Summary: Students learn about a girl who grew up during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and who received a humanitarian aid gift package from a girl growing up in England at the same time. They locate the cities on the world map and discuss what the gift meant for the two girls. They create and pack their own gift packages for children affected by armed conflicts today, add to them friendship letters and send them to affected children with the help of their teachers.
Main age group(s) for activity or activities: 8-9
Time needed: 3×60 min.
Objectives:
To help children to:
- understand that small acts of kindness can make a huge difference even from children as young as seven years of age,
- recognise that children have always been the innocent victims of war,
- begin to try and imagine the scale of the refugee situation in the world today,
- consider practical ways of helping children who are victims of war and displacement,
- follow in Astrid’s footsteps by packing a shoebox and writing a letter to children living in a war zone.
Materials: Print-outs of Lejla’s personal story and contents of Astrid’s letter, map showing distance in miles from Chester to Cazin either online or paper, a number of empty shoeboxes, paints, crayons, felt tips,