Last week we looked at a rather long list
of rights that the Convention says you should have. Then you made your own
list and compared the two.
Everyone knows how very special you are. It is
very important to make sure that all of you, everywhere, have a happy, healthy
and safe childhood. From the very beginning of your life you must be protected
from all harm. This is a responsibility of your parents and your government.
When a child is born it is given a name. In some
cultures the name is not given immediately at birth. Icelandic babies are
not named immediately at birth. Chinese parents often reflect their hopes
for their children in the names they give them. Some Native Americans wait
and observe the personality of the newborn to see what name is appropriate.
Names vary if the baby is loud, quiet or aggressive.
Sometimes when mothers have a baby they know
they cannot take care of it properly so they relinquish their baby for adoption.
They allow another family to raise their child because they feel that this
is the best thing for their baby. Some places allow "open adoption" and adopted
children are allowed to know their birth parents and have visitations.
Discussion
Questions
Do you feel that people
accept you for who you are? Do kids at school respect your space and right
to be yourself? Do kids make fun of kids who are "different?"
Are there some kids
that you dislike so much that you think they shouldn't be around you? Is
that right? Do you make life miserable for other kids? Do you have a right
to do that?
What is your full given
name? What does it mean? How and when was it given to you? Was there a special
ceremony and did you receive special gifts that are a tradition in your country?
Do you like your name?
What name would you choose if you could change your name? Has anyone ever
made fun of your name? How does that feel?
Make note of the
information other participants in this project are sharing about their names.
Ask them questions about their names. Is their name a traditional name in
their country?
Do you think family
life is different for those who are adopted?
"Adopt" one of the other
students participating in the project and introduce him or her to their new
life in your family.
Is "open adoption"
a practice in your country? Do you think it is a good idea?
Are there laws in your
country that assure that children living with one parent are allowed to visit
or communicate with the other parent?
Is it common to see
children from other parts of the world adopted by families in your country?
Are these children encouraged to retain their nationality and cultural heritage?
Are they accepted into your society without prejudice?
Classroom
Activities
Research the meaning
of your name. Talk to your parents and ask them why they gave you the name
they did. Share your findings in class.
Review how KIDLINK
kids have answered the 4 KIDLINK questions in our membership
archives.
Do our names identify our country? Divide your class into small groups and
look at the archives. Make a list of 10 student names you see there. Be sure
to choose as many different countries as you can. Share your list of 10 names
with the other groups in your class and see if they can correctly identify
where each person lives. How correct were everyone's guesses?
All of you have our
own special personalities, hobbies and interests. Think of some things that
are small enough to fit into a shoebox that describe you. If you like to
draw you might put a box of crayons or inkpens in your "shoebox." If you
like music you would put your favorite CD. Bring your shoebox and contents
to school and share with your classmates. Make a list of the items you would
put in your shoebox and send it to the mailing list. See what others have
done in an exercise like this.
Arrange for a
KidCom discussion. Debate the concept
of open adoption with another class. Decide ahead of time which school will
be the affirmative and which the negative. Arrange for two students from
each class to be the judges.
Do a Personal Thermometer.
Write 0 to 40 by fives, if you use Celsius thermometers, or 0 to 100 by tens
if you use Fahrenheit. Next to each temperature, put a descriptive word or
phrase that tells what 'you' feel or think at this temperature.
Use clay and make a
model of yourself dressed in the appropriate clothing for your ideal personal
temperature.
Make a puppet out of
an old sock. Decorate it to show what you look like. Display the puppets
for all to see at your school.
Each student writes
on separate pieces of paper one positive thing about every other student
in the class. The teacher collects the slips of paper and gathers all the
positive statements about each student. The positive statements are sorted
by child and typed on one sheet. These lists of positive qualities are then
given to the appropriate student. Enjoy a snack together as everyone receives
their list.
Kidlink
English
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2002
