Celebrating International Day Of Peace

               

We decided to honor the International  Day of Peace in our classroom today in several different ways.  Our children had engaged in a sensitive conversation last week regarding peace and we felt that this would be a perfect time to revisit our thoughts and continue to delve deeper.  We decided to structure our journal experience  a little differently today. We asked each child to think about "what makes them feel peaceful "and then to draw a picture of their thoughts.  The children then dictated words and or stories about "what makes them feel peaceful." Having the opportunity to have a one-to-one conversation about such a sensitive topic  with each child was a wonderful way to become closer and more connected with each other. 

We began our Morning Meeting in a special way today.  We lit several beautiful candles as we settled together and held hands and thought of peaceful feelings as a group without using any words.   The quiet and still in the classroom was amazing and the feeling of collective calm very peaceful indeed!

We decided to go outdoors into the quiet log area in our outdoor classroom to have snack today.  We thought that reading a book about peace while outdoors on this beautiful day would be really special for the children.We read The Peace Book , by Todd Parr.  This is a beautiful book that talks about all different kinds of peace. Peace is listening to all different kinds of music...Peace is giving a hug....Peace is traveling to different places... are all examples of how this author teaches young children about peace. 

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Working collaboratively in the art studio was a wonderful way for children to have peaceful, creative experiences together.  The first few weeks of school are important times where we are getting to know each other, learning to respect  each other and building the foundation for a community.  We are starting to feel like a family.  Focusing on "peace'" clearly fits in so well with our goals for the year.
We also read  What does Peace feel like? by V. Radunsky .

This digital scrapbook made with Smilebox

ENJOY THE SCRAPBOOK OF OUR DAY OF PEACE!

HAVE A PEACEFUL, BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND WITH YOUR FAMILY!