By Mrs. Cheyne Hamilton
PreK teacher
Southwest Campus
Did you know that Black History Week turned into Black History Month in 1976?
February is here and once again we are celebrating Black History. The idea this year was to create a Black History Museum. As teachers started planning how to integrate Black History into their lesson plans we had to think about the best way to communicate such an important topic. Teachers at Varnett know that preschoolers learn best through discovery, exploration, observation, play and using their five senses. This year in Pre-K, a museum was created to get the students excited about Black History. The hallways and cafeteria are covered wall to wall to share with both parents and students about African-American inventors.
Students have had a chance to take a tour of the museum and see how the world benefits from inventions that were created many years ago. Teachers have worked diligently to prepare preschoolers to receive this information by watching videos, doing art activities, engaging in coloring pages and turning the classroom into a dramatic play area for students to explore and transform their minds. Educators recognize that many textbooks have small write-ups about the achievements of African Americans.
Some of the activities included making a wreath of students’ hands to communicate that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted everyone to get along, love one another and stop the violence. Students have had the opportunity to discuss the tools that are used for various hair types as a way to celebrate Madame C.J. Walker, who became the first female African-American millionaire through the establishment of her hair care businesses.
When one class was asked, “Who was Garrett Morgan,” the response from a 4 year old was simply, “He invented the stop, slow down and go!” I smiled before responding because preschoolers do understand and are able to take away information and share the information they are learning. One parent wrote a note to a teacher thanking her for teaching her preschooler about Black History. Students are not only learning about historic people; they are learning how Black History has affected how we currently live.