Resources for Kindergarten and First Grade

Activities

After you read The Skin You Live In, try having the kids mix paint to match their skin color like this teacher. Take it a step further and have the kids paint their hands with the color and add their handprint to a class banner that says "The Skin We Live In."

The Wrinkled Heart activity had a big impact on me when I was in first grade. It helped me learn that my words, whether positive or negative, have a lasting effect.

Celebrate differences through charts and artwork. I also like how this author encourages children to ask questions and guides two children in having a conversation about a difference.

There are several ways to show we are the same on the inside. Cutting M-n-M's is an easy option. You can also have children select an orange from a bowl. Have them name it, decorate it, and introduce it to the class. Ask kids to return their orange to the bowl. Peel all the oranges then ask the kids to find their orange. It will be impossible because they are all the same on the inside!
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Conversation Starters

Have the kids look at their hands and the hands of all the kids in the class and ask, "are there just one or two colors in our class or are there many?"

What would it be like if everyone looked the same, thought the same, sounded the same, acted the same - if we were all the same?

How would you feel if a friend wouldn't let you play with him because you look, think, or speak differently than him?