Kids Like Us: Using Persona Dolls in the Classroom

by Trisha Whitney

$23.95

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Author: Trisha Whitney

Publisher: Redleaf Press

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 1884834655
ISBN 13: 978-1884834653

A guide to exploring the many differences between all of us and how to teach children to respect and embrace those differences, Kids Like Us shows how teaching young children can be more effective with story-telling, problem solving, and positive feedback.

A teacher gives a doll a "persona" (including a name, family history, and other traits) that is then used to discuss issues that may relate to classroom situations. For example, a group of children may not think of accessibility for disabled children; if their persona doll uses a wheelchair, however, the teacher can lead a discussion of what they'll need to do for a field trip or other activity that presents challenges to differently-abled children.

Teachers can use Kids Like Us to address emotional issues, bias or prejudice, development, or any other issue that comes up in the classroom. Trisha Whitney provides practical and inspirational tips for working with children and the doll, and she outlines five-steps for using dolls to increase understanding and nurture thinking in a variety of situations. Each step includes detailed descriptions is filled with real-life and fictional examples to make it even easier to use persona dolls in the classroom.

Review

Kids Like Us is a new, needed and outstanding resource for any adult who wants to nurture childrens healthy identity, attitudes towards differences, and skills for standing up for themselves and others in the face of unfairness. Guiding us step-by-step through the process of using storytelling with dolls, Kids Like Us wonderfully meets the most-often made request from anti-bias education early childhood teachers. --Louise Derman-Sparks, author, Anti-Bias Curriculum

Kids Like Us presents a wonderful opportunity for early childhood teachers and providers to develop skills in delving deeply into the emotional lives of children. Teachers can explore any area of concern or interest to children through the safety of a dolls experience. Whitney also offers a structure for thoughtful planning, as well as ideas for dialogue and responses to childrens questions about difficult topics. --Cecelia Alvarado, Director, Taking the Lead, Wheelock College

If you've never used puppets or dolls with children, keeping track of everything--the stories, the children's interests, the anti-bias concepts--can be difficult. Kids Like Us provides the road map that teachers need, with a clear structure and plenty of concrete examples. It's the best kind of curriculum guide, providing easy-to-follow steps, but encouraging teachers to bring in their own ideas, as well as the ideas of children. --Eric Hoffman, author, Anti-Bias Books for Kids

From the Publisher

We are all different. From the differences in race and ethnicity to the differences in gender and how we are abled, one thing rings true not one of us is exactly the same. Helping children explore and understand the many differences we all have, though, remains one of the fundamental challenges facing caregivers that strive to lead an anti-bias classroom.

First-time author, Trisha Whitney, offers remedies to that very challenge in her innovative new book Kids Like Us: Using Persona Dolls in the Classroom. This book offers story-telling and problem solving as key components in the discussion of differences.

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Kids Like Us: Using Persona Dolls in the Classroom