This week was Truth and Reconciliation Week in Canada. Although officially recognized over one week, these are conversations and teachings that should happen throughout the school year, not just one week, or one day. Reconciliation is about building relationships and respect, and that just cannot be reduced to a week. I wanted to share some of the activities, readings, and discussions I had with my Grade 5/6 class this year, mainly inspired by this resource, Every Child Matters. After reading the book Trudy's Rock Story, and discussing how Trudy uses rocks to relieve her anger and release her feelings, we decided that making our own Resilience Rocks could help us process some of our feelings about Canada's history, mainly anger and confusion, and by placing them back on the Earth, we could release some of the feelings and remember to act. Tuesday we started painting our rocks orange while I read the story, I am Not a Number. (We used acrylic paint - I would suggest spray paint - we had to do many many coats of acrylic paint, and them still seal them). We also watch a video from residential school survivor, Lillian Elias, and then used orange sticky notes to send her a message. Wednesday we sealed the rocks with an outdoor mod podge. We did this BEFORE they wrote on them, otherwise the sharpie marker would pull the paint off when we wrote. We read the story, When I was Eight, and wrote some more reflections on sticky notes. Thursday was Truth and Reconciliation Day and Orange Shirt Day. For art in the morning, we looked at beautiful examples of Indigenous Art and Artists - current and past. We worked on Canada Goose Drawings, inspired by Benjamin Chee Chee. We chose the Canada Goose because we liked how they inspired flight - and they may have to move or leave for a bit, but they always come back, stronger. I let the students use their laptops to look at different images while they drew their own. These turned out stunningly. Even mine - and I usually struggle with a stick figure. We had been talking about what message we wanted to share on Orange Shirt Day on our Resilience Rocks, and had brainstormed a long list over the week. Some students wanted to apologize, others wanted to send a word of support or strength, and some just wanted to share their beliefs that every child really does matter. We knew we would placing the rocks around our school yard and school community and we wanted to choose something that would inspire continuing to spread this message - that every child matters and why we need to understand why. In the afternoon we took a 2.15 km walk (for the 215 children found in Kamloops) and placed our Resilience Rocks around the school community. As we walked in our orange shirts, we were careful to spread them out around our route so we could share our messages with our small community. I told my students that if they were able, it would be nice to bring their grown-ups to where they placed their rocks earlier, and tell them about our learning and their reflections from the week. Our last day was spent working on the writing reflection, "If I was given a $1000 budget to plan an Orange Shirt Day event at my school, this is what I would do." Again, this was our week of Truth and Reconciliation activities in the classroom, but our conversations won't end at the end of the week. This acknowledgement and promise to learn the truth will continue throughout our whole year of curriculum. If you are looking to add more indigenous-themed books and authors to your classroom, HERE is a good place to get started. How were some ways you observed Truth and Reconciliation week at your school?
The Pharisee was confused. After all, Jesus was teaching new ideas with authority. Use this simple, but profound, Nicodemus object lesson to teach the Truth of being born again.
The Secret to Motivating Students
Your Cloth Diaper Questions, Answered! I never thought I’d be a cloth diaper mama. I didn’t really know much about cloth diapers before having kids, and I didn’t really care to. Because, real talk, it sounded gross. But then I became pregnant. And it wasn’t too long into my pregnancy that I knew I wanted...Read the Post
Memes and Tweets For Anyone Living With ADHD - Funny memes that "GET IT" and want you to too. Get the latest funniest memes and keep up what is going on in the meme-o-sphere.
Teach pattern skills in preschool and kindergarten with this free printable body movement patterns set focused on patterns and pattern units.
Learn how God can help you be victorious by planning to overcome overeating with this free printable PDF! #overcomingovereating #howtostopovereating #overeating
Instant Pot BBQ Boneless Beef Ribs are The. Truth.
Headed to a show soon? Here are my top 5 tips for attending a general admission concert! Plus a few of my favorite concert style finds.
When it comes to free motion quilting, there's a few main myths that people believe about starting free motion quilting. Here's the truth!
Children's books that teach about honesty and encouarge kids to build truthful relationships with others.
Teaching the Armor of God? Here's a fun way to supplement the Belt of Truth lesson for kids! Use simple supplies in a unique hands-on game to help children remember what the Bible says. This Belt of Truth game is perfect for your VBS, Sunday School, or homeschool. Click through for instructions!
The truth of your story is your victory and the enemy’s defeat!Choosing to share the story of your scars makes you able to share the story of your Healer.
As a parent there are many choices to make to ensure our children's happiness. But how to tell the truth about Santa and keep the Christmas magic alive.
Shockingly, stairs with knee arthritis don't have to be difficulty. Find out what you need to AVOID in order to make them easier and pain free!
Why you should do music and movement activities with your 3-5 year old. Easy activities for families to do at home or in preschools.
Why should you visit the Galapagos Islands? The enchanted islands are magical. Read our top reasons to visit the Galapagos Islands.
The best stitches for knit fabrics: sew knits without a serger, with options for knit seams, hemming knits, and seam finishes on knit fabric.
Many popular Quarter Horse foundation stallions are known to carry serious genetic diseases. When buying or breeding a Quarter Horse, watch out for these lines or use genetic tests to know for sure.
This quick and easy baguette garlic bread is simple, delicious and better than shop-bought or any takeaway. This garlic bread baguette only calls for 3 ingredients, it is simple but tastes like a million dollar. Learn how to make the best baguette garlic bread at home from scratch with this recipe.
Do your kids love science? How about you? What about science experiments? Would you love them even more if those experiments helped teach biblical truths?
Going vegan can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start. This list of over 40 easy vegan recipes for beginners will help!
This kindness object lesson with toothpaste is a visual demonstration on how important it is for us to use kind words. There is the saying, “Stick and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I find that statement the farthest from the truth. I want my kids to understand the gravity of...Read More
Slow runners deserve just as much respect. Here's some inspiration to remind us that it’s the effort that matters – not the pace.
I have always been a movie buff since my childhood days. But it was only nine years ago that I bought my first home theater in a box system. That’s when I really started paying
Try these 15 easy fall Sunday school craft ideas at your church as part of your lesson! Use them to teach your children about Jesus at home too!
Did you know there are actually many different kinds of empaths, all with individual differences, abilities, strengths, and sensitivities? If you're curious about your empathic abilities, then this quiz is for you!
Back to the Bible Survey and Map of Revelation (Pack of 10) Info-Cards or Oversize Bookmarks This bookmark is to be used in coordination with Back to the Bible Lesson 1. Each prospect answers the survey before the study, so you can go back after Lesson 3 and refer to their answers. The chart for the Map of Revelation is to be used to show that we have all the Truth at it is now given to us in the Bible. This is one of the main points of Lesson 1.
Ever imagine swimming with the sharks? Check out this fun to make Shark Porthole Sun Catcher Craft. Perfect for kids who love sharks.
This fun, creative The Beatitudes Sunday School Lesson includes a bee craft, Bible verse activity, and fun activity too. Great for elementary age kids.
Autumn is my favorite season of the year! I love all the crafts and activities that I can do with my kids during the fall. I thought I’d share with you some ideas for incorporating
Unfortunately, teachers are competing with electronics to get students' attention. I share 20 ways you can catch their attention in this post!
It can be tricky to tell them apart, especially since many websites gloss over their real difference.
Working with kids and young adults who are oppositional can be challenging. Being oppositional might mean refusing to do work, breaking rules, and engaging in other challenging behaviors. The truth is, many kids can be oppositional from time to time, so many of these strategies work with all learner
How to tell your child the truth about Santa, including how to know it's time, tips for explaining, and a sample letter for your child.
Source : Nick Sousanis/Courtesy of Every Mother What is Diastasis Recti? Diastasis recti is a separation of the abdominal wall muscles. It occurs when the rectus abdominis, also known as the six-pack muscles, stretch sideways, causing damage to the connective tissue in the midline of the stoma
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. ...Geometry will draw the soul toward truth and create the spirit of philosophy. ― Plato Music is the universal language of mankind. ―Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Did you know you're a mathe-magical musician with an inherent understanding
Angry children don't rage for anger's sake. Rather, their behavior is a symptom of a deeper issue. Here's a close look at the anatomy of an angry gifted child, plus suggestions for helping her cope.
When I think of the world that we live in and how many colors are all around, I am truly amazed. Rainbows, fish, butterflies, flowers...there are many colorful things in our world. So, when it comes to teaching colors to my little learners, what better way than to let them know that these colorful things come from God.
We as human beings have the habit of gossiping everywhere.
