What is a School Counselor? 1st classroom lesson

This lesson was perfect. The students got really into it and I think they really understand my job better. I think it is really important to talk to kids about what a school counselor does every single year, even if they think they already know, because it reminds them they can come talk to you if they are having a problem.

I gathered some easy to find toys and supplies that represented different aspects of school counseling and put them all into a book-bag.  For the younger students, I only used about half of the objects to keep it simple. I pulled out each object and explained how it represented my job and then passed them around so every student could touch them. With the older kids, I had them close their eyes and pull something out of the bag. Then, I had the class guess what the object had to do with school counseling. I was a little surprised how well the older kids did. They were able to guess what everything represented.

Objects:
Big heart - for caring about and loving all students
Hug Me Monkey - Helping students feel better when they are having a hard time at home, school, or with friends
Goofy glasses - I help students look at things in a different way, or from a different perspective
Magnifying glass - to look for the clues to help you solve your problems
Megaphone - to cheer you on and support you
Headphones - for listening to students
Big Eraser - for helping students when they are having a hard time with their academics
Angry Bird - I help students learn ways to calm down when they are angry or upset
Lock - represents confidentiality

Does anyone else do this activity? If so , what objects do you use? If not, how do you introduce your role to the students?

I borrowed the idea for some of these objects from one of the counseling  blogs I read, and now I can't find the post. Please leave a comment or email me if you know where it came from so I can give credit. Thanks