Bridging the gap between global environmental issues and understanding it in our own lives.
I am sure that most of the population love a piece of chocolate here or there but do we ever think about where it comes from?
A recent article discusses some major chocolate companies and their bid to decrease deforestation and child labour in key areas where cocoa is grown.
A lesson in the classroom or at home that involves chocolate is always a fun lesson
So how about:
A young girl, a father and a dog – together yet alone since her mother passed away.
The house was a mess, the little girl Maya felt lonely and often sad and anxious.
But on one particularly sad day, her father tells her about the garden and how much it meant to her mother – especially when she was worried about something.
So grabbing gloves and boots Maya takes on the garden overgrown with weeds.
Maya tidies the garden and freshens the soil and we see by her face that she is relaxed and happier, doing something she knew her mother loved too.
Seeds are sown and hope is planted – then finally they grow.
Maya cared for the garden as much as she could, spending more time out there when she felt angry or upset and helping her father to spend time out there too.
Together they made the garden beautiful again and together they found hope – that despite all the darkness that they were feeling there was beauty in the world and because of the hope they had sowed – it had become even more beautiful!
The Garden of Hope is a story to read with anyone who has lost someone as it provides hope.
Together you can see that life can be beautiful despite all the darkness and that if we continue to do things that make us feel joy, place more beauty back in the world and support each other, life can be the joyous place that it is meant to be.
Death can be a difficult topic to talk about and books are a great way to start this conversation. You may not talk about much more than the story but it may ignite that small flame inside the young children to know that life can go on.
Keep this book to share with someone you know needs some hope in their lives.
“The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will” – Theodore Roosevelt.
Where in the Wild by Jonny Lambert is an engaging picture book which shows the reader the beauty of different habitats and the animals that live within each one.
On each double page spread we learn about the plants that make the space habitable for the diverse group of animals who choose to make it there home – but there is a great aspect to each page which young children will love.
On each page is a window to another page which shows how some animals can live in two different types of habitats – even when they are quite different – we loved guessing where they might lived the first time we read the book and enjoyed talking about how they can live in both habitats on subsequent occasions.
On each page are colourful pictures of the animals, plants and insects interacting accompanied by rhyming story and also some small facts about different types of animals.
Where in the Wild by Jonny Lambert is a great book to raise awareness about how animals need special places to survive and it is up to us to ensure there are more of these areas – not less.
So what else can you do with this book?
SUSTAINABILITY
In your local area is there habitat for different animals? Find out who lives here and how they live in this environment.
Can you make your local green spaces better places to live for local animals? Try planting more trees and having less grass or built up space.
GLOBAL ISSUES
Where in the world do large rates of deforestation occur and why? (Geography Link, Numeracy Link)
Explore why people chop down large areas of trees and which country is most responsible – is it the country where the trees are or countries that buy the products or two own the land?
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
Explore the life cycle of different animals and why they need certain habitats as they change and grow. (Science link)
Which animals in the world can only survive in certain areas?
How many different types of animals are on each page? Explore a favourite of yours and the area they live in.
And – come over and join my facebook group where we discuss how we can help our students and children understand and take action on these big issues!
Have you ever wondered about what life would look like if there were only a small amount of bees left in the world?
This is a very real problem and one book that made me shudder with the possibility of being real.
Meet tough, smart and vibrant Peony, an ten year old farm girl who works in the Goulburn Valley of NSW, Australia. Peony works hard on the farm, manually removing bugs from crops as pesticides have been banned – however becoming a Bee is what she dreams of. Being a Bee is one of the most important roles in this futuristic society as the young and nimble need to do the job the bees once did – pollinating flowers.
Peony lives with her grandfather and sister but the community around them and the bond they all have is amazing and something to aspire due despite the poverty they live in. Peony’s mother wants more than farm life and takes Peony off to the city to earn real money. Despite her utter dislike for city life, huge disparity being rich and poor and still the utter disregard for the hard work of farmers, Peony learns about the importance of friendship, family and kind acts.
How to Bee brought a tear to my eye and although it may seem like a bleak outlook from the start it shows how strong the human spirit is and the need we all have to belong and live in harmony.
Perhaps if the big supermarkets and chemical companies read this story they would start to change how they see the world and start to think more about the impact we are having on the future.
There are some areas of the world where this form of pollination is already happening today – I’m not sure if we want this to spread to all areas of the world. http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/humans-bees-china_us_570404b3e4b083f5c6092ba9?section=australia
– Bee
Children and adults alike will be inspired by this picture book that shows us that even if we look different, act different or like different things – we can all be friends!
Along came a different by Tom McLaughlin is a story about shapes – reds that love being red, yellows that love being yellow and blues that love being blue but the problem is they love being themselves so much that they can’t seem to like each other – that is until some very different shapes come along and make the reds, blues and yellows realise just how silly they are acting!
This is a great book to look at the importance of accepting all different people who live in our society and that in the end we are all very different – which is great!
Children can also explore different shapes both regular and irregular, colours of different objects and the beauty we see when colours get all mixed together.
Try this book to ignite some great conversations amongst both adults and children in a time when we really need to foster acceptance in the multicultural societies we all live in today.
Eid al-Adha is something unfamiliar to my children so this book was a perfect way to introduce them to this very special time of year.
With mathematics, singing and celebrating, this picture book opens up minds to learning and fun!
We learnt that meat needs to be divided into three equal parts, we need to share with those less fortunate and eat delicious food with our family and friends.
If you love maths but are also looking for another way to learn about the world you live in – this book is fantastic!
And – come over and join my facebook group where we discuss how we can help our students and children understand and take action on these big issues!
I’ve always been intrigued by the amount of people that tell me they can’t stop using cling wrap because they can’t afford to buy reusable containers.
So I decided to do a little research of my own and here you are – some reasons why you should ditch the cling wrap and plastic zip lock bags and move towards reusable containers, beeswax wraps and paper bags!
You can’t cite the cost when they are nearly all the same!!
If you had a round the world ticket where would you go?
This great new book by Lonely planet allows children to participate in a choose your own adventure style travel book – what fun!
As you arrive at each destination you learn something new and get to decide how you will travel – which allows you to move to a new country depending on the mode you choose.
The information is short and simple so kids will learn just enough before moving on and the way you travel to the next city teaches children about distances between places.
Travel is important but it is more important to understand the places you are travelling to and in – we shouldn’t expect places we visit to be like our own cities.
By introducing children to facts and figures about new places that are different to our own it can show them how wonderful travelling can be – as they will learn about a new culture, be part of the lifestyle and absorb language and mannerisms.
Round the world in 50 ways is such a fun way to teach geography and can be read again and again!
Want to know how to be a globally conscious traveller? Check out this post:
And – come over and join my facebook group where we discuss how we can help our students and children understand and take action on these big issues!
When you travel :
My most memorable holidays are of places where I could speak to the local people, when I found places not on the tourist trail and when I learnt more about the place I visited than I ever would have just jumping on a tourist bus.
We need to show our children how to be globally conscious travellers – how about saying no to that resort or hotel holiday and trying something a little different next time? Even if it is only for a couple of nights as you will see that place in a whole new light!
And – come over and join my facebook group where we discuss how we can help our students and children understand and take action on these big issues!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/362368594250457/
What were you doing when you were 13 years old?
Did you ever consider leaving your family for a year to go to a village in another part of your country to teach some others how to read and write?
The courageous character in this story, My Brigadista year by Katherine Paterson, does just that.
Set in Cuba during 1961, the country has been fighting to become independent under Fidel Castro. And although there were many terrible things he did do throughout his rule (and the author does make this clear at points throughout the novel and at the end) he had a goal to make all people in his country literate.
Seen through the eyes of 13year old Lora, we learn about Cuba and the mission she takes part in.
I enjoyed reading about how she met the families, taught them how to read and write in the evening while helping out with the farm during the day. We see the world through her new eyes and feel the passion she has to want to help these people.
As a teacher I could feel this passion as I once travelled to Costa Rica to help in remote communities with work around the towns and also with English.
Lora’s story is possibly one which has not been told in this way before and I believe it is one for anyone studying the history of dictatorships, history of war and the effects it has on the people in the country and the vital role of literacy for everyone.
My Brigadista year by Katherine Paterson is a book for older readers.
I recommend this one for the classroom, perhaps read out loud as it may ignite volunteer work in some, a love of history in others and a wonder for what else is out there beyond our own suburbs.
And – come over and join my facebook group where we discuss how we can help our students and children understand and take action on these big issues!
