In the last couple of weeks we have been exploring similarities and differences among people around the world, particularly children.  In pairs, children looked at books about children around the world and used sticky notes to mark pages where they saw a connection with themselves.  Sticky notes are lots of fun so many pages were marked!  Some of the connections kids noticed were children riding bikes, a child with a dog, and a child playing in the snow.

We have read several of these books including One World, One Day by Barbara Kenley, which takes the reader through a day on Earth, and Wake Up World!  A Day in the Life of Children Around the World by Beatrice Hollyler, which explores the lives of eight children around the world from the time they wake up until they go to bed at night.   Both of these books explore simple routines that are common to many, such as eating breakfast, going to school, playing with friends, and getting ready for bed.  While these children can have noticeably different lives depending on what part of the world they live in, emphasis is placed on their commonalities.

Another book we read is Shades of People, by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly, which points out that while our skin color comes in many, many different shades, from creamy peach to caramel to mocha, it is just a covering and says little about the person we are on the inside.  After reading this book we observed eggs, noting the different shades and unique features of each egg - some are speckled, some appear to have stripes, and some are smooth.   After making these observations we cracked several eggs and noticed that while each egg is a little different inside, they are all remarkably alike - much like people.

We were extremely fortunate to continue this conversation with a visit from Cait Shea, Barb Morrison's daughter, who is currently living in China.  Ask your child about one thing he or she learned from Cait's presentation!