1. Connect with Sparky

Goals

Children will:

1. Become familiar with Sparky and Shady.
2. Practise connecting to Sparky (the calm inside them).
3. Practise asking Sparky for support.

Success 

Children will:

1. Name or point to Sparky and Shady.
2. Show (in their face or body) or say that they felt Sparky’s calm in their heart.
3. Say the “Sparky, can you help me please?” strategy.

Prepare

1. Print
   * Introduction Video Transcript and Connect with Sparky Transcript.
   * Two copies of each poster: Program Title Poster, Introduction Summary Poster, Hand Poster, Connect Summary Poster, Sparky Love Poster, Sparky Brave Poster, Sparky Help Poster and Sparky Friend Poster.
2. Set up
   * Place one Program Title Poster on the front of the educator folder and the other on the children’s folder.
   * Place the transcripts and one set of posters in the educator folder.
3. Have ready
   * For the Introduction video: Introduction Summary Poster and Hand Poster.
   * For the Connect with Sparky video: Connect Summary, Sparky Love, Sparky Brave, Sparky Help and Sparky Friend posters. 

Revisit

As this is the first lesson with the children there is nothing to revisit – yet.

Engage

1. Show children the Program Title Poster, Introduction Summary Poster and Hand Poster (you may like to read the captions).
2. Hook children’s curiosity by asking, “Have you ever felt sunny or cloudy on the inside?”
3. Tell children, “We are going to watch two short videos today.”
4. Explain the goals:
   * “In the first video we are going to meet Sparky and Shady – two imaginary parts inside us that help us.”
   * “Then in the second video, we are going to see if we can feel our Sparky.”
   * “After the videos we are going to practise asking our Sparky for help.”
5. Show children the Connect Summary Poster (you may like to read the captions).

Teach

1. Watch the Introduction video.
2. Refer back to the Introduction Summary Poster and check for understanding: “Which part of us is like the sun and which is like a cloud?”
3. Watch the Connect with Sparky video together.
4. Model how to connect with Sparky: place your hands on your heart and take one slow breath in and out.
5. Prompt children to join you:
   * “Put your hands on your heart.”
   * “Take a slow deep breath in and out.”
   * “Ask Sparky to help you feel calm and loved.”
6. Support with imagery if it helps: “Another way to feel Sparky is to imagine someone you love and think about how much you love them.”
7. Label the feeling, “That warm, loving, calm feeling is Sparky.”
8. Normalise differences, “Some people feel Sparky strongly, some gently and some don’t feel Sparky – yet. That’s okay. We are practising.”
9. Encourage a brief discussion about the video:
   * “What did you notice in your body?”
   * “Did anyone feel calm?”
   * “How did you go imagining Sparky?”
   * “What do you imagine your Sparky looks like?”

Educator tip – Younger children (3-5 year olds) may find it hard to imagine Sparky as a person, this is normal. The Sparky Friend Poster may be helpful to refer to when talking about Sparky. There are also a small percentage of people who cannot see pictures in their imagination. That’s okay, children don’t need to have a clear image of Sparky to feel Sparky’s love and ask Sparky for help. 

Practise

1. Revisit the Connect Summary Poster and read the caption at the bottom.
2. Show the three strategy posters and read the captions:
   * Sparky Love – “Sparky, can you help. me feel loved please?”
   * Sparky Brave – “Sparky can you help me be brave please?”
   * Sparky Help – “Sparky, can you help me please?”
3. Tell children you will be practising the “Sparky, can you help me please?” strategy this week.
4. Rehearse the sentence together a few times, “Sparky, can you help me please?”
5. Suggest examples of times they could use the strategy. For e.g. Sparky could help them:
   * Feel brave enough to ask a teacher or friend for help.
   * Feel calm when they are upset about something.
   * Keep going when they are doing something hard.
6. Social skills: Ask “Do you think other children would like help to remember to ask Sparky for help?” “When might be a helpful time to remind them?” “Is there an unhelpful time to remind them?”

Educator tip – it may be unhelpful to remind children to ask Sparky for help when they are heightened and dysregulated. In these situations the educator can ask instead, “Sparky, can you help us please?“

Apply

1. Invite children to draw their Sparky, imagining what Sparky looks like as a person or friend (whatever children want to imagine and draw is fine, copying the Sparky Friend Poster is age appropriate).
2. Allow children to talk about their drawings and thoughts about Sparky with you and other children while they draw.
3. If they are stuck with the drawing, suggest, “Why don’t you ask Sparky to help you draw your picture?”

Reflect

As children draw (or later during the week) gently check in on the goals and success criteria:

1. Could they name or point to Sparky and Shady (sun and cloud on a poster, or heart and head on their body)?
2. Did they show in their face or body (lit up smile, calmer body) or say they felt Sparky’s love and calm?
3. Could they repeat the “Sparky, can you help me please?” strategy?

Display

1. Display the posters from the Introduction and Connect with Sparky lessons on a suitable wall. Somewhere children can see them and refer to them during the week. 
2. If you have the wall space you might like to display the children’s drawings of Sparky too.

Repeat

During the week (if possible):

1. Rewatch the Introduction and Connect with Sparky videos.
2. Catch up any children who were away on the remainder of the lesson content.
3. Prompt children to use “Sparky, can you help me please?” whenever you notice they could do with some help.
4. Read the The Spark of Love story or watch the video of Kathy reading it.
5. Play the Freeze game (reminding children to ask “Sparky, can you help me please?” before they start playing).

Next 

After you teach and repeat this lesson for one week, move onto Lesson 2 – Train Shady.

Kathy