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Plan a Peace March with your kids! [Ours was called:
"Goodstock - Guided tour"ALL activities are age appropriate and all areas of development are covered within this "lesson plan"!
Materials for this week long (or month long, depending upon the structure of your centers or schools) can be found in what most sites generally already have in the way of general needs or supplies.
Using
"What IS Peace" as the focus (or theme, for National Non-Violence month, we utilized our resources throughout a 10 day (two week) period of class time to create (re-create) what we remembered from the days when we were still (young enough to be) kids and yet old enough to die for ..."Our Freedom of Choice"
~War had taken some of us [and our lifelong friends] away, never to return, to make another choice for themselves, so we had to invent an alternative...
"The
Enemy of War! "~
The only natural enemy of War IS Peace! ~BUT,
what does Peace really mean? Some had to stop and think about it...and while they did, some really cool ideas came to mind!Lets all
protest violence! Yeah, fight back ~ without fighting!COOL! Peace pulled us together with a vengeance and a focus!
This focus included
using all the items that some of us still had around in our rooms... Things like:*the ingredients:
Crayons, paints, brushes, butcher paper [for banner-size signs] glue, paste, siccors, stencils [even shapes of some manipulative-toy pieces can be used] of daisies, butterflies, and letters to create words.
*Paper grocery bags. To be used as vests!
[Good to involve the parents in this project by requesting them to save and send any extra grocery bags they may have at home with their kids to class. This request also serves as an introduction to them (the parents) as to what the group is undertaking! Also good, as it serves to leave the subject open for suggestions ~from them~ to help in project ideas!]Magazines, (catalogues worked best) pictures, and images that help to make us think of people being peaceful or cooperative with one another!
Using this as a cut/paste activity can be done in varied forms.
With the older kids, it can bring about some insightful discussion!*
While doing the activities, it is overwhelmingly rewarding and helpful to keep notes (tapes) of casual discussion between the children as to what their own ideas are on the subject of what Peace means to them!With all
areas of development in mind, the following study plan was implemented:This lesson plan was originally designed with preschool age children in mind.
Large (gross) and Small (fine) motor skills
:This area is easy! Outside of the obvious walk (together "with focus") we also had the benefit of all the other activities involved in the planning and preparation of this walk / march to aid us in gross and fine motor skill development.
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Fine motor skill development is achieved while doing the various activities listed below, in preparation for the Peace Walk/March event.Cutting shapes, gluing-pasting, designing (and or using stencils) and drawing are all included, which fulfills this area of development!
Language & Literacy skills (usage and content):
CIRCLE TIME!
During any time when a group is gathered together to share songs and lessons taught verbally, the focus was that of "What Does the word Peace mean to you?"*Great answers come to the surface and become FUN for everyone, resulting in more dialogue! Before the group disperses, to go on to other projects, activities, classes, etc., everyone sings a "new song" called> "
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE !"*It is
this song that we sang all during our walk [march] through the neighborhood.Creative / Imaginative:
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Realizing that "modeling is not recommended in some classroom sites" in this activity plan it is sometimes beneficial to have photos of (the "real thing") as some kind of idea provoking or visual aid, to help the kids visualize what they are "aiming" for.After having some idea of what we are to look like during our
Peace walk, the materials to create fringed vests (from paper grocery sacks, which become the canvas or central piece for application of cut-outs, shapes and words or letters [made by the kids individually] to be displayed and worn by each child in the walk, it is much easier for the younger ones to become creatively involved.Materials:
Lg.. paper grocery sacks
<if store label or advertising is printed on the outside of the bag, turn bag inside-out, after cutting arm holes and an opening from top to bottom, then adjust cutting size for the neck area to fit the child.Then, cut vertical strips from the bottom to create a
fringed look.It should now be ready for decorating with
whatever the child finds and/or feels would be representative of Peace!(Other necessary materials:)
Multi-colored
Macaroni & string:What good non-violent protester would be seen without
"Love Beads?"They were so much a part of the symbolic nature of sharing peace?
How EZ is that?
VERY!With a few large bags of med.-to-large (raw) macaroni, concentrated water colors (the brighter, the better) strands of yarn, string (or long shoe-laces)
the children can easily create "love beads"!
Those who'd rather not wear a "necklace" may instead choose to make headbands, or *for older kids* friendship accessories.
Materials to Create stickers:
Paste/glue-sticks/self-adhesive paper/colored pens/colored paper... <all or something available, like these items, listed above! For designs: *Freehand is always the best!or with the use of stencils of Daisies, Butterflies, Peace symbols, Yin/Yang symbols, Doves, Rainbows, planets, stars & moons, happy faces. etc.*Christian references for those affiliated with a religious organization representing Peace, etc.)
*The small sheet of peace-symbol paper with the happy face in the center is displayed on my web pages
... It's freehand and an original!*
Pre-designed sheets of paper with Peace symbols are GREAT for cutting and pasting. This pattern was and is still used with the greatest success and is available for use and distribution from this site!*Another use
of these (Peace) sheets is to make paper airplanes! I have even taken them with me to outdoor concerts, and gatherings and have given them to grown-ups (who look bored or anxious) asking them to show off what they learned in elem.. school. It's a real crowd (controller) pleaser!Cognitive:
Using the
multi-colored macaroni, for the love beads, and/or headband activity fulfills this area of development as well. [Grouping, counting, matching, etc.] Also, upon completing an (art) object, have the child save it or apply it [to the 'vest'] where they want to have the item displayed, may be considered a cognitive skill exercise.*Noting how a child retains the objective or the focus (of all of these days of preparation) is certainly a cognitive skill and one worthy of Authentic Assessment documentation [especially regarding the younger age children.]
Social / Emotional:
By merely
sharing the paints and materials with one another while creating symbols and words upon lg.. pieces of butcher paper (for banners and signs) is cooperative play. This may be accomplished by affixing the paper [with tape, tacks, sm.. staples, etc.] to a protected wall or fence within the yard area.The slogans once used to convey messages of
non-violence and Peace, can be altered to fit into the child's everyday world. Such alterations might be:"Flower Power Rangers!"
<And> "Make Friends Not War!"The verbal thoughts and ideas that literally spring from the children's mouths while engaged in such activities are
always noteworthy! (Keep documentation!~)