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Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust

5/3/2016

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The kids and I are currently learning about the Holocaust in honor of the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (DRVH) which is an 8-day period designated by the United States for commemorations and educational programs related to the Holocaust.  The dates of the DRVH change from year to year, as they usually run from the Sunday before through the Sunday following Yom Hashoah (also known as Holocaust Memorial Day/Holocaust Remembrance Day/Holocaust Day).  Yom Hashoah is Israel's designated day for commemorating the Jewish victims of the Holocaust - a day that marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Since the date of Yom Hashoah is based on the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunar calendar, the Gregorian date of the observance will change from year to year.  In 2016, Yom Hashoah is observed on Thursday, May 5th, and consequently the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust in the United States is observed from Sunday, May 1 through Sunday, May 8.  
This year, I am spending a little time personally commemorating this period by remembering and learning/relearning some history surrounding the Holocaust.  In doing so, I have found the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website to be a good resource.  Various DRVH events throughout the United States can be found on an event map at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website, though many of the events this year have already occurred.  In thinking about the Holocaust, I - like many - often wonder how such an unimaginable tragedy could have come to pass, and I continue to wonder at what dynamics allow for the continued genocide of groups seen even more recently.  I found the overview of the early warning signs of the Holocaust on the museum's site interesting and enlightening, as well as their page on confronting genocide.  And, of course, the individual stories are always impactful, as they put a relatable human face to events that can seem impersonal on the pages of history texts.
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Discussing the Holocaust with kids can be a little tricky.  Were my children older and better able to understand and contextualize information about the Holocaust, this would be easier.  However, given their ages, our discussions are very high level, and I find myself using this time as an opportunity to discuss prejudice, an appreciation for diversity, and being courageous in the face of hatred and cruelty.  It is also an opportunity for me to stress the importance of remembering history so that we can better understand and act in our present, be sensitive to the continued impacts and residual feelings from what may seem to be distant events, and work together to chart a better future.  There were a few picture books I found at our library that dealt with stories surrounding the Holocaust, which I have listed below.  These titles are more appropriate for my 6 year old than my younger son, so I read with caution and am prepared to skip or alter sections when Hopper 2 is listening. Also, we follow with much more lighthearted reading and play afterwards.  I know there are many parents who might find it inappropriate to bring up the Holocaust or other such atrocities with children as young as mine, and I respect others' role in determining what they believe to be the best decisions for their child(ren).  My decision to do so is not because I enjoy discussing such heavy topics with them (because I do not - this is some really hard stuff to try to explain), but because I believe in beginning to talk about prejudice early since research has shown that stereotypes and attitudes towards groups of people can begin in the preschool years. I take the character and moral development part of my parenting "job" more seriously than fostering academic-based skills - still important, don't get me wrong, but I don't consider academic success (or the often assumed subsequent financial success) to be the ultimate hallmark of a successful human being.  I hope that by beginning to discuss such topics as the Holocaust and prejudice early, I might lay the groundwork for my kids to later recognize and speak or act against prejudice and injustice.

Here are a few children's book titles, most of which are recommended for ages 6 and older, but I suggest reading through the stories completely before reading aloud to children (or allowing them to read to themselves) in order to determine if it is appropriate - some children may not yet be able to process the content or some children may be more sensitive to the events described.  My children are not old enough to read well, so I am able to skip parts or alter wording somewhat when I am reading to them.  Sometimes we just discuss the pictures and how we think the characters are feeling based upon the pictures.
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The Butterfly
by Patricia Polacco
This true story comes from the author's family history.  The protaganist is Polacco's aunt, who in the story is a child named Monique.  Monique's mother was part of the French underground and resistance and hid Jews in her basement during the Nazi occupation of France.  One of the people she hid was a little girl named Sevrine, who befriended Monique.  The events of this friendship are the basis for the story in this book.

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Irena's Jar of Secrets
by Marcia Vaughan, illustrated by Ron Mazellan
This book relates the story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker who, at great risk to herself, helped the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto.  She began by smuggling in needed items, but later helped to smuggle nearly 2500 children out.  The children were given new identities and placed with foster families and orphanages.  Hoping to later reunite the children with their families, Sendler buried lists indicating the real and false identities in jars under an apple tree. 

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A Picture Book of Anne Frank
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Karen Ritz
This book gives an overview of the short life of Anne Frank, who is well-known from her diary published after her death.

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Terrible Things:  An Allegory of the Holocaust
by Eve Bunting
I actually have not had a chance to read this book, as all copies have been in use at our library system.  However, per the description and reviews online, I hope to check it out later and determine if it will be appropriate for my kids.  Per the Amazon description:  "This unique introduction to the Holocaust encourages young children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them."  

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Science for Young Kids:  Anatomy & Physiology - The Cardiovascular System

4/26/2016

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The fourth lesson that I covered in an recent A&P unit involved the cardiovascular system.  Previous lessons centered on the skeletal system, the central nervous system and the respiratory system.  
Activities:
  • Watched this video on the cardiovascular system from aboutkidshealth.
  • Printed out copies of this blood flow diagram from Children's Heart Institute, discussed the diagram at a high level, cut it out and pasted it on our body maps in the appropriate location.
  • Felt for our pulse at our wrists and in our necks, and listened to each other's heartbeats by putting our ear against each other's chests - a stethoscope would have been great, but we didn't have one.  
  • Got the kids physically involved in what we were learning by enacting blood flow in the cardiovascular system.
    • We laid down a red blanket and a blue blanket next to each other to represent the left atrium/ventricle and right atrium/ventricle, respectively.  
    • We set sawhorses or chairs on one end of each blanket and in the middle of each blanket to represent the valves of the heart - there are 4 valves, so we needed 4 sawhorses or chairs (I looked for anything I had on hand that could be crawled through and wasn't too long).   The sawhorses/chairs in the middle of the blankets represented the valves between the atria and ventricles (on both the left/red blanket and right/blue blanket sides of the heart), and the sawhorses/chairs at the end of each blanket represented the valves leading out of the ventricles into the aorta (left side/red blanket) and pulmonary artery (right side/blue blanket).
    • I inflated red and blue balloons to represent oxygen (red) and carbon dioxide (blue). 
    • I stood to the side, and I represented dual roles of lungs and the rest of the body - I just moved back and forth between nearby different spots in the room to fulfill my two roles.
    • Then the kids pretended to be red blood cells (RBC's) rushing through the the cardiovascular system among heart and lungs and the rest of the body.  We started with them holding blue balloons (carbon dioxide) and me holding red balloons (oxygen), assuming they were RBC's headed back to the heart from the rest of the body.  With that assumption their path was:  
      1. Onto the blue blanket (right atrium)
      2. Through the sawhorse/chair in the middle of the blue blanket (tricuspid valve) onto the other half of the blue blanket (right ventricle)
      3. Through the sawhorse/chair at that end of the blue blanket (pulmonary valve)
      4. Over to me-as-the-lungs where they gave me their blue balloons (carbon dioxide) and I gave them my red balloons (oxygen)
      5. Onto the red blanket (left atrium)
      6. Through the sawhorse/chair in the middle of the red blanket (mitral valve) onto the other half of the red blanket (left ventricle)
      7. Through the sawhorse/chair at the end of the red blanket (aortic valve)
      8. Over to me-as-the-rest-of-the-body where they gave me their red balloons (oxygen), and I gave them my blue balloons (carbon dioxide)
    • And then through the whole pathway again, as I called out each part of the pathway they were completing.  To emphasize how exertion causes the heart to beat faster to meeting the increasing oxygen delivery/carbon dioxide removal needs of the body's tissues, I-as-the-rest-of-the-body would jump up and down and urge the kids (my little red blood cells) to move faster, faster through the pathway because I really needed the oxygen and needed to get rid of the carbon dioxide.  The kids loved trying to see how fast they could run to where they needed to go and crawl through all the "valves."  Not only did they really enjoy this very physical learning activity, but they were talking about the pathway later, indicating to me that this really helped them understand the basics of circulatory blood flow.
    • Items needed for this activity:
      • Chairs, sawhorses, open-ended boxes or other items that can be crawled through and aren't too long
      • 1 Red and 1 blue blanket (or other blankets of differing colors could work if red and blue aren't available)
      • Red and blue balloons (or other balloons of differing colors could work if red and blue aren't available)
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Discussion points:
  • The cardiovascular system is the means by which our bodies move blood throughout our bodies.  Our bodies need to move blood in order to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all the parts of our bodies and to take away carbon dioxide and wastes that are produced by our bodies activities.
  • The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, lungs, veins and arteries (blood vessels) - "cardio" refers to the heart and "vascular" refers to the blood vessels.
  • The heart is a muscle that pumps our blood throughout our body.   This muscle has four "rooms," or chambers, and works all the time - if it were ever to stop working for long, we would die.  The heart pushes the blood to the lungs to get oxygen and then pushes the oxygenated blood out to the rest of our bodies.  Valves in our heart keep the blood from flowing backwards between heartbeats.
  • We can tell our heart is beating by feeling our pulse at certain places in our body where the arteries are nearer to the surface of our skin, such as on our wrists below our thumbs or in our necks under the jaw,  or by listening to our heartbeat with a stethoscope (we can hear someone else's heartbeat just by laying our ear against their chest).
  • The lungs breathe in oxygen that our bodies need, and breathe out the carbon dioxide of which our bodies need to be rid.
  • The veins and arteries are flexible tubes through which the blood flows from the heart and lungs to the other parts of our bodies.  The arteries carry oxygenated blood (blood with more oxygen) away from the heart and lungs, and the veins carry deoxygenated blood (blood with less oxygen) back to our heart and lungs.
  • We can help to keep our heart healthy by exercising, eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress and not smoking.
Vocabulary words:
​Cardiovascular, atrium (left and right), ventricle (left and right), valves, arteries, veins, pulse, oxygen, carbon dioxide
Sources:
  • KidsHealth website can provide some background information for discussing the circulatory system.
  • This aboutkidshealth site has the video mentioned above as well as some other high level information for kids regarding the circulatory system. This page on the site is geared more towards adults, but it briefly explains the blood flow pathway.
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African American History Month & Related Children's Book Suggestions

2/6/2016

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February is African American History Month, a time when we celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans and their role in U.S history.  The month is not without controversy, and I think it is important to listen to the main points of that controversy and be sensitive to the considerations expressed.  Criticisms, for example, include:  in a racially diverse society, is it appropriate to have one month dedicated to one race's history?  Does having an African American History Month relegate the history and the accomplishments of African Americans to only one month, effectively segregating and minimizing that history, rather than integrating it with American history in general?  I respect those criticisms, and as someone who is not African American, acknowledge that my perspective in regard to this annual observance may be different from some of those who are of African American heritage.    It is my current opinion (yes, current, because I always reserve the right to change my opinion as I gain knowledge and understanding) that when it comes to groups that have historically been oppressed, whose accomplishments have often been overlooked and sidelined - if not entirely credited to someone else - or whose unjust experiences and struggles have frequently been omitted or sanitized in a Euro-centric, male-centric retelling of history, taking time to specifically call out the achievements and acknowledge the historical role of such groups may be necessary.  I recognize that I have room to learn and grow in my racial literacy, and that sometimes I might not always get things just "right" when talking about or trying to educate my children about race or topics associated with race.  Yet since race continues to be an issue in our society, and likely will be for some time, I believe that as bumbling as I may be, I need to talk to my children about race, ensure they are exposed to stories and accomplishments of those of other races or who are not of the predominant race, and acknowledge our unsavory past and present in regard to race (all at an age appropriate level, of course...though people can disagree on what that looks like, too).  I believe that taking a colorblind approach to race and avoiding topics around race will only do a disservice to my and other children, will not help them to be racially literate and will do nothing to create the kind of non-racist, fair and just society I would like us all to live in.   Finally, I often teach my children in theme-based units, and there are often related public activities we can do during African American History Month.  For these reasons, I do want take this month as an opportunity to discuss prominent past and present African American people, African American culture, and places and events that figure prominently in African American history - this includes not only such atrocities as the institution of slavery, but also such positive things as the Harlem Renaissance.  That said, I believe that I and others should be very cognizant that this month not be the only time we talk about the accomplishments or history of African Americans, but that the people and events we could focus on during this month be integrated with all of our teachings and lessons throughout the year.

With young children, stories are a great way to engage them in a topic and teach.  I tend to go a little crazy with books, and check out way too many from our library - I just keep finding more and more titles that seem like they potentially might be a good fit with whatever topic we are covering.  Below, I've listed some of the books that I have read to my children in the past or plan to read this year that could fit in with teaching themes during African American History month.  I can't speak to the accuracy or quality of all of these books (I am neither a historical or literary expert, and some books I have not read yet, but they are sitting on my shelf), nor am I making any recommendations on whether the books are appropriate for all ages of children.  The latter is a determination which caregivers will have to individually make for the children in their care.   Because I have so many titles to list, I won't provide synopses, but clicking on a title will link to the Amazon.com description of the book.  Again, I plan to use these books not just during February but throughout the year, as they are appropriate to other lessons we are having.  For example, in a lesson centered on the Summer Olympics, I can include books on Wilma Rudolph, Jesse Owens and Muhammad Ali; when focusing on inventors, I can find books on George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Elijah McCoy and Benjamin Banneker; in lessons on astronomy, we can talk about Neil deGrasse Tyson and Mae Jemison; I can create separate lessons on the U.S. Constitution or civil rights in general and include discussion on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or the leaders of the African American Civil Rights Movement...and so on.  Furthermore, many of the texts listed can be used to teach children lessons on character-based qualities, such as empathy, courage, determination, perseverance despite hardship, creativity, ingenuity and innovation - these can be great texts for teaching units on those and other characteristics.
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28 Days:  Moments in Black History that Changed the World
by Charles R. Smith, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
This is a nice book to have for African American History Month, as there is one event to briefly review for each day in February (excluding February 29th during leap years).  Descriptions are not detailed, but it is good for quickly introducing people and events that can be explored more in depth in other texts or follow-up discussions.

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The ABC's of Black History
by Craig Thompson
This book can serve to introduce very young children to African American history in simple language with lots of pictures.  

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Heart and Soul:  The Story of American and African Americans
by Kadir Nelson
This book has won several awards, including the 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award.  It is recommended for ages 6 to 10/grades 1 to 5, so likely won't hold the interest or be appropriate for very young children.  It is not a picture book, but does have nice illustrations to accompany the more wordy text.

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Our Children Can Soar
by Michelle Cook
This is a good book for young kids to kick off African American History Month - it offers a glimpse of a few important people in African American history.

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A Kid's Guide to African American History:  More Than 70 Activities
by Nancy I. Sanders
I haven't actually seen this book in person since our library system does not carry it.  I'm waiting to receive it via InterLibrary Loan, and am hoping that it has some useful activities.

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Light in the Darkness:  A Story About How Slaves Learned in Secret
by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome
After reading this book, the kids and I discussed how much many slaves valued education and risked their lives just to learn to read and write; how we often take our access to education for granted; and how and education gives one more power over their own lives, and conversely, how trying to keep others from a good education can be a took in keeping them powerless.

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Most Loved in All the World
by Tonya Cherie Hegamin, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
This fictional account about a daughter of a secret agent on the Underground Railroad was a book that my younger son picked off of the shelf at the library and wanted to check out.  This book also provides an opportunity to discuss how quilts were sometimes used to provide secret messages that helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad.

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Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
by Deborah Hopkinson
​Another book dealing with the Underground Railroad and the use of quilts to contain messages or maps.

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Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Though it has been a year since I read this book to my kids, my sons on occasion talk about the story where the boy shipped himself out of slavery.

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Follow the Drinking Gourd
Jeannette Winter
Another story about the Underground Railroad.

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Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This is a poetically written book with wonderful illustrations.


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A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Samuel Byrd
This book is more of a factual account of Harriet Tubman's life, rather than the poetic portrait of Tubman presented in the above title.

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When Harriet Met Sojourner
by Catherine Clinton, illustrated by Shane W. Evans
This is a telling of the lives of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, each great in their own way.

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A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Samuel Byrd

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Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation
by Pat Sherman, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
I got this book as a way of introducing my kids to the term "Emancipation Proclamation" and what that document meant at a high level.  This is based on the true story of Benjamin Holmes, a slave who taught himself to read and write. 

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I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery
by Cynthia Grady, illustrated by Michele Wood
This book is geared more towards the middle school to junior high school age group, but some of the poems can be read to younger children and the illustrations inspired by traditional American quilt block patterns are interesting to look at.

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Seven Miles to Freedom:  The Robert Smalls Story
by Janet Halfman and Duane Smith
This story is for a bit of an older child, recommended for grades 3-7.  I haven't read this particular book, but read another story about Robert Smalls written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. - this latter story took a lot of explanation for my kids, but Robert Smalls' story is so engaging that I'd like to read Seven Miles to Freedom, hoping it might be more understandable to my kids.

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March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World
by Christine King Farris, illustrated by London Ladd
This book about the March on Washington, told by Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sister, is a bit wordy for young kids.  My kids will listen to it, particularly my oldest, especially if I use an animated voice.

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I Have a Dream
by Martin Luther King, Jr., illustrated by Kathleen A. Wilson
This book is essentially Martin Luther King, Jr.'s entire "I Have a Dream" speech from the March on Washington, with illustrations from various artists.  This might be a bit too much of a read for young children, but is a nice way to review and discuss one of the most famous speeches in United States' history that remains relevant today.  My kids will listen to parts of the speech but not the entire speech, so until they are older and can stay engaged for a longer time, I just highlight certain parts.  They are at least able to reference the speech and are able to (kind of) quote it, which can be amusing given their inaccuracy.  (Sometimes, when they wake up in the morning they tell me they had a dream like Martin Luther King, Jr....they don't quite get the difference between dreams at night and dreams as hopes and ideals just yet.)

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Child of the Civil Rights Movement
by Paula Young Shelton, illustrated by Raul Colon
A child's perspective on the African American Civil Rights Movement, told by the daughter of an activist in the movement.

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Freedom on the Menu:  The Greensboro Sit-ins
​by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue
This book can be used to talk about the African-American Civil Rights Movement, discrimination and racism, and using non-violent means of protesting injustice.

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Freedom Summer
by Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue
Sometimes after talking to my kids about race, discrimination, the Civil Rights Movement, et cetera, I get the sense that they have the past and present mixed up in their minds (which is understandable given their young minds), and I have to be clear that we no longer have legally segregated restaurants and pools and buses and so on.  However, I also feel it necessary to discuss that we continue to see inequalities and discrimination, albeit in often less obvious ways.  I feel this book is at least one way to address how the abolition of a discriminatory law doesn't mean that people's hearts and they way they view and treat others have changed much...there is still more work to do.

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The Story of Ruby Bridges
​by Robert Coles, illustrated by George Ford
This is the story of the first African American child to integrate a New Orleans school.

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A Sweet Smell of Roses
by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
We have this one on order from the library, so haven't read it yet.  My hope is that the book's depiction of children's role in the African American Civil Rights Movement can serve as an example of how children, though small, can take a stand to make our world a better place too.

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The Other Side
by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
A story of friendship across a racial divide.

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Harlem's Little Blackbird:  The Story of Florence Mills
by Renée Watson, illustrated by Christian Robinson
A performer during the Harlem Renaissance, Florence Mills shattered many racial barriers, and her song "I'm a Little Blackbird" was a plea for racial equality.  

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Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison
A story about Melba Liston, a world-class trombone player, composer and arranger.

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I, Matthew Henson:  Polar Explorer
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
A story of the first African American Arctic explorer, and one of the first people to (disputedly) reach the Geographic North Pole.

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Fly High!:  The Story of Bessie Coleman​
by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, illustrated Teresa Flavin
A story of the first African American female pilot.

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Muhammad Ali:  Champion of the World
by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Francois Roca
My kids love this book - I think they like the idea of boxing since they get into trouble if they hit each other at home.  They remember the book and (somewhat) quote it even a year later:  "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; you can't hit what you can't see."  The book talks not only about Ali's boxing greatness, but also about how he stood up against racism and war.

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Teammates
by Peter Golenbock, illustrated by Paul Bacon
Centered around Jackie Robinson, this story was another that my kids really enjoyed.  I like the example it provided of Pee Wee Reese, a white baseball player, showing public support for Jackie.  However, I also hope to find a good book solely about Jackie, as he displayed great courage and dignity as the first black baseball player in the American major leagues.

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Wilma Umlimited:  How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by David Diaz
My kids and I have previously read a children's biography book about Wilma Rudolph (Wilma Rudolph by Victoria Sherrow) that we found inspiring, but it was geared towards children a bit older than mine.  I'm hoping this picture book will be a bit better suited for the age of my kids.  This will also be a good book to use when we learn about the Summer Olympics later this year.

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Major Taylor:  Champion Cyclist
by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James. E. Ransome
A story about the first African American world champion cyclist, who overcame racial discrimination to achieve great success as a cyclist in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

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Dancing in the Wings
by Debbie Allen, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
We haven't yet read this book since all copies have been checked out from our library system, but I plan to check it out when it is available.  My understanding is that this book doesn't specifically deal with the main character being of color, but centers on the ballet world and has themes such as being confident despite teasing from others.  I think it is important that I read general books to my children with diverse main characters, but unfortunately such books are not all that easy to find.  To tie this book in specifically with African American history month, it could be followed by talking about Misty Copeland, the first female African American principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre history.

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Her Stories:  African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales
​by Virginia Hamilton
The tales in this book focus on strong female characters.

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Seven Spools of Thread:  A Kwanzaa Story
by Angela Shelf Medearis, illustrated by Daniel Minter
This book can be followed by a discussion of Kwanzaa, the first specifically African American holiday.  I usually read this or other Kwanzaa-related books or stories to my kids in December, since that is when Kwanzaa begins.  

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Science for Young Kids:  Anatomy and Physiology - The Respiratory System

1/3/2016

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With the recent holidays, colds and sicknesses, et cetera, it has been a couple months since I have managed to post any articles.  I am far behind on finishing up my postings for the human anatomy and physiology unit we did this past fall, but I still intend to eventually get all of our lessons posted. The third lesson that I did in our A&P unit covered the respiratory system.  Previous lessons centered on the skeletal system and the central nervous system.  

Activities:
  • Breathing awareness and deep breathing exercises - We started our lesson with a semi-meditation and deep breathing exercise.  I have tried to do mindfulness and mediation exercises with my kids previously, and have found it difficult to catch them in a mental space where they are willing to cooperate and remain still long enough to do a typical meditation.  So I settle for what I would call a semi-meditation - they are kind of still, and kind of quiet, and kind of following the guided meditation.  For this exercise as part of our respiratory system lesson, I basically just had the kids sit or lay on the floor, suggested closing their eyes (to which one was amenable, and the other was not), and then prompted them to breath in and out while paying attention to their breath.  I tried to get them to think about where they felt their breath (stomach or chest), to try to breathe more quickly or slowly, to try to breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth, and so on.  With my kids, this exercise only lasted a couple minutes at most before they were ready to do something more active.  
  • Looked at pictures of lungs, discussed the function of lungs and the parts of the respiratory system.  An online search for images of lungs or of the respiratory system produced many results to choose from.  I like images such as this one from WebMD that show the lungs, the alveoli and bronchioles within the lungs, and other parts of the respiratory system outside of the lungs, thus providing a visual of the entire pathway involved in breathing.
  • Discussed how to take care of our lungs and possible diseases of the lungs.  I showed the kids some pictures I found online of smokers' lungs to highlight how choices we make can affect the health of our lungs.  The kids have a friend who has cystic fibrosis, so we also talked about how cystic fibrosis affects the lungs and watched a couple videos that explain CF: this one and this one, both posted to YouTube by CFFightersUtah.  The videos helped the kids understand why they they aren't allowed to play with their friend when they are sick or are recovering from a cough or cold, as the consequences for a person with CF catching some "bugs" can be more dire than for the average person.
  • Cut out a printout of lungs, cut bubble wrap in the same size to glue on top of the printout (the bubble wrap simulates the spongy nature of the lungs), and glued the lungs onto our body maps.  I like this lung printout from LearnCreateLove.  We did not, however, color our lungs as my kids are not big on coloring, and I could tell that they were ready to move on.  I think the lungs would look nice if they were colored, but I've learned not to force unnecessary aspects of a lesson as it can end up defeating the entire lesson.
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  • Made a model lung.  There are various tutorials for model lungs that can be found online, but I used this one via The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education.  I will caveat that our model didn't actually work, likely due to the less-than-ideal materials we had on hand, pressure to rush, and not having sufficient time to correct the issues before the kids got their hands on the model and decided to transform it into something more fun (they saw straws and a cylinder and envisioned something rocket-like...and that was the end of the model lung).  However, I was still able to use the physical model to demonstrate how lungs work if we used our imagination on how our model should work.
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Discussion points:
  • ​All the parts of our bodies need oxygen to create energy for us to survive.  Our blood is what takes the oxygen to everywhere in our bodies and then picks up the carbon dioxide that our bodies make and need to dispose of; carbon dioxide is one of the waste materials produced by our bodies.  Our bodies need a way to get the oxygen into our blood and take carbon dioxide out of our blood.    The respiratory system is our body's solution to that need.  When we breath, we breath oxygen in (inspiration) and carbon dioxide out (expiration) - this entire process is called respiration.  This is, by the way, the opposite of plants, which take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.  The respiratory system does perform other functions for the body, but for my children's kindergarten and preschool age levels, I chose to focus primarily on the gas exchange function.
  • The respiratory system includes the nose, mouth, trachea, lungs and diaphragm.  
  • The respiratory system, along with the circulatory system which moves our blood around our body, can be likened to an international package delivery system.  Packages containing a necessary resource are brought into a country by land, air or by sea from afar (in this case, essential-to-life oxygen comes in through the nose or the mouth from the outside atmosphere).  It travels along big roadways to two main delivery hubs within the country (the oxygen goes into the left and right lungs via the trachea and bronchus).   Delivery people (the blood, or more accurately, red blood cells) deliver packages (oxygen) all over the country (our entire body) while picking up other packages (carbon dioxide) to bring back to the main hubs (the lungs) and ship out to the rest of the world (exhale into the outer atmosphere).
  • The tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs look similar to an upside-down tree.  The trachea branches into two other "branches," the bronchus, one of which goes into the left lung while the other goes into the right lung.  Inside the lungs, the bronchus branches into smaller and yet smaller "branches," the bronchi and bronchioles.  At the end of the smallest "branches," the bronchioles, there are clusters of small air sacs, called alveoli, which look like a bunch of grapes.  There are millions of these grape-like clusters, the alveoli, in each lung.  It is in these alveoli, surrounded by blood vessels, where the hand off of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs.
  • The diaphragm is a flat muscle underneath the lungs that is critical to breathing.  The flattening of this muscle when it contracts is what causes air to come into the lungs from the outside environment (inspiration).  The relaxation of the diaphragm results in air being pushed out of the lungs (expiration).
  • We take care of our lungs and respiratory system by exercising and doing deep-breathing exercises (which maintain and can somewhat improve lung capacity, which is, simply put, the amount of air you can breathe in); eating healthy (eating high anti-oxidant foods like broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower have been shown to have a potential protective effect on the lungs); not smoking anything; avoiding breathing contaminated air, such as vehicle exhaust, paint fumes, some chemical cleaner fumes, and dust, as much as possible; doing our part to decrease air pollution; and using good hygiene to decrease our risk of catching contagious illnesses that affect the lungs.
Vocabulary words: respiration, inspiration, expiration, trachea, bronchus, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, diaphragm, oxygen, carbon dioxide
Additional activities (which we didn't do this time, but I'd like to do sometime in the future):
  • The next time I review the respiratory system, I would like to expand upon the international package delivery system analogy mentioned in the discussion points above.  I would like to use a long sheet of paper from our butcher paper roll, draw a series of entry points, roads, hubs, and so on that mimic and represent the parts of the respiratory system.  My kids could then use their toy trucks or trains and marbles or some other small item to represent red blood cells, oxygen and carbon dioxide.  We could then enact the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the respiratory and circulatory systems by "playing" with our toys on the roadways we've drawn.
  • Discuss asthma.  As this is a fairly common airway disease, and my kids are likely to encounter other kids with asthma, I would like to provide them with a background on what asthma is and how it is treated.  When I'm ready to include this in another lesson, I'm sure I can find several online resources, such as this video.
  • Listen to our lungs with a stethoscope, and explain what the doctor is listening for when she uses a stethoscope during a checkup.
  • Incorporate an art project, by making a painting of the lungs.  We could start with bubble wrap cut-outs in the shape of lungs, cover the "bubbles" with paint, and then press the bubble wrap onto paper (see this post on bubble wrap painting by First Palette). We could then do a little straw painting on top of that to create the branching effect of bronchi and bronchioles (as an example, see this post by The Imagination Tree).  Finally, we could create alveoli at the end of the smallest "branches" by gluing on small pompms or buttons or just painting on some dots using the eraser end of a pencil or the tip of an ear swab. 
Resources:
  • This KidsHealth unit on the lungs can help provide information on the respiratory system, and can be used either directly with kids or can help refresh the adult memory before teaching a unit that involves the lungs.
  • The American Lung Association website has information on how the lungs work, on how to protect the lungs, and on various lung diseases.
  • For background understanding for the teaching adult, I like this video on the mechanism of breathing.  This is much too technical for viewing by the average young child and may even be too technical to hold the interest of the average adult; however, since I have an interest in and some background in human biology, I enjoyed the more detailed review.
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Exercise Incentive:  Climbing an Imaginary Mountain

11/3/2015

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Over the last month, I have been walking my two older kids to school when weather allows and everyone is healthy.  The walk to school is a little over a mile, and we have to leave plenty early to make it to school in time given that my kids' pace is much slower than mine would be were I walking by myself.  Initially, my kids were complaining some as we were walking:  their legs were too tired, it's too far, we were going to fast, et cetera.  I know that they are capable of walking the mile to school.  We have done several 1-3 mile hikes with them, and they enjoy these hikes when they are busy exploring and having fun.  Unfortunately, we don't have time in the morning for them to stop and explore on the way to school, and furthermore, driveways, private yards and sidewalks don't tend to be conducive to exploring anyhow.  So I decided to try to come up with something to incentivize not only the morning walk to school, but other physical activity as well, and make it all a little more fun.  

​Since visiting Colorado this past summer and seeing the mountains, my kids have talked about being mountain climbers.  I decided to base this project on that interest.  I painted a mountain on some scrap cardboard, printed out some little hiker images to represent my kids, and had their hiker/climber representations "hike/climb" to the top of the mountain as my kids completed walking miles or other physical activity that I deemed worthy of moving a "mile" up the mountain.  We agreed that the kids would receive a certificate for reaching mid-way ("base camp") on the mountain, and a medal for reaching the top.  The project has been a hit with the kids, and they have even been asking me to take them out walking and biking so they can move up the mountain.  Here's more detail on what we did with this project:
Painted a mountain on cardboard and named it
  • My kids decided that wanted the mountain to also be a very active volcano.  It might not be realistic to summit a volcano which is actively spewing hot lava, but since this is their mountain, childhood is about imagination, and I want them to be excited about climbing their mountain, we have an active volcano mountain.
  • We had some large pieces of cardboard left over from a recent purchase, so I cut some to fit a space on the wall in our unfinished basement, searched online for how to draw a simple mountain (drawing is not something I consider myself to be a natural at so this was not intuitive to me), mixed together some of our bottles of tempera paint and went at it.
  • After much deliberation, the kids agreed upon naming their mountain Horsey Monkey Mound Mountain.
Created printable hikers to represent my kids as they climbed the mountain
  • I have several clipart files that I have downloaded from various Etsy stores, and for this project I used this camping clipart from the store Prettygrafikdesign, which had an image of a hiker with a backpack.  There is a wealth of camping, hiking and mountain clipart on Etsy to choose from, but I already had this, and it suited my purposes just fine.
  • I used image editing software to customize the hiker to better represent my kids.  I use GIMP because it is free - I can't afford Adobe for just doing some simple editing, nor do I like their current cloud-based, plan-based business model.  (I also used GIMP to create the summit sign image at the top of this blog post.  There are plenty of GIMP tutorial videos on YouTube detailing how do techniques like creating the wood burn look that I used in that image.)
  • After printing and cutting out the hikers, I laminated them.  My laminator is one of my favorite tools at home, and we use it frequently.  When cutting the hikers from the laminate, I left a little tag of laminate at the top to use for pinning the hikers to the cardboard mountain with push pins.
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Added images for a trail head, mile markers and base camp to the mountain
  • The kids and I agreed that the path to the mountain peak would be 20 miles long, with a base camp at mile 10.
  • I again used the aforementioned camping clipart from the Etsy store Prettygrafikdesign to create my mile markers and to print some base camp images.  For the trail head sign and base camp sign as well as the summit sign at the beginning of this post, I began with these wood sign images I had previously purchased from the Etsy store AlphabetsStore.  I used MS PowerPoint to create these final images since I wasn't really doing much editing, but rather just adding some text.
Created a certificate for reaching base camp at the mid-way point
  • I again used clip art I had purchased from Etsy shops for creating the base camp certificates in MS PowerPoint.  Since these certificates were for kids, I wanted a bit of a whimsical look rather than professional.  I used one of these digital frames from PaulaKimStudio, and a volcano image from PassionPNGcreation - both of these images were black and white, but I utilized GIMP to add color for my project.  I have quite a list of fonts that I have downloaded free from various "free font" websites, and I found a few that I thought went well together for the theme of this certificate: Cinnamon Cake, Risque, and Juice ITC.
  • I also laminated the certificates because I knew that an non-laminated piece of paper would quickly be destroyed in the hands of my children, either intentionally or unintentionally.
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Created medals for reaching the mountain peak
  • For the medals, I decided to use canning jar lid inserts (luckily a friend had some she no longer needed and gave them to me for free, though I discovered I can buy the inserts separately at the local grocery store) and some white ribbon left over from a package I'd received in years past (I have a stash of bits of acquired ribbon that come in handy for little projects like this).   We drilled some holes in the jar lids; I sewed the ribbon together in a "V" shape, mimicking a medal we already had on hand; and I used wire from my jewelry craft supplies to make some jump rings for attaching the ribbon to the lid.  I sewed one of the jump rings into the ribbon, again modeling the medal we already had.
  • To decorate the medal for this particular project, I created a design in MS PowerPoint, printed it on sticker paper, cut it out with my 2-inch circle punch, and just stuck it on the jar lid.   I used the same volcano image I'd used on the base camp certificates (see above), and used Trees TFB font to add some tree images into the lettering.
  • I also printed out stickers for the backs of the medals which have my kids' names and the date on which they summited the mountain.
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All in all, I'm very pleased with this project.  The kids had fun with it, I had fun creating it, and it fulfilled its purpose of encouraging more movement and making the process enjoyable.   Now, Hopper 1 is telling me he wants me to create a bug mound for our next exercise incentive project...hmmm, the mental wheels are turning....
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