Hunt for Happiness Week: K-2 Activities

Pre-activity supplies and preparation— Each child will need a shoe box. Classroom art supplies will be needed to decorate boxes. Teacher will review the Thirty-one Types of Happiness and be prepared to give examples of (small) items that could be associated with each type. The teacher may want to prepare his/her OWN “Happy Treasure Box” to share with the children and to illustrate the assignment.

Beginning “THE HUNT”— Give each child a shoe box. Explain that they are beginning an exciting adventure in search of happy treasures. As happy treasures are collected, they will need a special, secure place in which to place the treasures. This may be a time that the teacher will share his/her own decorated treasure box. Charge the students to write: “Happy Treasure Box” (put these words on the board for students to copy) somewhere on their box. Encourage students to be “adventurous and creative” in covering and decorating their box. To set the mood, the teacher may want to play Safari or adventure-type music while the students work. Allow 30 minutes for this project.

Explaining “THE ADVENTURE”— Explain the saying, “It’s a jungle out there!” to the students. Emphasize that even though everyone seems really rushed and busy taking care of responsibilities and making plans, there are happy moments and memories all around us. Teacher will tell the children that this is “Hunt for Happiness Week,” and they have a very special assignment to catch and collect happy moments and memories. Discuss the 31 Types of Happiness, allowing for class discussion about each type. Allow 30 minutes for the discussion.

HAPPY HUNTING!— Charge the students to take Happy Treasure Boxes home because they will be needed for “Happy Homework”. Ask students to share the list of the Thirty-one Types of Happiness with someone at home who can assist them in their search. Explain that they are to hunt for small items that can fit in their box that make them happy or that make them remember a happy moment. (Don’t limit the students, but ideas could include photographs, seashells, rocks, cards, CDs, books, and on and on) Give a due date for the assignment and tell about “Happy Show and Tell.”

HAPPY SHOW AND TELL— Review the saying “It’s a jungle out there,” and how we may discover many types of happy moments if we always keep our eyes open and our ears tuned-in.Explain that each child’s hunt was different, because each completed a unique journey and each of the “hunters” finds happiness in unique ways.