I decided to do
this activity because recently I had a situation in my class where two children
seem to be always questioning me about my skin color, why I have freckles on my
face and where do the freckles come from. Another child asked one of his
classmates if he took a bath or shower because his skin was dark and it looked
dirty just like Ms. Esther’s color, and it stinks. So, I decided to do this
specific activity with the children that I teach. I wanted them to learn about
themselves and also their friends in class. “Children learn social roles and
become members of American society through the process known as socialization”.
(York, 40) I have such a small class that I decided to set aside the theme based
curriculum and do my own activity because I feel it’s important to “achieve a
community where everyone feels they belong, they are equals, and they are
treated fairly”. (York, 52) As a teacher, I want to “help the children respect
and value all races by including the contributions of individuals from all
races into the curriculum”. (York, 55)
“Draw me / Draw you”
This activity is
based on themes used such as I’m Me and Special, Friends, Alike and Different,
Five senses
The objective of
this activity to appreciate the beauty and value of others, appreciate the physical
characteristics of others and experience positive, respectful interactions with
people who are different
The materials
needed for this activity: Drawing paper, felt tip pens, crayons, mirrors
(unbreakable), skin color paint, yarn, punch hole and glue.
Have the children
find a partner and ask them to sit across from one another at the table. Encourage the children to draw a picture of
their partner’s face, ask them to look at their partner. Then ask the children “what
color is his skin? What color are her eyes? Does he have freckles? What color
is her hair? How long is his hair? Is the hair straight or curly? The drawing
probably won’t look anything like the child, but it’s important for the
children to look at features and learn about others”. (York,209)
I did add some
adjustment to the activity. I had the children look at themselves in the mirror
first and draw themselves using the paint matching their skin color. I asked
them to really look in detail at their face if they had moles, freckles and if
they had a round nose, pointy nose. I added yarn to resemble the hair. I really
wanted them to capture all of their features. Then I had them look at their
partner and draw each other. Then during Large circle time the children were
asked to come in front of class and share what they learned about their friend
and what were the similarities and differences? What they learned from this
activity? How did they feel about this activity? And how they are going to
treat others who are different from them?
 |
| Here are my students drawing each other features before they begin to use the other supplies available to them. |
I
also related this activity by reading books related to this subject. I read the
following books,We're Different, We're the Same is a book stressing how
people and Muppets may differ in size, shape, color, and other external
details, but remain fundamentally the same. A series of pages contrast
illustrated snapshots of different noses, mouth, hairstyles, and other
features, followed by a page showing a mass of people enjoying similar
activities. Ages 4-8
A Rainbow of Friends is a book for ages 3-5. Friends come in all
colors and sizes; they can be funny or serious, musical or athletic, outgoing
or quiet. This book reminds children to celebrate their differences because
that is what makes each of us so special.
This
is an appropriate theme activity because it helps the children learn about
themselves and others. It helps the children understand differences and the
accepting of others with differences. It helps them build on their language
skills, their sense of observation and it helps them to begin the process of
being an open and accepting person as they journey on to adulthood.
I selected the following goals for
the Anti-Bias Curriculum which is the following;
Promote respect towards others, Provide
children with a positive experience exploring similarities and differences, Increase
children’s ability to interact, talk and play with people who are different
from them. I believe that these goals are appropriate for the activity because it’s
learning about themselves and others. “Children deserve to learn know about the
truth about themselves, the real world, and the people in it”. (York, 128)
Children need to be proud of who they are, and they need to learn to respect
others.
This activity has many positive
aspects to it. It helps children identify themselves, and others. It helps them
develop language skills; it helps them be aware of differences and similarities
and promotes the use of positive language towards the differences of others. It
teaches how to deal with feelings and it’s a new experience for them. It allows
for the children to know their neighbors and learn how to work together and get
to know them better. I believe that it’s
important to teach children at a young age to treat everyone equal, because at
the end of the day we are all human beings.
