Family Photo Quilt– This is awesome in a classroom when students can see each other’s families on the finished quilt. Todd Parr's The Family Book is a great way to share the differences of families to children. The book goes through a number of different family dynamics, from adopted children to same sex parents. There are colorful illustrations that engage early readers to the more advanced.

Modern children's books help families explore diversity". CNN. 8 March 2012 . Retrieved 2 May 2013. Family Name Hunt– this is perfect for a remote school. It’s an easy activity to send home for students to do at home, and my students loved it. In a whimsical, engaging way, the daily lives of all kinds of families are depicted, celebrating their differences and their similarities; and supporting acceptance of them all. This reassuring idea is played out in a fun, vivid way that gives you plenty to giggle about. The pop-art illustrations show both human and animal family life. There are adoptive families, step families, families with two mums or two dads, noisy dog families and a single bird parent looking after its nest. Parr even shows you families without children, which is a sweet and modern touch. There are 'families [who] look like their pets' (cue two adults who look just like their pet poodle) and 'families [who] like to be quiet' (see the woman curled up on the sofa with her cat). It's a book to make you all laugh, as well as aid emotional development and allay any fears.Self-Portraits can be very useful when learning about families. Who are you in your family? Students can make themselves or a family member. But as every parent knows, hate is not something you are born with, it is something that is learned. If these parents are so bent out of shape over a single reference to a lifestyle that is a fact of life, then it’s safe to say that their children will grow up as ignorant and as intolerant as they are. My class is learning all about families right now, and I wanted to share some of the activities we are exploring. This book is one of my favorites for exploring families, and this year, as I teach over zoom, it is especially well suited for reading over zoom. This family-themed circle time activity is one of my favorites and it helps to show children how unique every family is while working on counting. Many of these activities work well in class, but some are perfect for at-home during remote learning too. Simple enough for any family to do on any budget. Have fun exploring these preschool activities for The Family Book by Todd Parr. Parr devotes time to numerous philanthropic causes supporting pet adoption, children’s hunger, health, and literacy. He is a frequent reader and fundraiser for The Ronald McDonald House and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Children’s Book Festival. His corporate collaborations include Best Buy, Stouffer’s, and the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank, among others. Combined with these differences are the ways they are all alike: they hug each other, are sad when they lose someone they love, and enjoy celebrating together. The Family Book also serves as a teaching tool about bullying.

Brookhart said that the censoring of these materials, which have been proven effective in schools nationwide in combating bullying, would hurt the progress they have made at the local level. This book is censored because it refers to same sex parents. The book talks about how some families can have two moms or two dads. I think this should not be censored. This book is about students understanding what different families can look like. By not teaching students this, you do not allow them to understand not every family has to nor does look just like their own family. Also, singling out this book as censored because it refers to same sex parental families is demeaning. Whether you censor the book or not, children will still come from homes with parents of the same sex. If we do not allow students to hear at a young age that families can look differently, we do not give them the opportunity to understand just because someones family is different than ours does not mean they should be treated as any less than our own family. Well if someone says something mean to you then you shouldn’t believe what they say because they\’re bullies and they\’re not right,” said Kyiah. Shape House– this shape lesson and art project is a beautiful way to talk about homes and families. A joyous picture book about the importance of family and all of the strength it can give you.The message is subtle, but it's a crucial one: every family is special and the only thing that matters is love. Not only that, but if you feel like your family stands out, then don't– there are so many different sorts of families out there that the "normal" family doesn't really exist.I would not read this to children, even though the message is sweet (understanding of differences and the positive attributes of families), because of issues with racism. Brookhart, along with more than a hundred other parents have signed a petition protesting the ban, a decision which impacts campaigns like No-Name Calling Week, and other materials co-authored by the National Association of Elementary-School Principals.

How can you teach tolerance and the bringing of a community together as one, but make it quite clear that certain types of people are not welcome in that community?Tags: banned bullying censorship education Erie gay Illinois lesbian Parenting schools The Family Book Todd Parr• Lindsay\’s daughter, Kyiah, will be in the third grade next year and took away a lot from the school\’s anti–bullying programs sponsored by GLSEN. Her favorite of which is “No Name Calling Week,” which is now banned under the new policy. Erie, IL School Board Bans Pro-LGBT Families Book". Matthew Shepard Foundation. June 2012 . Retrieved 2 May 2013.

Todd Parr has written over 30 children’s books, and he is the winner of two National Parenting Publication Awards, as well as three Oppenheim Gold Awards; but his The Family Book (preschool-grade 2; 2004) has stirred up some controversy.It’s probably a bit of a misrepresentation to say that it’s just a few parents who have a concern when in fact, at the end of the day, it was a school board representing the views, values and philosophies of a community that really made the decision,” said Cox. “I think our community has very clearly said if those topics come up with 6-year-olds or 7-year-olds that they would rather have those topics discussed at home. We’re still going to teach tolerance, we’re still going to teach diversity.” DC School District Restores Gay-Themed Titles to Summer Reading Lists". SLJ . Retrieved 2 May 2013. House numbers ( FREE printable) – This math activity asks children to count the homes on the card and then clip the correct digit.