In the Buddhist class I teach to children, I decided to read one of my son’s favorite stories called “The Big Orange Splot” written by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. This book is a bright and cheerful story about a man, inspired by a seagull spilling orange paint on his house, decided to be different then the rest. At first his neighbors were not pleased, but after sipping lemon aid and talking though the night, everyone on his street learned about self expression.
The lesson: While reading the story, ask the children to think about the following.
Everyone on the street wanted to be the same. Do you think Mr Plumbean had “lost his marbles” because he wanted to be different? Can you think of times at school your friends didn’t understand you because you liked different things? The purpose of this question is to get kids thinking about how we judge each other, from the things we like to the clothes we wear.
How do you think he felt when people were upset? Did that stop him from wanting to be like his dreams? Focus on the fact Mr Plumbean did not get angry when other people were judging him. Also, he still continued to paint his house differently despite the criticism. Remind the children that just because you like or do different things, you should not let other people sway you away from your dreams.
How did Mr Plumbean convince his neighbors being different is ok? Remind the children Mr Plumbean only talked to his neighbors about why he choose to paint his house differently. In return, his neighbors understood him better and stopped judging him for being different. Focus on the importance of communication and “listening and learning” Remind the children that when you choose to understand someone better, you never know what you will discover!
Are all the houses the same or different? Point out in the pictures how some houses have similar colors, although different styles. Other houses have the same style (castle) but different colors. Remind the children that not all 2 houses are the same, but there are qualities that are similar. It is the same with our friends and no two friends will be exactly alike. We may like the same things but we are always a bit different. Remind the children to truly be a friend to someone is to accept their differences and similarities.
The Craft: To reinforce this lesson, I had each child create their own “about me” posters to share with each other.
What you need:
- stickers, clip art and magazines of popular items children like. Pictures to find may include animals, cartoons, food, TV shows, sports, etc.
- poster board
- pens, pencils, markers
- glue sticks
What you do: Ask each child to make a poster of who they are, what they like, and what makes them unique. Prepare a “teacher” example. Some items to include on the poster would be your favorite color, your favorite animal, sports you play, your favorite cartoons, etc.
After the children’s posters are complete, tell them “we will use our communication like Mr Plumbean and listen and learn from each other. ” Have each child talk about their posters to the group and remind the other children the importance of listening to each other.
The lesson was a big hit! it was lovely to see each child was proud of their differences but was excited to learn some kids were actually the same.
