Awareness Week Lower Primary School Activities Walking with Refugees Teaching Strategies and Resources
LOWER PRIMARY ACTIVITIES Jesus Was A Refugee Retell the story from a children s picture bible depicting the events of Mary and Joseph having to leave Bethlehem and fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod. Discuss what a refugee is and that Jesus was a refugee. There are other people all over the world who have to leave their homes in search of safety. We need to care about and show love for these people. Colour in Resource Sheet 1. What Makes Up Me? Discuss what is important to each person, emphasising that each child will be different. Using an OHP for light, draw and cut out silhouette heads of children. Children then draw or writes up the things that are important to them what makes up their identity. Imagine what it would be like to have most of these things taken away from you. How would you feel? This can happen to people who are called refugees. Discuss what it means to suddenly have to leave your home and the things that are important to you to become a refugee. Could you still have all the things written on the heads? Imagine You Are A Refugee Imagine you are suddenly going away and can only take 3 things from home with you. What would they be? On Resource Sheet 2, write or draw 3 things in or around the suitcase that you would take with you, remember you would have to carry them yourself. How would your life change? Discuss that many people all over the world have to leave things behind as they have to leave home suddenly to find safety. There are millions of refugees in the world. Most refugees flee to other parts of their country or to nearby countries. ( Activity adapted from http://www.projectpeacemakers.org/resources/sundaykit.pdf) Reasons People Become Refugees Brainstorm some reasons that people might have to leave their homes without much warning (war, disasters or poverty). Many refugees have to walk long distances to find safety. Children leave behind schools and it is often difficult for them to get food or to see a doctor. Write or draw in the footprint how leaving their home would make them feel and then brainstorm ways that children can love the refugees (pray for them, learn about them, listen to their stories, raise money through ALWS for them etc.) Cut out the feet and put them around the classroom with a sign Walking with Refugees. ( Activity adapted from http://www.projectpeacemakers.org/resources/sundaykit.pdf)
LOWER PRIMARY ACTIVITIES Nepal Find Bhutan and Nepal on a world map. Discuss that many people had to leave Bhutan as refugees because the government made some rules that pushed these people out of that country. Most of these people went to Nepal. Download some pictures of Nepal and Bhutan from the internet. Discuss what life would be like there. Make two giant mountains out of cardboard. Label one Nepal and one Bhutan. Stick some facts/pictures about Nepal and Bhutan on to these mountains. Refugee When the refugees went to Nepal, they were not welcomed, so they have had to live in refugee camps in Nepal. There were so many people, that there had to be 7 refugee camps. Show some pictures from the photo section in the Awareness Pack of life in the Refugee in Nepal. Explain that it is very hard for these people as the Nepal government doesn t want them and the Bhutan government doesn t want them, so they are stuck in refugee camps. List some things that might be difficult in setting up a refugee camp (housing, water, food, schools, medical help, power etc) Food is something that is hard to get for everyone. Sometimes not enough and not many choices of food are given to the people. Check out some recipes from Nepal. Try some out with your class! (Resource sheet 4) How Does Australian Lutheran World Service Help Refugees in Nepal? These are some of the ways that the refugees are helped: Housing Water Food Health Education Street lighting Toilets Discuss how each of these aspects would be different to set up in Nepal than in Australia eg. How would building a house be different in Australia than in a refugee camp? Write these on card and have students illustrate each section. Display.
LOWER PRIMARY ACTIVITIES Being a Peacemaker These children (resource 5) are praying for the refugees in Nepal. Use the bubble to write a prayer for peace or draw a picture of what you would imagine while praying for the refugees in Nepal. Attach paper to string and create prayer flags to hang in your classroom. ( Activity adapted from http://www.projectpeacemakers.org/ resources/sundaykit.pdf) Mural Representation Make a mural of Matthew 25:40 Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me. Have children paint/illustrate the mural and display in a prominent place. Refugee Calendar Make a calendar (available on www.microsoftoffice.com) using the photos of the Bhutanese refugees available on the CD that is included in the Awareness Pack. Hang and use the calendar in your classroom. Each time a person glances at it, checks a date, or writes something on it, the awareness of the Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal will be heightened. Board Game Create a board game. The ultimate goal being that the refugees are able to find their way home. Templates are available at: http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/gameboard.htm BHUTAN Peace stickers Use blank labels to write peace messages that would give the refugees hope. Wear them during Awareness Week or on another special day that focuses on refugees. Display Make a refugee theme window display with the children informing the wider school community about the plight of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Include the students work they have accomplished.
Resource Sheet 1 Jesus Fleeing To Egypt As A Refugee Extracted from: www.4homeschool.info/maryjosephjesusriding.htm After Jesus was born, King Herod was scared that he would lose his kingdom and his power to the Messiah. Herod had all the boys under the age of 2 killed. Joseph was warned of Herod s plan by an angel. Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled for Egypt during the night. When Herod died, it was not safe enough to return to Bethlehem, so Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Nazareth where they rebuilt their lives. Joseph worked as a carpenter and Jesus helped him. (Summarized from Matt 2:13-16)
Resource Sheet 2
Resource Sheet 3 Write or draw inside the foot how you would feel if you had to leave If I had to leave home I I can love refugees
Resource Sheet 4 Quick Dal (lentil soup) Ingredients: 1 cup red lentils (soaked overnight) 1 tablespoon butter Half teaspoon Cinnamon Powder Salt to taste Cooked rice Optional: 3 tablespoon onions (chopped) 2 tablespoon tomatoes (chopped) Half teaspoon turmeric powder Half teaspoon garlic paste Preparation: 1. Boil red lentils with all ingredients until cooked. Rajma Curry (Kidney Bean Rajma) Ingredients: 1 can kidney beans 2.5 tablespoons onion (chopped) 1.5 tablespoons tomato (chopped) 1 tablespoon oil Salt to taste Optional (to taste): Chilli Powder Turmeric Curry Powder Garlic Preparation: 1. Fry onions to light golden brown with all spices, then add tomatoes. 2. Add beans, cook until hot and serve. Instant Gajar Ko Halwa (Instant Carrot Pudding) Ingredients: 2 cans of carrots (mash) Half cup condensed milk Three quarters cup of Ricotta Cheese 1 cup sugar Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped dates Quarter cup chopped cashews Preparation: 1. Cook carrot with half of sugar on medium heat for 5 min. Stir well. 2. Add condensed milk, ricotta cheese, rest of sugar and cook again on medium-low heat for 10 min. 3. Garnish with the cashews and dates and serve. Mango Ice Cream Ingredients: 1 ripe mango 400 grams vanilla ice cream 3 tablespoons sugar Preparation: 1. Put mango in blender. Blend it well with the sugar. 2. Add ice cream. Blend it for less than a minute. 3. Freeze the mixture and serve. For more Nepalese recipes/information on Nepalese food visit: http://www.food-nepal.com Recipes adapted from: http://www.food-nepal.com
Resource Sheet 5 Dear Jesus..