Unit 1 · Clubs, Secrets and Staying Safe

Maya, Omar and Lily all like bugs. So they made a Bug Club. They look for bugs. They draw bugs. They talk about bugs.

A club is a group of people who share something. They may share a game. They may share a job. They may share a team.

The thing they share brings them together. It gives them something to do as a group.

Jin likes to draw. He goes to an art club after school. Drawing is his hobby. A hobby is something fun you like to do.

Some clubs share a job. Nurses may meet to learn new ways to help sick people. Some clubs are teams. A team plays a sport together.

Hobby clubs, job clubs and teams are all clubs. Each one shares something. Each one meets to do it together.

The Bug Club meets in a blanket fort. That is their clubhouse. A clubhouse is a place where a club meets.

Clubs pick a name. They often pick a picture too. The Bug Club picked a ladybug. A picture that stands for a group is a symbol.

Long ago, stone builders used a square and a compass. These tools help make straight corners and round circles. Some builders’ clubs still use these tools as a symbol.

The Bug Club made rules. Be gentle with bugs. Let bugs go home at the end of the day. Take turns with the magnifying glass.

A rule tells people what to do. Good rules help everyone. They keep the club safe. They keep the club fair.

Good clubs make rules together. Then everyone knows the rules. Everyone helps keep them.

Rosa came to the fort door. Maya lifted the blanket. She said, "Come in." Omar showed Rosa the bug books. Lily gave her a ladybug badge.

A member is a person who belongs to a club. Rosa is a new member now. She belongs to the Bug Club.

You can help a new member feel welcome. Say hello. Say your name. Show them what the club does. Ask them what they like.

Sam sees kids play tag. He asks to play. They say, "No." Sam walks away. His chest feels heavy. He feels left out.

Being left out hurts. Good clubs think about how others feel. They look for kids who are alone. They ask, "Do you want to join?"

A club can still be small. It can still meet in a fort. But it can be kind when someone asks to come in.

Grandpa Leo sings in a choir on Tuesdays. A choir is a group that sings together. Mom plays on a softball team on Sundays.

Some grown-ups belong to a lodge. A lodge is a club that meets in its own hall. Members have meetings. They eat together. They help their town.

In 1892, lodge members in Chicago finished a very tall building. It had more than 20 floors. Lodge rooms were near the top.

Long ago, a club called the Moose had a big idea. They bought a farm in Illinois. In 1913 it opened as a home called Mooseheart.

Some Moose members had died. Their children needed a home. Mooseheart gave them a home, a school and caring grown-ups. Club members all over paid to help.

Many clubs help. Some raise money for hospitals. Some clean parks. Helping is one thing a club can share.

Eli hid a card for Grandma. He did not tell her. That was a secret. A secret is something you do not tell everyone.

Eli’s secret was a surprise. A surprise is a happy secret. When it is shared, someone feels glad.

Birthday gifts can be surprises. A party can be a surprise. A special cake can be a surprise too.

Eli kept his secret for one week. On Saturday he gave Grandma the card. Then it was not a secret anymore.

A surprise does not last forever. It ends on the big day. Then everyone knows. Everyone can smile together.

Keeping a surprise can feel wiggly and fun. You may want to tell. Waiting is part of the fun.

The Bug Club has a password. It is "ladybug." You say it at the fort door. The password is a secret, but it hurts no one.

A safe secret hurts no one. It does not make you scared. It does not hide something bad.

Long ago, builders in Scotland had a secret word too. It helped them know who had learned the job. It was a safe secret.

Mia saw a big kid take Leo’s lunch. The big kid said, "Don’t tell." Mia’s tummy felt tight. She felt worried.

That was an unsafe secret. An unsafe secret makes you feel worried, scared or hurt. It may hide something bad.

Your body can help you know. A tight tummy, a fast heart or tears can mean a secret is unsafe. Those feelings say, "Get help."

Some secrets must always be told. A secret about someone hurting you. A secret about touching that feels wrong. A secret about danger.

No one should ask you to keep a secret about touching. Your body belongs to you. If someone asks, tell a grown-up you trust.

It is never your fault. You are not in trouble for telling. Telling helps keep you safe.

Ms. Park traced Eli’s hand on paper. On each finger, Eli wrote a name. Mom. Dad. Grandma. Ms. Park. The school nurse.

These are Eli’s trusted grown-ups. A trusted grown-up listens to you. They help keep you safe.

Try making a helping hand of your own. Pick five grown-ups. Pick some at home and some at school.

Ben tells, "Zoe took my blue crayon." That is tattling. It is small. Ben and Zoe can fix it.

Mia tells, "A big kid took Leo’s lunch and said don’t tell." That is telling. Someone could get hurt. A grown-up needs to help.

Ask yourself, "Could someone get hurt?" If the answer is yes, tell a grown-up right away.

Leo told a lunch helper about the big kid. The helper was busy. She did not hear. So Leo told Ms. Park. Ms. Park listened and helped.

Sometimes a grown-up is busy. Sometimes they do not understand. That is okay. You can keep telling.

Go to the next name on your helping hand. Keep telling until someone listens and helps you.