It takes a village to raise free people.
My Family Builders is a fun, educational toy for young children, and was our most liked product this month! The box includes cards with pictures of different families–same sex, inter-racial, and single parent families–that serves as a tool to help adults engage in conversations about the beauty in different families. This is definitely a fav. of my two and four-year-old!
Contrary to how it is typically marketed, homeschooling is not just a “White thang”. Check out the The Black Homeschool for tips and ideas. Continue reading “The Black Homeschool: Tip and Ideas on Homeschooling”
In the spirit of celebrating Kendrick Lamar’s epic performance at the Grammys, you must grab this brilliant literary lesson I found at Brian Mooney’s website. The lesson uses Kendrick’s album, To Pimp A Butterfly, to help high schoolers develop a critical lens by drawing political and historical connections between his album and the literary text, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. Continue reading “To Pimp a Butterfly: Teaching Kendrick Lamar’s New Album”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) published a three-page PDF on Islamophobia.org that provides recommendations on how to conduct conversations with young people about the current anti-Muslim hate crimes and Islamophobic political rhetoric heard in mainstream media. Continue reading “Confronting the Fear: 2016 Islamophobia Report”
For lessons and resources on anti-bias and anti-bullying topics, The Anti-Defamation League produces some thought-provoking lessons aligned with common core and broken up by grade level. Continue reading “No Place for Hate: Lessons and Resources on Anti-Bias and Anti-Bullying Topics”
Are you a parent, teacher, or student searching for #conscious curricular materials? The Zinn Education Project may be for you. “Its goal is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula.”
Continue reading “Teaching a People’s History: The Zinn Education Project”
A few years ago, the Huffington Post published 6 Diverse Children’s Cartoons (Where the Main Character Isn’t Necessarily White) highlighting our previously mentioned Bino and Fino as well as the following five animations: The 99, Burka Avenger, Ni Hao Kai-Lan, Sara Solves It, and Maya and Miguel. Continue reading “6 Diverse Children’s Cartoons (Where the Main Character Isn’t Necessarily White)”
If you are looking for a cartoon that represents positive images of Africa and teaches about Nigerian history and culture, then the Bino and Fino DVD series is the perfect match! My kids really enjoy these episodes and they provide good talking points for us to explore the continent of Africa and our cultural connections to it.
“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Dr. Beverly Tatum is my favorite book to gift for parents-to-be. Tatum shares research around the factors that impact racial identity development in youth and ways adults can support the development of healthy racial identities from early childhood to adulthood.
Continue reading “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
