Fun with Character: Eggbert and Unfairness

You will need a raw egg and a clear glass filled with one cup of water to start. Introduce Eggbert to the class as a new classmate. Introduce the cup of water to the class as the class. Place the egg in the cup, and watch it sink. The class did not support Eggbert, so he sank to the bottom. Ask the class to describe how Eggbert feels (down, sad, depressed, unloved). Remove Eggbert from the cup. Ask the class for suggestions of things can students in a classroom do to make Eggbert feel supported. (treat him nicely, play with him, share with him, defend him, say nice things to him, say nice things about him to others). Introduce the salt to the class as ways to be fair to a classmate. Each time you get a good suggestion, stir some of the salt into the water. You will need about ¼ cup of salt per cup of water to make the egg float. When all of the salt has been added. Put Eggbert back in the water. Applaud when he floats. Now ask for suggestions of how Eggbert feels now. (happy, included, valued, loved)

When finished, process the activity with these or similar questions:

• Did you know Eggbert was going to float the first time?

• Did you know Eggbert was going to float the second time?

• Have you ever felt like Eggbert did when he was at the bottom of the glass?

• Have you ever treated others, so they feel like Eggbert at the bottom of the glass?

• Have you ever felt like Eggbert when he floated at the top of the glass?

• Can you appreciate how your classmates can help you feel good or bad?

• Next time you want to treat someone unfairly, will you remember Eggbert and do the right thing?