Talking about Race with the National Museum of African American History

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recently launched a web portal called Talking about Race, which includes lots of great information for talking to kids or educating yourself about race and racism in the United States.

You can start by looking at an overview of the site from the point of view of a teacher, parent or caregiver or person interested in learning more.

Or you can look at particular topics such as what is bias, systems of oppression and historical foundations of race. There are topics on becoming antiracist, self-care and building community. This would be a great starting point for exploring race and racism with older kids, or for adults to build a strong foundation for raising and teaching anti-racist kids or educating themselves.

[Photo: National Museum of African American History and Culture]

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Learn about American Samoa for Kids

One way to help teach kids about Thanksgiving and why it’s important to be grateful is by reading books, and Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sally Garland, is a sweet story about the value of friendship and sharing.

Little Mole has made a feast and invited some very important guests, but when they all cancel at the last minute, Mole is reminded that the most important people in his life are his friends and family. All the animals in the forest join together and have a feast, raising a glass to the creatures who are always there for them.

It’s a quick little story but it’s sweet, and the book also includes a little information about how you can plan your own fancy forest feast.

This would be a really fun thing to do with a preschool group. You could read the book and plan your own fancy forest feast, which could be a regular lunch made fancy by eating outside and making some fun decorations for the table or picnic area. Families could bring food or kids can help prepare a treat in the classroom, depending on how you’re set up.

I also love the idea of using a book like this to talk about the people who are important in our lives. Mole’s special guests — the school principal, a firefighter and the mayor — are all important people and worth being thankful for, but in our day-to-day lives, the people who are closest to us are really the ones who are most important and who we should be thankful for. But it’s easy to forget showing gratitude to people we see all the time.

And that’s really what Thanksgiving is all about! Giving thanks for those people who are important to us on special days, but on every other day, too. Little Mole Gives Thanks is an easy way to start those conversations with little kids.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover, published 2023 by Beaming Books, suggested retail price $17.99.

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