Creating Gardens of Tolerance

Hello Gardeners!

Have you ever heard the quote by Asa Don Brown,

“Children are sponges,

soaking up every verbal

and nonverbal interaction.”

As educators, parents, and guardians, this is something we need to internalize. Everything we do in front of kids gets absorbed. How we manage conflict, how we incorporate diversity in the classroom & at home, how we navigate difficult situations - ALL of that is being observed and integrated into their narrative of tolerance, openness, and respect.

How do we teach tolerance and respect?

| TALK ABOUT OUR DIFFERENCES |

If we ignore our differences and pretend they don't exist, how do we expect kids to embrace them? We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities - let's celebrate that!

Here is a wonderfully simple activity in celebrating diversity:

Bring in a bunch of different fruit - a red apple, a ripe banana, a bright orange, a plump cantaloupe - and set all the fruit out on a table for the kids to look at and explore.