children’s literature

How do we teach our kids about racism and prejudice? Other than leading by example, how do we show them to be kind and inclusive to everyone they meet? Reading with your kids, even from a very young age, is a great way to encourage them to ask questions and think about more difficult topics. Here is our list of great books that can help you start the discussion on diversity, prejudice and inclusion, and some advice on how to keep the conversation going.

1. It’s Ok to be Different by Todd Parr– I LOVE all of Todd Parr’s books for their fun illustrations and bold colors, but this one is a great way to show kids that differences are not important and can actually be something for which to be praised and admired.
2. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees– With adorable illustrations and rhymes, this book tells the story of Gerald the Giraffe. He was mocked by all of the other animals for his horrible dancing, until he found his own music and basically became Africa’s So You Think You Can Dance Champion. I love how this teaches that if kids aren’t included or are made fun of, they should just march to their own beat and change the tune.
3. Why Are People Different Colors?: Big issues for little people about identity and diversity by Chris McCurry and Emma Waddington- Two child psychologists wrote this book to help parents and caregivers teach and explain all kinds of big topics to small children. Such a great idea!
4. We’re Different, We’re the Same by Bobbi Kates– I was still in elementary school when this Sesame Street book was released, but the lessons it teaches about diversity are still important and the characters are the ones we all know and love.
5. Whoever You Are by Mem Fox– Children all over the world right now are laughing, crying and playing, no matter where they are or what they look like. With beautiful illustrations, this book shows just how similar we all really are, and that our differences make us special.
6. Imagine by John Lennon – Jean Jullien used Lennon’s powerful lyrics to create abeautiful picture book. The lyrics are timeless and may lead to some great discussions on how we can make the dreams in the song into reality. You may be surprised by how much young children can grasp these complex ideas.
7. I am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer– This book does a wonderful job of introducing Martin Luther King to young children. It is part of a series of books called Ordinary People Change the World with other subjects like Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks. What could be a better lesson than teaching kids that with enough perseverance they could change the world? His other similar books, Heroes for my Daughter and Heroes for my Son, are also awesome!
8. Every Color by Erin Either Kono– Though this book is not specifically designed to teach about race, I think it would be a great way to introduce the topic to young learners. All the polar bear in this story sees is white, white, white until he goes exploring with a little girl to discover all the colors in the world. I think it teaches an important lesson: color-blindness is not the answer, recognizing and celebrating our differences and our sameness is where it’s at.
9. Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang– The message in this book is, “If you love each other, than you are a family.” When kids see families that look different from theirs, it can be confusing. This book offers a simple explanation for what makes a family.
10. This Day In June by Gayle E. Pittman– This book discusses the fun and unityof  Pride parade. It’s a great way to teach children about the LGBTQ community. It also includes a section at the back for caregivers on how to discuss gender identity and sexual orientation with our children. Regardless of what you personally believe, these are issues that are important for us to discuss in today’s world.

5 Ways to Encourage Understanding of Diversity and Inclusiveness in Children:

1. Take your children to multi-cultural events around the city. Show them the beauty of differences. Let them interact and play with people who look, pray or sound differently from them.
2. Don’t chastise children for pointing out differences. This can make them feel that there is something wrong with the difference and not just impolite to point. Instead, use it as an opportunity to talk about the differences they noticed. Praise children for noticing and then teach them that we are all different, but that those differences are only a part of who we are.
3. Be on the lookout for teachable moments. There are many times in our lives when the topics of diversity and inclusion can come up naturally. With my kids it was whenever we saw a man or woman asking for money on the street. They asked questions that I tried to answer as honestly as I could, and we had a long discussion about homelessness. Sometimes you might hear or see something that is not in line with your values. This is also a great time to discuss what the appropriate action would’ve been.
4. Teach children to use respectful language and avoid using labels, instead calling people by their names whenever possible.
5. Most importantly, model appropriate behavior. Use inclusive language. If you hear a friend make a racist or bigoted joke, say something. When your kids point out differences, acknowledge them and then point out sameness.

Wishing you days full of kindness, tolerance, and extra sleep (a girl can dream, right?) !

♥ Erin

Earth Day is next Sunday, April 22nd. What are you doing to celebrate our planet this month? If you need ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve collected ten simple and fun ideas to help your kids celebrate the Earth, while also learning to care for and appreciate her.

Grown Your Own– Nothing makes you appreciate nature like growing your own flowers or fruits and vegetables. You can even start small with an indoor herb garden. You can buy seeds for only 25 cents at the Dollar Tree.

Be a Trash Collector- You can make picking up litter a lot of fun. All you need is a grabber toy like this one. Take a walk around your neighborhood and use the grabber to pick up any litter you see. Talk about what would happen if everyone just threw their trash outside instead of in a trash can.

Feed the Birds– Try making one of these homemade bird feeders and then spend some time outside observing the birds. Talk to your kids about what they’re seeing and how you are helping the birds. Ask them where the birds would be getting their food if they didn’t have the bird feeder.

Cheerio Bird Feeder– This is a great one because kids are able to eat the materials and it doubles as a fine motor activity.

Gelatin Natural Feeder-This feeder is nut-free and seems very quick and easy to make.

Any of these other 12 ideas from The Realistic Mama

Try These Upcycled Crafts- Talk to your kids about how reusing materials gives them a second life!

• Pouch Cap Insects
• Soda Bottle Watering Cans
• Earth Day Tambourine
• Earth Crayons

Decorate Your World- Continue the tradition of RVA Rocks in an even more local way by painting rocks and scattering them around your neighborhood. While you’re out walking around, come up with a list of the other things that make your neighborhood beautiful.

Go Exploring with a Nature Scavenger Hunt– Help your kids discover the wonders of nature that they may not always notice. Use one of these scavenger hunts or create your own.

• Scavenger Hunt from Trish Sutton
• Scavenger Hunt from The Taylor House

Visit a Local Farmer’s Market to Eat the Rainbow– Check out this comprehensive list of local farmer’s markets and plan your visit soon! My favorite are Lakeside, St. Stephen’s and South of the James. Purchase some new colorful fruits and vegetables. Chop them and put them all on a plate and encourage your child to try something new. Explain that all of the new healthy food came from the earth and see if they can come up with other wonderful things that they know come from the earth. This episode of Daniel Tiger always helped my veggie hating daughter to give new food a try.

Heal the Earth– Read the book, Heal the Earth by Julian Lennon, and then draw a large Earth on a piece of paper. Talk to your children about ways they can heal the Earth and write down what they say on the paper. Buy a cheap box of bandaids at the Dollar Tree. Let your kids put a bandaid onto the Earth drawing every time they come up with a way to heal.

Make a Nature Collage– Use contact paper to make this simple and beautiful nature collage. Go out on a nature hunt and have your kids collect flowers, leaves, sticks, pebbles, etc. Then follow the directions here to turn their  treasures into a keepsake.

Celebrate with Snack Time- Try one of these delicious  and adorable snack ideas.

• Earth Day Popcorn
• Classic Ants on a Log
• Tree Snack-Make a tree out using small pretzel sticks for the trunk and branches and sliced grapes for the leaves.
• Earth Day Smoothies

If you live in RVA, don’t forget to check out the local events happening this month:

Earth Day at Maymont– Saturday, April 21st 10 am-12 pm-Registration required.

Sheep to Shawl– Saturday, April 21st 12-4 at Crump Park, FREE- Watch them sheer the sheep, and enjoy live music and food outside in nature.

RVA Earth Day Festival– Saturday, April 21st 12-7 pm-This street festival features local artisans, musicians, food and drink and is located in Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood.

Earth Day of Service– Saturday, April 21st 9 am-12 pm. This service day was organized by the Enrichmond Foundation. You can volunteer to clean up local green spaces. Choose which location in Richmond you’d like to volunteer and sign up here.

Hardywood’s Spring Bada Bing-Saturday, April 21st 11 am-6 pm- Celebrate Earth Day by visiting all of the amazing local artisans that this awesome event has to offer! The event is at their old location on Ownby Lane.

Happy Earth Day!

♥ Erin