The Heritage Project

Our wise and wonderful art teacher, Margaret (whose services are made possible through an educational partnership with The Children's Museum of the Arts) contributed to our kindergarten study of self with the Heritage Project.

Margaret asked the families of each child in our class to provide a detailed list of ancestral origins. A diverse number of countries were represented including Wales, Australia, Cuba, Israel, Netherlands, Morocco, Romania, Hungry, Syria, Dominican Republic, Spain, Puerto Rico, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, Belgium, France, United States, England, Korea and Texas.  Yes, one mischievous mom tried to slip in that last one, arguing her case with a sweet southern charm.

Flags of each country were colored by the students (using cray-pas and covered with a light gloss to prevent smudging) which served as a background to individual self portraits.

Each one was then placed on a puzzle piece that fit into a large jigsaw puzzle.  Taken together this project highlighted the fact that although we all come from divergent backgrounds, we are all part of a global community.

As we strive to instill a sense of responsibility in our students so they become active citizens caring for our world, this feeling of brotherhood and unity and oneness cannot be overemphasized.

Isn't it "one nation under God with liberty and justice for all"?