Robin Nelson

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.The can phone would be a fun way for children to initiate asking each other questions that were brought up during the activity.

    

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.