This lesson plan is for the book Somewhere Today: a Book of Peace, which won the 1999 Best Children’s Book of the Year. This book can be purchased from Bookshop.org, which is connected to QuakerBooks of FGC. It illustrates ways that people are living with kindness and love. Lesson plans are appropriate for children ages 3-8. They includes activities for a peace collage, acting, and service. For more lessons from books, see Book Reviews and Lesson Plans for Children.

Overview

These lesson plans are for ages 3-8. They focus on developing an understanding and appreciation of God.

Synopsis of Story

This is a picture book that shows the many ways we can build peace in our own communities. The actions shown in the book are performed by both children and adults and are simple and easy to do (e.g., being a friend, teaching a little sister to ride a bike, visiting a friend who is old, planting a tree).

Opening

Ask children to say their names and introduce any new children. You might ask children to share something something that happened this week or something that they are looking forward to. Ask for a volunteer to read today’s quote.

Quote: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”— Mahatma Gandhi

Then, read through Somewhere Today: A Book of Peace. For young children, read the story yourself, taking ample time to show everyone the pictures. Each child able to read may read a portion. The teacher and/or older children may need to assist some readers.

Discussion questions

• What are some of the things people did in this book to create peace in their communities?
• I wonder how these things created peace. (Invite children to wonder out loud in response.)
• I wonder what peace means to you.
• I wonder what you could do to build peace around you.

Activities

Peace Collage

Have the children create collages of people building peace. Materials needed: paper, magazines, scissors and glue sticks

Drama

Brainstorm and role play a variety of ways to build peace in our own lives. Put on skits for the other children or for the meeting.

Paper Peace Quilt

Give each child a piece of paper or fabric to decorate with their own way of building peace using words, symbols, abstract images or pictures. Put the pictures together like a quilt and display in meeting.

Song

“Let There Be Peace on Earth,” which is listed in Rise Up Singing.

Service Project: Elder visits

Identify members of meeting who are home bound and arrange a visit. Making a gift ahead of time can give the children a comfortable focus for the visit when they don’t know the elder being visited. Be sure to check on any dietary limitations before preparing food.

Service Project: Toy collection

Collect new or nearly-new toys and spruce them up to give to a local shelter. Consider a women’s shelter where victims of domestic abuse bring their families. In terms appropriate for children, explain that sometimes people don’t feel safe at home so they come here to feel safe. Bringing toys can help the children be happy as well as safe.

Closing

Sitting in a circle, each person says in one word what he or she will do within the coming weeks to help create peace. Pass the peace from person to person by shaking hands.

Credits

This lesson plan is based on a submission from Robin Wells.