Martin Luther King, Jr. Activity

Last Friday we sat down together to talk about the reason for the long weekend. It's more than just a nice break in January! We remembered that we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on this day. We discussed what we knew about MLK Jr. - he was accepting of people, he helped people of all skin colors, he made a very famous and very important speech... the list goes on. After our discussion, I told the class that while I read aloud Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, they could take the paper and crayon I was handing out to them and color a beautiful picture. Sounds relaxing, right? Well, there's a catch. Here's what they got...

It took so much willpower (on my part) not to call on the hands that were shooting up in the air as soon as they got their materials! A few minutes into the story, I looked up at 18 blank stares and 18 "blank" pieces of paper. "Where are your pictures?! I told you to draw a beautiful picture!". The muttering was beginning to grow louder until one brave soul cried out "Miss Guerriero, I can't use this black crayon on black paper!" They decided, almost unanimously, that they should switch colors with a friend. What ensued was nothing short of special - not a voice could be heard, only the work of 18 artists drawing the beautiful pictures I had asked for earlier.

When I finished the book, we talked about why I asked them to color with the same paper and crayon, and what this had to do with MLK Jr. It was one of the best group discussions of the year. Ask your child about it at home!

Thank you to herdingkats.blogspot.com for the inspiration!