Peace and Justice Education Resource Center

In addition to some background information, the toolkit consists primarily of a number of objects that come from the War Childhood Museum’s (WCM) vast collection, plus a number of suggested activity plans that use these objects as a starting point. The objects selected vary in nature, from diary entries, to letters, to physical objects that provided comfort to children in war.  Like the variety of objects, the suggested activity plans also vary in nature.

Most of the resources have been created by educational experts associated with WCM, as well as its partners. There is also a section ‘teachers for teachers’, which are a set of activity plans developed by teachers from across the globe for other teachers. 

The toolkit is not intended to be a finished product. It will be constantly updated, while new activity plans will be created from time to time, based on new objects in the WCM collection, feedback on activity plans in use and ongoing developments across the globe.

This educational toolkit, associated with the War Childhood Museum (WCM) in Sarajevo, is primarily intended as an educational resource for teachers and educators in both primary and secondary schools, across the globe. Both those with extensive experience with innovative methodologies and those with less experience will find resources and suggested activity plans that will inspire their teaching.

The toolkit has been created in such a way that it is concise and accessible. It is intended to be user friendly, with the everyday teaching reality of teachers and educators in mind. 

The resources contained on the toolkit will be useful for teachers of history and civics/citizenship but also of other subject areas such as the humanities, social sciences, the arts and geography. 

The objects chosen as educational starting points come from conflicts around the globe and therefore their educational appeal will be global in reach. Furthermore, the activities are meant for both educators in formal, non-formal and informal settings. It is our belief that true education combines all these elements. We further hope that teachers and educators who are connected to different subject areas and who adhere to formal, non-formal and informal educational approaches collaborate.

Though the starting point of this educational toolkit is object-based learning, the activities suggested on the website vary considerably. Nevertheless, they all connect to teaching practice in the broadest sense of the word. There are suggested activities that involve working with and creating timelines, conducting student research, keeping a diary, drama-in-education, cooperative learning, discussion and debate, video making, interviewing parents and community members, brainstorming, etc. For those with less experience with such methodologies there are links to learn more about them.

Teachers and educators can choose to use the selected objects in ways that fit into the way they already teach about war and conflict, or they can choose to use the suggested activity plans. Each activity plan can be used in isolation or as a series of activities, that together will provide more insight into conflict and war, and especially children’s experiences with conflict and war.

Object-Based Learning can be defined as a form of active and experiential learning that asks learners to actively engage with artworks, artifacts, archival materials, or digital representations of unique objects for educational purposes. This type of learning surpasses traditional methods by necessitating learners to examine, reflect upon, and work with real or virtual objects.

The advantages of object-based learning include:

1. Providing a direct visual connection to a topic or historical events, aiding learners in associating objects with events, thoughts, and emotions.
2. Presenting information that is often less abstract and more accessible to learners.
3. Encouraging students to engage multiple senses, particularly touch, sight, and smell, resulting in a more holistic learning experience.
4. Stimulating various forms of interactive learning.
5. Assisting learners in concentrating on one or multiple objects, enabling a deeper understanding of the diverse layers of meaning associated with an object, including its creators, users, and owners.
6. Offering an ideal opportunity for fostering group and class discussions, illustrating how different individuals can interpret objects from multiple perspectives.

Any education about war and conflict can stir up different emotions. Though our primary aim is to promote understanding and empathy, and the objects and activities in the toolkit have been chosen in such a way that they will engage young people in a safe manner, we also realize that working with objects connected to war and conflict can lead to a rise of negative emotions such as anxiety and even anger (towards perpetrators primarily). It can therefore also be useful to involve school psychologists and social workers where necessary. 

It is, of course, possible that you have further questions after using this toolkit. We would also like to hear about your experiences when using it so that we can make necessary improvements and updates.  Contact us at education@warchildhood.org.