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These activities help youth learn about human rights and their guiding principles, like “Participation”. They can be done alone, but work best with one or more friends on a video chat like Skype, Zoom, Facetime, etc.

Grades K-3

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia question: What is the name of Mickey Mouse’s pet dog?

  • Imagine that your pointer finger is a candle.
  • Hold up your candle, take a deep breath in, and then blow out the candle on your finger for as long as you can.
  • Notice how your breath fills up your belly when you breathe in.

Friendship Story

Supplies:

  • Paper
  • Pencil or markers

Children have the right to take part in creative activities. This right is outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 31.

Have your child write a story about friendship.

  • Who are the main characters?
  • What types of adventures do they go on?
  • What types of challenges do they face?
  • How do they succeed?

Help your child share the story with their best friends on the phone or by email. Your pets can be your best friends too, so don’t forget to include them

The Right to a Clean Environment

Supplies:

  • Recycled container
  • Coloured paper
  • Markers
  • Rocks
  • Dirt
  • Vegetable scraps

Children have the right to a clean and safe environment to live in. This right is outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in Article 24.

  • Find a container in your recycling that you could use to plant something in.
  • Have your child decorate it using coloured paper or markers.
  • Fill it with dirt (if it is a container without any holes in it, add some rocks to the bottom).

The next time you are eating vegetables, save the scraps to see if you can grow something in your container. Some examples are:

  • Cut a romaine lettuce heart 2 inches (5 cm) from the base. Place the base in a glass with 1 inch of water in it. After 5-7 days, plant it in your container.
  • Use the same method to grow celery.
  • Try planting sunflower seeds, the seeds from bell peppers or pumpkin seeds.
  • Use what you have!

The Right to an Opinion

Children have the right to share their thoughts and opinions and be heard. This right is outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in Articles 12 and 13.

Have your child think of 5-10 opinions to share with you and discuss them seriously. For example, your child might say, “I think we should have ice cream for dinner.” What are the positives and negatives of having ice cream for dinner?

Help your child think of ideas and opinions that are meaningful to them.

Review Questions

Ask your child:

  • How does it feel to express your rights?
  • Why do you think these rights exist?
  • What can you do if you don’t think your rights are being respected?

Trivia answer

Answer: Pluto

Grades 4-6

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia question: Until what age you are considered a child under the Convention on Children’s Rights?

Mindfulness Activity:

  • Walk around the room.
  • Now walk slowly.
  • Now walk normally.
  • Now, walk VERY slowly.
  • Walk normally again.
  • Now, walk very slowly.
  • How does it feel?
  • Which Energy level is your favorite?

Defining My Name

Supplies:

  • Paper
  • Crayons/ pencils/ markers/ pencil crayons

You have the right to a name, and an identity. This is from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in Articles 7 and 8.

  • Have your child write their name on a piece of paper and come up with a word for each letter. The words should describe your personality and interests.
  • Draw a picture to illustrate each word.

Human Rights Song

You have the right to express yourself and be heard. This is from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in Articles 12 and 13.

  • Have your child write a song about Children’s Rights. You can use the melody of a song you already know and change the lyrics to talk about rights that are important to you.
  • Make a list of 5 or 10 ideas, then make a list of some of the words you associate with those ideas.
  • Write the chorus (the chorus is the part that repeats throughout the song), then write the lyrics in between.

Challenge your friends to write songs too. Set up a performance time when you can video call your friends and family members to share the songs you wrote.

For help on which rights to include in your song, visit the Unicef website.

Blind Paper Airplanes

This activity needs two or more people.

Supplies:

  • Paper plane instructions (look online or make them up)
  • Paper
  • Blindfold

You have the right to communicate your opinions. Communication can be hard when we don’t choose the right words.

  • Follow instructions to make a paper airplane.
  • Choose one person to say the step-by-step instructions out loud.
  • Choose another person to follow the instructions while blindfolded. This person can’t open their eyes or mouth as they follow the instructions. They are not allowed to look at the paper or ask for clearer instructions.
  • Once the instructions have been given, the blindfolded person can open their eyes and compare their shape with how it’s supposed to look.
  • Notice how the paper looks different.
  • Discuss what was difficult about this activity.

Review Questions

Ask your child:

  • How does it feel to express yourself?
  • Why do you think it is important for you and your friends to be able to express yourself?
  • What are some ways you can express yourself?
  • What is it important for children to express themselves?
  • What are some ways to can help your friends to express themselves?

Trivia answer

Answer: 18 years old

Grade 7+

Mindfulness Activity

Trivia Question: How wide are a hippo’s lips? See mindfulness activity answer at the end of the lesson plan.

A: 6 inches
B: 2 feet
C: 4 feet

Mindfulness Activity:

  • Sit down so you’re comfortable.
  • Relax your forehead.
  • Relax your jaw.
  • Relax your neck.
  • Relax your shoulders.

Poster Challenge

Supplies:

  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Markers
  • Crayons

Choose four or five of the rights below that are important to you. Make a poster about each right. Draw pictures to show why it is important

  • Right to Clean Water and Food
  • Right to Play
  • Right to Education
  • Right to a Home
  • Right to Choose Friends
  • Right to Clean Environment
  • Right to Health and Well-being
  • Right to Safety
  • Right to Practice Religion

Rights Rap Battle

Supplies:

  • Pencil
  • Paper

Set up a phone call or video chat with a friend or family member to have a freestyle rap battle.

  • Each of you will pick a right and create freestyle lyrics to express how you feel about it.
  • Focus on a right that you have experience with to help you find good lyrics.
  • Search for instrumental hip hop music on your favourite music app or website to add a beat.
  • Take turns rapping about different rights.
  • In between turns, take a couple of minutes to think about your rap.

Some rights you can use for your battle:

  • Right to life
  • Right to express oneself
  • Right to go to school
  • Right to practice religion
  • Right to medical care
  • Right to food
  • Right to play
  • Right to rest
  • Right to security
  • Right to privacy
  • Right to equality
  • Right to choose my friends
  • Right to information
  • Right to a name
  • Right to live with my parents
  • Right to a clean environment
  • Rights of children with a disability to participate

Child Human Rights Memory Game

Supplies:

  • A sheet of paper
  • Markers

Use the list of Child Human Rights from the previous activity.

  • Write each human right down twice (2x) on paper. Make sure you leave enough space and cut out each human right evenly.
  • Mix up and spread out the pieces of paper on a table and flip them over so the blank side is facing up.
  • Flip one human right over and try to find the matching human right.
  • If you don’t find the right pair, flip them over and try again until you find all the right pairs.
  • You can try this with a family member or alone.

Review Questions

  • How did you feel about the rights you chose for your poster?
  • Why do you think it’s important to be able to express our thoughts and opinions?
  • How can we teach other children and youths about child human rights?

Trivia answers

Answer: B: 2 feet. Did you know that hippos have pink sweat?

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