Immigration is a topic one could not avoid in the past few years, specially if you are living in the United States.
No matter what side of the political spectrum one is, it’s also a much-needed conversation.
Sadly enough, it’s also a conversation that too often leave kids out.
I just published an educational booklet on immigration to let our young people in on the discussion.
Designed with Grades 4,5, and 6, in mind, the booklet falls in my “Real-Life” [link] series. It uses real-life video found on the Internet to enhance your presentation. You can either go to my webpages to play the video or play them directly from the providers by following the links.
This immigration package has been designed like a kid’s magazine so it’s colorful and catches the kid’s attention.
The booklet is entitled “Immigrants.” here are the main ready to go topics kids will discover:
The booklet, which is colorful and has been designed like a kid’s magazine, shows well in black and white. Included in this booklet are:
• The first article, “What is an immigrant?” covers topic like “Why Do People Immigrate?”, “The Immigration Process,” “What Challenges Do You Think Immigrants Face?” and then it will point the kids to their own thoughts and actions towards immigrants.
• In the second article, kids will discover “Who Are the Immigrants?” This article relates to students “Legal Immigrants,” “Illegal Immigrants,” “Illegal Immigrants Involved in Crime,” “Refugees” and “What is a DREAMer.” Of course this last article is more pertinent for USA citizens.
• The third article is two pages: “Five Ways to Make an Immigrant Feel Welcome,” which can also be printed and put up as a poster.
• The fourth article is another two pages: “Why Do People Oppose Immigration?”, which can as well be printed and put up as a poster.
• The booklet also includes an easy to follow lesson plan (two pages) for Grades 4,5, and 6.
• There are three worksheets for Grades 4,5, and 6.
• One answer key.
You can read my main article for this booklet on my website by following this link:
https://kidscharacterbuilding.com/character-traits/real-life/what-is-an-immigrant
Members of my website can download the booklet for free until the end of May 2018.
Yep, it’s completely free for a limited time for those who are members of my website.
If you do not want to subscribe to my website, you can buy this 29-page booklet for the modest sum of $8.00 by clicking here [link].
The project was written and reviewed by seasoned educators.
Enjoy!
When I was a kid, I would play hockey in the street or in our driveway beside the house. I grew up in Canada before video games existed, so one actually went outside and played street hockey.
My mom (and dad) had warned me that swearing and bad language would not be tolerated. She had threatened to stick a bar of soap in my mouth, and that of my brothers, if we were caught swearing or uttering other forbidden words.
I used bad language a couple times and then my mother warned me again.”
“I heard you used bad language today.”
“Ya…I got mad at Gerard, he wasn’t playing fair.”</p
Read more: Mother sticks bar of soap in 7 year old child’s mouth!
There has been much said about fear this past year
If i'm honest, I had my share of worries.
I’ve been directing a group home for people with intellectual and physical disabilities during this Pandemic. At the time of writing, I still have numerous “what if” scenarios keeping me up at night.
I have felt the impact of fear (and courage) on the residents and care workers.
Yet, I remain convinced that fear should not always get a bad rap.
A healthy fear is meant to warn us of imminent, potential or real dangers
It gives us the opportunity to get prepared and to explore new avenues of possibility. It also gives us the opportunity to love, protect and comfort others.
I have produced a ”Real-Life” booklet to help you mentor elementary kids about fear.
To overcome an ingrained response, you can’t just tell yourself to stop and expect the response to go away. You need to replace the negative emotional response with a positive one, like replacing a bad habit with a good one. So, if you notice that you are consistently afraid of something non-physical, try replacing that emotion with its opposite—dwell on something or someone you strongly love.
Explain that fear has a good side and bad side too. The good side is that it can protect you from dangerous things. The bad side is that it can wrongfully categorize something as dangerous. In other words, there are two kinds of fear: a healthy or reasonable fear and an unhealthy or unreasonable fear.
Provide an example or two:
Ask students if they can figure out what the good side of fear could be (or if there is one). If students answer incorrectly, explain that fear can protect you from potentially dangerous threats.
Explain that fear is an emotion that provokes a physical reaction in your body. You can start to breathe faster and your heart can start beating quicker, pumping more blood to your muscles and oxygen to your bloodstream. When this happens, your body is preparing itself to react to the perceived threat. This is called the “fight or flight” reaction. Depending on the threat, your body is preparing you to either fight that scary thing off or run far away from it. This can be a good thing. If the threat is truly dangerous, then it’s good to be scared so that you don’t get hurt. Explain that we can call this a healthy or reasonable fear.
In total you have 28 pages of educational materials on Fear.
May this humble present help someone in your life get a grip on their fear.
Keep well my friend, and may you and your love ones have a very Merry Christmas.
You and I have heard lots on this world event in the past weeks. At the time I write this, few people know where this is leading us. We have seen tons of news reports and opinion clips from politicians and citizens alike stating their position and concerns on Syrian refugees. No doubt, no matter where you sit on the issue, you have been overwhelmed with heartwarming human compassion and outraged by the position and actions of others. Now, it’s time for you to hear from our future leaders.
Read more: Discussion guide for elementary kids on the Syrian refugee crisis
Have you ever heard about “Geo-location” or “Geo-tagging”?
Most people would answer yes, but few would really know what it is all about, even less are able to explain to kids. Geo-location is fun, effective and practical. Geo-location can be very dangerous. There are several internet post for parents and geeks on the subject, but I could hardly find anything for kids. I have produced a video animation and discovery guide for elementary kids on the topic.
Read more: Discovery Guide and Video Animation for Kids on Geo-Location