Professor
Kellie Bliss
HDev 0025
7 December
2014
Can We Do It?
For my
anti-bias activity I choose something that I felt could be relatively easy. The
materials are simple and easy to acquire and I felt that the concept is very important.
I choose the “What’s on the Inside” activity that can be found in our Roots and
Wings textbook on page 236. I felt that
cans could be found in each of the children’s own homes and therefore create a
connection between the activity and the home life and the process of opening
the can with a can opener would be a great chance to teach independent living
skills.
The
materials include “a variety of ready-to-eat canned food with the labels
removed”.
These cans would need to be collected by the
teacher so that students don’t memorize what cans were brought from home. They would
be set out on the table, and with the labels off, they would all look
relatively similar. I would then invite the children to try and guess what each
container contains simply from looking at it or if they will like it. After the
discussion, the children will open the cans and be invited to try what is
inside.
After the
students finished eating the canned foods, I would ask the children “How are
cans and people alike?” “Can you get to know a person by how they look on the
outside?” Eventually the class would come to the conclusion with the aid of the
teacher that “Some people think they can tell if the will like someone, or not,
based on how they look. That’s not fair. We can’t judge people by looking at
them. We have to get to know them. What’s on the inside is what counts.” And if
needed be, the discussion could be extended and the teacher could ask the
children for examples of how people judges others based on looks and for
questions that they could ask someone in order to get to know them better”
(York 236).
Books that
could be read alongside this activity include but are not limited to “Stand
Tall, Molly Lou Melon” and “Chicken Big”. These children’s books talk about the
importance of not judging others by their looks and getting to know who they
are on the inside. “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon” by Patty Lovell and
illustrated by David Catrow is about a very small girl who is no bigger than
her dog. As she begins a new school, she shows everyone that there is more to
her than her size.
“Chicken Big” is by Keith Graves follows the story of a very large
chicken born alongside normal-sized animals, who are trying to guess what he is.
Chicken Big saves the farm multiple times and his friends realize his bravery
and selflessness are what make him a wonderful chicken.
These children books will work great alongside the Can Activity because
the children’s books express the importance of not judging others by their
looks. The teacher could ask the children, “How did Big Chicken feel being
judged by his looks?” “What could Molly’s classmates have asked her to get to
know who she is on the inside?” These books would create a wonderful companion
to the activity I have chosen.
I feel that children
will really get a kick out of opening cans themselves and enjoying food that
they have attained on their own. In order to extend the activity, there are many
things that can be done with the leftover cans. The class could make wind
chimes that could be hung in the classroom, the cans could be reused to make
telephone lines, or even used to walk on.
This
activity is age appropriate because it follows common early education themes
like “Friends, Feelings, Senses, Food” and fair and unfair that are important
for children between the ages 5 and 6 (York 180, 18). Children at this age have
developed their language skills and are able to communicate their feelings.
This
activity teaches children a few of the themes on the ‘Anti-bias Activity Goal’
handout including: to “Recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness,
beauty, value and contribution of each child”, to “Promote respect towards
others”, and to “Increase children's ability to interact, talk and play with
people who are different from them”. This activity most definitely could be
incorporated in a multicultural education because it teaches “respect for all
people” and that “all people deserve respect” (York 140). These are important
concepts for young children to learn and this activity is an appropriate means to
reach anti-bias goals.
As soon as I
read about this can activity in the Roots and Wings textbook, I knew that immediately
that I wanted to do it for my blog. I love the idea of using easily obtainable and
ordinary objects to teach new concepts. The cans will be stripped of their
labels and the children will learn through discussion and hands on experience that
you cannot judge others by appearance and that you need to know who they are on
the inside. I found two children’s books, “Chicken Big” and “Molly Lou Melon,
Stand Tall” as companion books for this activity because the promote the same
idea about not judging by appearances. This activity has many anti-bias and multicultural
themes including: to “Recognize, appreciate, and respect the uniqueness,
beauty, value and contribution of each child”, to “Promote respect towards
others”, to “Increase children's ability to interact, talk and play with people
who are different from them”, and teaches “respect for all people” and that “all
people deserve respect”.
Works Cited
"Best Books for Teaching Not
Judging Others by Appearance." Books Kids Love. The Best
Children's Books Organization, n.d. Web.
York, Stacey. Roots &
Wings: Affirming Culture in Early Childhood Programs. St. Paul, MN:
Redleaf, 1991. Print.
