Respect Games & Activities

-    Alike and Different (Thumbprints).  Set out white 3" x 5" cards, a black ink pad, a pen, and a magnifying glass. Ask the children to make prints of their thumbs by pressing them on the ink pad and then on the cards. Label each print with the child's name. Let children use the magnifying glass to see how the prints are alike and different. Point out that everyone has patterns on the skin of their fingers and each person's fingerprints are different from anyone else's. 

-          Listening and Carving . Tell the children that some people from other cultures enjoy carving things from stone. For example, some Inuit artists carve animals out of stone. They pick out a stone and sit with it, spending time with the stone and getting to know it. They listen to the stone, and when they know the stone well, they find the shape or animal that the stone wants to become. Then they begin carving the stone in that shape. Show the children pictures of some of these carved animals if you can find them in an encyclopedia or at the library. Give each child a piece of sandstone (available in art supply stores). Sandstone is a rock made of compressed sand. It can easily be carved by rubbing the sand off with a plastic knife. Encourage the children to carry the stone with them all morning or afternoon. Tell them that after lunch or the next day they can carve their stone into any shape they want. Encourage them to listen to their stone. Maybe it will tell them what shape it wants to become. 

-          Proverbs and Traditions . Ask children to talk with their families about sayings that are common in their culture or traditions that they have in their families. Choose one broad topic, such as love, birthdays, holidays, or time. Chart the responses to see how different cultures express similar ideas. Children might also be fascinated to compare the different names they use for their grandparents (Williams, 1989). Listen and watch for children's comments that can lead to discoveries about each other. 

-          Activity: The Salad. America is called a melting pot referring to how many different cultures we have living in America.  Show an example of a melting pot by making a tossed salad in front of your children.  First just add the lettuce; by itself the lettuce is boring.  Now one at a time, add the different vegetables and then toss the salad together.  By adding the vegetables to the lettuce you have ingredients that have their own identity, while making the salad better as a whole with different colors and shapes.  Try to use vegetables with a variety of color.  Remind students that it doesn’t matter if they like the taste of the vegetables, in order to understand the thought or concept.