rudy and Truman the Dragon noticed that Ms. Gilmour was watching them. Then they each dramatically greeted her with “Hello,” “How are you?” “It’s good to see you again” and other greetings. She greeted each in return. As the kids settled down, Ms. Gilmour asked what they were all talking about when they came in. They each took turns telling her about the response at their schools to the posters they did last time. Tanner shared, “When I took my poster to my class, the kids all wanted to add new things to it.” Nicole was excited when she said, “Kids in my class did that, too!” Rudy added, “Some of my friends made jokes and said things that a Cool Kind Kid wouldn’t do, but the other kids corrected them. That was cool.” Truman the Dragon was quiet for a while, and then said, “My teacher put the poster where we could all see it. During the day, if someone did or said something that a Cool Kind Kid wouldn’t do, he asked the class if that should be on the poster or not. That made the kids think about what they were saying or doing.” Ms. Gilmour looked around the class and asked what the kids thought that meant. Stephen said, “The teacher was using the poster list of who and what a Cool Kind Kid is to teach the difference between cool/kind and uncool/unkind behavior.” Everyone then high-fived Stephen. Carmen was waving her hand and asked Ms. Gilmour if she could share an idea. She said, “I think we could get more kids involved and make them more aware of how Cool Kind Kids act if we ask our art teachers to let us make more posters. We could make it a contest with each classroom adding new ways that Cool Kind Kids talk, act and think.” Ms. Gilmour agreed that was a great idea. All the kids said they would go back to their schools and present this idea. One thing Ms. Gilmour reminded them about was, “When you present your ideas to your art teachers, or classroom teachers, be sure that you tell them how excited kids were to get on board with this and offer their own ideas for the posters.” The kids all agreed that they could do that. Ms. Gilmour then said, “Here’s an idea for the next time we meet. The posters are about what Cool Kind Kids say, do and think. Let’s add the Challenge in. We’ll take all the content on the posters, what you have added at your schools, and think about how to make Cool Kind Kid Challenges out of them. For example, ‘I’m a Cool Kind Kid, so I’m tough enough to not be mean or rude to others.’” Everyone thought that was a great idea. Note to Parents From Ms. Gilmour: In response to parent focus groups, Cool Kind Kid® has just introduced new products to help parents (and educators) provide the social skills tools necessary for their children (or students) to reject bullying. These include three books, flash and game cards, a Bullying Prevention Resource Kit and more. All can be found at www.CoolKindKid.com.

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Cool Kind Kid

I’m a Cool Kind Kid® so I…

Ms. Gilmour greeted each of the kids as they came into class. Each one greeted her in return. Tanner asked, “What are we doing today?” Ms. Gilmour replied, “I think we should do something different today.” Nicole jumped up, saying, “Oh goody. I like to try new things.” Everyone laughed and looked at Ms. Gilmour. She then said, “Usually when we get together, we talk about how to be Cool Kind Kids, and how we can get other kids to be Cool Kind Kids as well. The last time we met, I showed you the poster that said in big letters, “I’m a Cool Kind Kid.” It was like this one, only with a different colored background. I then asked each of you if you were Cool Kind Kids and how others would know that you were Cool Kind Kids. You all gave some great examples of qualities that Cool Kind Kids have, and things that Cool Kind Kids do, say and believe.” Ms. Gilmour continued, “So today, let’s keep going with that, but let’s put all the ways to be a Cool Kind Kid on a poster. Carmen said she liked that idea. Rudy thought it sounded like fun. Stephen asked, “Can we each make one to hang in our schools?” Truman shared, “I like art projects. This sounds like fun.” Ms. Gilmour then said, “You can each make a poster to take with you for your school.” I’m a Cool Kind Kid … …So I treat everyone with the same respect! …And I try my best to be kind! …So I comfort my friend when she is sad! …Who listens to others so they will listen to me! …So I am not rude or mean to others! …And I help whenever I’m asked or see a need! …Who helps a new kid find his way around the school! …And I stand up for a friend who is being bullied! …Who pays attention in school so I can learn! …So I use my best manners wherever I go! …And I always try my best! …Who doesn’t tease someone about something they can’t change! …And I protect younger or weaker kids from bullies on the bus! …So I don’t brag and boast about myself! …Who plays fair, loses graciously and wins humbly! …So I’m careful with the words I say! …Who knows that being rude turns others off! …So I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings! …Who practices the Golden Rule! …And I want to be a good friend so I’ll have many friends! …Who compliments a friend so they feel special! …So I know the kind kid is the cool kid, not the bully! …Who believes bullying isn’t cool! …And I believe it’s Cool to be Kind! Wow! exclaimed Ms. Gilmour. “You each thought of four ways to be a Cool Kind Kid. Be sure to hang your posters at school.” Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: In response to parent focus groups, Cool Kind Kid® has just introduced new products to help parents [and educators] provide the social skills necessary for their children [or students] to reject bullying. These include three books, flash and game cards, a Bullying Prevention Resource Kit and more. All can be found at www.CoolKindKid.com.

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Kids

I Want To Be…

When the kids came into class they saw a big poster that Ms. Gilmour had on the wall. As she greeted each, she asked, “Do you want to be a Cool Kind Kid?” Everyone replied, “Yes!” Then all the kids high-fived each other and jokingly asked, “Do you? Do you? Do you?” to everyone. They all laughed as the class started. Ms. Gilmour asked, “What are some things that you think make a Cool Kind Kid?” Tanner had his hand up first, “Be kind to everyone.” Rudy added, “And be cool!” She laughed, and then asked, “What else?” Nicole said, “I think a Cool Kind Kid must be caring, like comforting a friend when they are sad.” Carmen added, “Cool Kind Kids seem to know when a friend is hurting. They try to help wherever they can.” Stephen was waving his hand, “They not only help when someone is sad, they help at home, at school and other places.” Ms. Gilmour told them they had thought of really good things about how to be Cool Kind Kids. Truman the Dragon stood up and shouted, “Cool Kind Kids like and accept everyone, even big dragons.” The kids all gave Truman a thumbs up! Ms. Gilmour then asked, “How do you think the Cool Kind Kid Challenge we have been talking about for quite a while can help more kids to say, ‘I’m a Cool Kind Kid?’” Carmen said, “We have to get kids to see that being kind is the cool way to be by asking them, ‘Are you COOL enough to be KIND?’ We could show them how to tell someone their dress is pretty, instead of saying they look weird.” Nicole got excited about this and added, “We could help them see that when they are kind they will have more friends. Kids who have a lot of friends are always the cool kids.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Tanner was jumping in his chair to share, “I know too many kids who pick on others about how they play a game. We could ask them, ‘Are you TOUGH enough to be KIND?’And then show them how to support and encourage kids, rather than being mean.” Rudy added, “Some kids think that being kind means they’re wimpy, but we know that being kind shows you are tough, confident and cool with who you are.” Truman the Dragon was agreeing with the boys as they spoke. He shared, “I want to be a Cool Kind Kid, or dragon, just because I think it is right. Being a Cool Kind Kid means I watch what I say, so I don’t hurt someone. Being a Cool Kind Kid means that what I do is important, so I don’t do anything rude or harmful. It means being aware of others, their feelings, being caring and sharing. It means helping where I can, and showing love and respect to everyone. Everyone stood and cheered for Truman. (C) Cool Kind Kid

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Cool Kind Kid

New Year – New Challenge

When the kids came into the first class after the holidays, they were all excited to share what they had done while on vacation from school. As Ms. Gilmour greeted each she asked, “I know you want to share the fun things you did over the holidays, but let’s talk about the things you did to be ‘Cool Kind Kids.’” Tanner was first to share, “I helped my grandparents get presents wrapped because they aren’t able to do as much now.” Nicole said, “My family put together boxes of food for needy families in our church.” Carmen shared, ”I did that with my Girl Scout troop.” As each child shared, the others were cheering and giving high fives. Rudy was waving his hand, “My Boy Scout troop visited men in our local Veterans Home and took them cards that we made.” Everyone thought that was a great, cool and kind thing to do. Stephen was excited to share, “My mom had everyone in my family go through toys and other stuff that we don’t use, to donate to needy families. At first I didn’t want to do it, but when we went as a family to the donation center and saw how many families needed things, I felt like I was doing something important to help others.” The kids all cheered for Stephen. Truman the Dragon was thinking about all that had been shared when he said, “I think what everyone did was great. My family got together with other dragon families and we prepared and served meals to the people in our homeless shelter. We wanted to show them that even dragons can be kind, caring and cool.” Ms. Gilmour said, “That’s great, Truman, you definitely showed that we are all the same, even though we may not all look the same.” Next, Ms. Gilmour asked, “It’s a new year now, and what do you think we can do to extend the kind, caring spirit of the holidays?” Truman was first, “We can show everyone that we are all the same, just as you just said.” Nicole added, “Let’s challenge all kids to keep doing kind, caring and cool things for others.” Rudy stated, “Let’s ask kids, ‘Are you COOL enough to be KIND?’” Carmen looked at him and said, “Sometimes we get picked on at school when we are kind.” So Tanner stood up and said, “Just tell those kids that ‘kind is cool, and unkind is uncool.’” All kids joined him and yelled, “Kind is Cool! and Unkind is Uncool!” Stephen spoke up and said, “Let’s challenge them to, “Be TOUGH enough to be KIND!” Nicole added, “Too many kids think being unkind or bullying is sooooo cool! We need to help them learn that those are so uncool!” Ms. Gilmour asked, “How can The Golden Rule help here?” Tanner said, “Great idea! We can challenge them to treat others the same way they want to be treated.” Everyone high-fived each other as they said, “Good-bye.” (C) Cool Kind Kid Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the U.S. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up-to-date research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid.We post Barbara’s Anti-Bullying Tips on Mondays, Tanner’s Tuesday Tips, Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Thursdays, and Oliver’s Tips for Kids on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and how you have successfully dealt with bullying. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to: info@coolkindkid.com.

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Cool Kind Kid

Happy Holidays

When Tanner, Nicole, Rudy, Carmen, Stephen and Truman the Dragon cameinto class they were all excited to tell Ms.Gilmour about their Thanksgiving vacations. Everyone talked at once. She waited until the kids quieted down, and calmly said, “Happy Holidays.” They all started to laugh. Tanner said, “We met outside and knew that you would ask us about our Thanksgiving holidays. So we decided to tell you that we all had turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.” The kids all thought this was very funny. Ms. Gilmour then said, “I guess I surprised you by what I said.” “Yes, you did,” they all said. She continued, “What holidays do we have in December?” Nicole raised her hand first, “Christmas, my most favorite holiday of the year.” Rudy added, “Hanukkah is in December, too.” Carmen then said, “And, so is Kwanza.” Ms. Gilmour then explained, “In this country almost everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, usually with turkey dinner.” She winked at the kids as she mentioned turkey dinner. “But the holidays in December are very different in that some people celebrate one holiday and others celebrate another. Each family has its own customs, beliefs and traditions.” Nicole said, “My family has a tradition of going to church on Christmas Eve, and then I put milk and cookies out for Santa.” Rudy said, “At my house we celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah. I get a gift every night. How cool is that?” After Rudy said that he looked at Ms. Gilmour and said, “I know that isn’t the reason we celebrate. We also talk about what the holiday means.” Ms. Gilmour responded, “No matter what your faith or what holiday you celebrate, it isn’t about the gifts you get.” Carmen added, “But if you do get gifts, always remember to thank whoever gave you a gift in person, and if the gift was mailed and you didn’t get to see them, write a thank you note.” Everyone said, “Ugh!” But they all realized that a thank you note was the polite way to let the person know that you got the gift, and that you liked it. Truman the Dragon hadn’t said much so far, so Ms. Gilmour asked him what he was thinking about. He said, “We’re talking a lot about having fun holiday celebrations with special food and lots of gifts. But I feel sad for the kids who won’t have all those things this holiday season.” Ms. Gilmour then looked at the class and asked, “What can we do to help kids who may not have such a nice holiday?” All hands went up. Stephen shared that his family helps needy families in their neighborhood. Nicole added, “We prepare food at our local soup kitchen.” Tanner said, “My family collects things we don’t need all year, then we donate them to the shelter.” Carmen added, “I go through my toys and give some to other kids.” Truman high-fived each of the kids as he said, “I feel better now that we are being Cool Kind Kids.” Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the U.S. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up-todate research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid. We post Barbara’s Anti-Bullying Tips on Mondays, Tanner’s Tuesday Tips, Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Thursdays, and Oliver’s Tips for Kids on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and how you have successfully dealt with bullying. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to: info@ coolkindkid.com.

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Cool Kind Kid

Challenges for November

When the kids came into class, Ms. Gilmour greeted each with a “Hello,” “Welcome,” “Thank-you for coming today” and “How are you?” Each of the kids responded to her with one or more of those greetings. Tanner said, “Hello” to her. Nicole said, “Thank you. I’m fine, how are you?” Carmen greeted Ms. Gilmour and the other kids with, “Welcome to everyone.” Rudy laughed and said, “Hello everyone, welcome to class, and how are you all today?” The kids all laughed with him. Ms. Gilmour laughed, too, as she said, “I was just seeing if you remembered how to greet people when they greet you. You did a great job.” Ms. Gilmour then reminded the class that October was National Bullying Prevention Month. Everyone remembered that. She then asked, “Does bullying stop on October 31st?” The kids all yelled, “NO!” She continued, “Do you think it is a good idea to extend Bullying Prevention Month to Bullying Prevention Year?” All the kids said, “Yes!” Truman the Dragon spoke up and said, “We have spent a lot of time talking about ways to stop bullying. Our schools seem to pay more attention to it in October. I think we just have to get everyone on board to do what we do in October all year.” Everyone high-fived Truman. Nicole added, “We made some great posters. Let’s ask the teachers and the principal to keep them up all year. Stephen hadn’t joined in the conversation yet, so he added, “Let’s get all our friends on board with the Cool Kind Kid Challenges.” Ms. Gilmour then said, “What I’m hearing all of you say is that our first November Challenge is to keep the Anti-Bullying campaign going.” “Yes!” they all shouted. Ms. Gilmour then posed a question to the kids, “Do you agree that if we all use The Magic Words, we can help stop bullying?” Everyone nodded. She continued, “And if we use The Magic Word thank-you, showing our gratitude for what others do for us and say to us, do you think we can help people realize that being ungrateful can lead to bullying?” Everyone agreed that could happen. Truman the Dragon said, “When we are grateful, we are positive. When we are ungrateful, we are negative, and I think being negative can lead to hurting others, which can lead to bullying.” This time the kids all fist bumped Truman. Ms. Gilmour then added, “Let’s add ‘using The Magic Words, especially thank-you’ to our November Challenges list.” “What holiday do we celebrate in November?” Ms. Gilmour asked. The kids all said, “Thanksgiving!” “And what other November Challenge can you think of for Thanksgiving?” she asked. Nicole said, “Being thankful.” Rudy added, “Showing that we appreciate what we have.” Tanner shared, “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see all my family who live far away.” “We have three November Challenges: keep Anti-Bullying going; use The Magic Words, especially thank-you; and be grateful,” concluded Ms. Gilmour. Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the US. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up to date research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and learn about how you have successfully dealt with bullying. [We don’t post names or locations.] Go to http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to info@coolkindkid.com. At the request of parent focus groups, we have been developing a Bullying Prevention Parent/Child Resource Kit. We will be having 3 new books for parents and children available soon as well. Look for them on our website: www.coolkindkid.com.

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Cool Kind Kid

Back to school cool!

It was the first day of class of the new school year, and Ms. Gilmour was as excited to greet the kids as they were to see her. Everyone wanted to tell her about their summer vacation. Tanner shared first. “I went with my family to a dude ranch. We had a great time riding horses and learning how to take care of them. We had barbecues and bonfires at night. It was cool.” Nicole added, “I ride my horse every day. I know how much work it is to take care of a horse. I had several horse shows over the summer, so my family did that with me. It’s fun to travel together.” Carmen then shared, “I had fun at soccer camp with my friends.” Rudy and Stephen also went to sports camp where they had a lot of fun as well. Truman the Dragon then added, “I traveled across the country in a camper with my family. We saw lots of interesting things, and had a great time together.” Ms. Gilmour shared that she had gone to London for a visit. She then said, “It sounds like you all had fun this summer. Now how can we make summer fun continue into the start of school?” Everyone groaned and made sad faces. Many said they didn’t think school could ever be as much fun as summer. Ms. Gilmour then asked the kids, “How can we make school a fun, cool place to go to every day?” Nicole was first to answer, “We have to get kids to be nicer to one another. In the summer, everyone seems to get along better.” Stephen added, “I think Nicole is right. I don’t see as many kids fighting or teasing others in summer sports.” Truman then said, “Why is that? I see that, too. Summer sports seem to be for fun, but school sports are often harder. Too many kids are hurting each other just to get a goal or steal a base.” Tanner then spoke up and said, “I think we need to be more accepting of others at school. In the summer we all seem to get along on the playground, or wherever we are.” Carmen agreed with Tanner, “In the summer, we try more to look past differences and see everyone as equals.” Truman added, “That’s right. We all need to act like Cool Kind Kids whether in school or having summer fun.” All the kids agreed. Ms. Gilmour then asked the kids, “What challenges are needed to make school a fun, cool place?” Nicole said, “We need to feel safe at school; so no bullying.” “So I think the first challenge is ‘To be tough enough to stand up for a friend who is being bullied’.” Tanner said, “I know a good challenge, “Be tough enough to tell a friend who is bullying that he isn’t going to have many friends.” Carmen added, “Be cool enough to be kind to everyone.” Class ended, and everyone said, “Goodbye.”

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Kids

Compliments – How they can prevent bullying?

The kids all came into class excited about what they were doing on their summer vacations from school. Ms. Gimour greeted each child and asked what fun things they had done so far during the summer. Nicole started by saying that her family had a staycation. Rudy said, “My family has done that. It can be a lot of fun.” Nicole added, “We went on some fun day trips to the beach, to an amusement park and to visit my grandmom.” Everyone had their hands up to share their summer experiences. Stephen said, “I went to soccer camp for a week with my friends. We had a great time.” Stephen added, “I went to basketball camp with my cousins. We played a lot of basketball.” Ms. Gilmour asked Carmen what she did. She replied, “We took a car trip to visit family. It was fun to visit cousins we don’t see often.” Truman the Dragon shared about his trip to Disney World. The other kids all laughed and asked him if they allowed dragons in Disney World. He said, “Of course they do. Everyone there thought that I was very cool.” Ms. Gilmour laughed too, and then asked if the kids understood that people at Disney World telling Truman that he was very cool, was called a compliment. Tanner said, “I’ve heard that word. Doesn’t it mean saying something nice to someone?” Ms. Gilmour replied, “Yes, Tanner, you’re right.” Nicole said, “Can’t it also mean saying someone looks nice?” Ms. Gilmour agreed that Nicole was right also. Ms. Gilmour then added, “Some other things that compliment can mean are ‘an action that expresses admiration or approval;’ or ‘an act or expression of praise, approval, respect or admiration.’” She continued, “Now how do you think that a compliment might prevent bullying?” The kids all looked puzzled. Truman the Dragon spoke up and said, “When I heard people telling me how cool I was, it made me feel really good. I liked that feeling.” Nicole added, “I love it when someone tells me they like my dress or shoes.” Carmen said, “I like to tell others they look nice.” Rudy was thinking about this, “If a lot of bullying happens because kids say mean things to each other, what will happen if they start saying nice things instead?” “I can see how that would change how kids treat each other, and maybe help stop bullying,” added Stephen. Ms. Gilmour then asked, “How should you act when someone gives you a compliment?” Nicole was first to answer, “I think you should smile and say ‘thank-you.’” Ms. Gilmour continued, “Did you know that just like a present or a favor is considered a gift, a compliment can be a gift also.” Truman the Dragon was waving his hand, “I like to get gifts and I like to give gifts. Since compliments are gifts that make others feel good, I want to give them whenever I can.” Carmen added, “Let’s tell our friends about how compliments work.” Everyone agreed to do that. Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the U. S. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up to date research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page. For your kids, we post Anti-Bullying and Social Skills Tips from Barbara on Mondays, Tanner’s Tuesday Tips on Tuesdays, Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Thursdays, and our newest contributor, Oliver’s Tips on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and how you have successfully dealt with bullying.

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