Classroom Peace Activities:

* Acts of Peace Songs

Singing is a good way to get in the mood for the daily journaling of Acts of Peace:

• "Give Peace a Chance", "If I had a Hammer", “Bridge over Troubled Waters” and “Peace is Flowing like a River” are a few possibilities. The children will suggest many more.
• Kids love to SING about Peace as well as practice it. CD’s of suitable children’s peace songs are available for all ages online.

* Acts of Peace Sharing

Since it takes people to create conflict, it takes people to resolve it.

• If two or more children have a disagreement, Teacher suggests that they resolve their conflict by talking it through – as an Act of Peace – rather than staying angry, physically fighting, or shutting each other out.
• If children realize how they have hurt or offended one another, either by word or action, they can be encouraged to say they’re sorry as an Act of Peace.
• Then, when they have committed a mutual Act of Peace, they can share food together.
  Teacher has on hand juice and pretzels. The children involved serve each other the pretzels and juice, as a sign of mutual healing.

* One Thousand Acts of Peace Math

In this demonstration, children can get a sense of how their three Acts of Peace a day will accumulate to over one thousand in a year.

• Teacher takes 1,000 pennies or pom poms or colored beads or small stones -- or other small object with some mass.
• Teacher shows the children what a thousand looks like. Then Teacher takes three beads or pennies and shows the children that if they collect just three a day for a year, by the end of the year, they would have more than 1,000 of them.
• Introduce the idea that three Acts of Peace – some kindness, forgiveness, service, sharing, thoughtfulness done to another – per day also would add up to more than One Thousand Acts of Peace per year. In order for the children to remind themselves to do these three Acts of Peace every day, they can make Acts of Peace Bracelets.

*Acts of Peace Bracelet

In this activity, children make a Peace Bracelet they can wear – as a reminder to commit Three Acts of peace a day.

• Using heavy elastic thread, about 16-32 beads (depending on size) three special beads slightly larger and of brighter color than the other beads, glue, and scissors, Teacher cuts a piece of elastic thread for each child. Tie one bead to one end of the cord to keep the other beads on while beading.
• Teacher invites the children to string almost half the beads, then alternate with the 3 special beads and then string the remaining beads onto the cord. Untie the end bead; tie the elastic ends together after fitting on the child’s wrist. Put a dot of glue in the knot to keep it from untying. Trim ends after glue has dried.
• Children can be reminded that the three special beads are Acts of Peace intermingled with everything else they do all day.

* Acts of Peace Walk

In this class outing, children are encouraged to be more peaceful moving within the world around them.

• Class takes a Peace Walk together, through a public park, a country lane, up a hill, or into the woods. Walk quietly and slowly.
• Teacher alerts children to try to be quiet and peaceful, aware and very mindful of the things around them that they would normally miss because they are usually talking or distracted or listening to music
• For example: the look and touch of moss growing on a rock, the sound of water trickling, the smell of green grass or fresh flowers, the feel of the bark of a tree or a delicate leaf, the sight and movement of a bird or butterfly, an ant or squirrel, the sensation of a breeze or stiff wind, heat or cold on one’s face, the silence of the clouds overhead…
• When the group stops to rest (or returns to the classroom), children list or draw some things that looked or sounded or smelled or felt like PEACE to them on their walk
• Even in a noisy, crowded city, suggest that children take a Peace Walk whenever possible…and spread a little more intentional peace to the people they pass, with every step.

* Acts of Peace Poems

In this creative project, children are guided in writing the experience of committing an Act of Peace in a poem (or song) – and then saying (or singing) it to the class.

• Teacher reads a short Poem about Peace to the class
• Teacher suggests the class create its own Poem about Peace and writes the first line on the blackboard – each child supplying the next line which Teacher adds for all to see
• Teacher encourages the use of simile, metaphor, comparison and contrast
• Each line of the poem might start with: Peace is like...Or Peace is the same as…or Peace is …or Peace is not…Or Peace is different from…etc.
• Teacher may also ask: How does the Bird of Peace (the Logo) fly through the world and make real differences in people’s lives?
• Children might continue writing short poems every day to describe their own personal experience of Acts of Peace; either doing something peaceful or feeling peaceful or receiving peace from someone else.
• If children sing or play musical instruments, they might be encouraged to put their poems to music – and accompany themselves (or each other) as they recite or sing their poem for the class. And the rest of the class can Tap for Peace in rhythm.

* Acts of Peace Secret Signs

This is a group project that helps children be on the alert for Acts of Peace…and makes Acts of Peace a very cool thing to do.

• Children form small groups (not cliques) and create a very specific sign or gesture that will remind them to do Acts of Peace toward each other as a group – or alert each other (in sign language) that a particular situation is an immediate opportunity for an Act of Peace – or simply to give each other a spontaneous Act of Peace, like slapping “high fives”.
• Teacher allows ten minutes for each group to create and practice its secret Acts of Peace sign or gesture...
• Throughout the week, children from each group try to “spot” the Acts of Peace signs and gestures of the other groups. The group that spots the most Peace Signs wins a prize.

* Acts of Peace Art Projects

This may be an individual or a small group project to decorate the classroom.

• Children design, draw, and color posters -- as reminders to commit daily Acts of Peace.

  Examples: PEACE. Three Times a Day
                or PEACE: That’s All and That’s Everything
                or Make PEACE a Habit
                or TAP for Peace. A little Peace goes a long, long way

• Children create Advertising Posters for Peace, based on commercials or ads they’ve seen.
  But instead of giving the usual reasons to buy something, Teacher advises the children to ask:
  Why should I think about Peace, practice Peace, give Peace, receive Peace?
  When should I practice Peace? When it’s easy – or tough – to do?
  Where should I commit Acts of Peace? At home, in school, on the bus, or playground?
  How does practicing Peace make me feel?
  What will it benefit me?
    Examples:
                GET YOUR FREE PEACE RIGHT HERE: We’re giving it away!
                NEW and IMPROVED Peace: Acts a lot nicer!
                Give PEACE away: Three times a day.
                Feel better fast: Do something PEACEFUL!
                Hey, Give PEACE a chance: I’m only a kid.

* Acts of Peace Dramas

In these short, unscripted improvisations or skits, children can experience doing Acts of Peace in imaginary circumstances with made-up conflicts, before they try them out in real life. Teacher may ask after each improvisation: How does it make you feel to TAP or be TAPPED?

• Child drops a pile of books off the desk, and another child comes over to help pick them up. The first child asks: “Is that a TAP?” And the second child acknowledges: “Yeah, sure.”
• Child is leaning over the desk, head in hands. Another child comes up and asks: “You okay?” First child shakes head. Second child sits down and asks: “What’s up?” First child tells what the problem is…and the two talk it over, making up the words… acting out an Act of Peace.
• First child struggles to do something physical. Second child comes up and offers to help. First child asks: “Are you TAPPING me?”…
• Several children stand in line. Another child comes running in late…really needs to get ahead. Someone in line objects. Another child lets the late child into the line….with a secret Peace sign.
• One child gets teased by another. A third child walks by, hears it, and stands up for the first child. After the three talk it over, they all give each other a Peace Sign.
• Two children argue over how to do something. A third child steps in to suggest another way to do it or to work together to solve the problem. All three find a means of turning a disagreement into an act of peaceful co-operation.
• One child is very angry and wants to get back at someone for being unfair. Second child tells the first child why anger or revenge will only make more trouble….for everybody. Together they find a more peaceful way to turn the anger into a positive activity that will redirect the anger…and resolve the conflict.
• Soon, children will want to suggest their own ideas for improvisations – often based on “real life” dramas they have experienced or conflicts they want to act out, in order to discover more peaceful solutions. This form of conflict-resolution through drama is a powerful means of giving children coping methods for life situations.

* Acts of Peace Circle

This is a beautiful way to create a sense of community in the classroom…and demonstrates what the world could look like.

• One child stands in the middle of the classroom and stretches out both hands
• Two other children come and take both hands of the first child, on either side, and stretch out their hands…
• Note: If the class is studying geography, each child might choose a country to represent as he or she joins the Acts of Peace Circle: for example, “I am Iraq”… “I am Iran” … “I am Afghanistan”…“I am Israel”… “I am Palestine”… “I am North Korea”… “I am South Korea” “I am the Sudan”…“I am South Africa”… etc. all around the globe.
• And so it continues…until every child is included in the Acts of Peace Circle
• Teacher may close the Circle
• Class sings a peace song (“We are the world”) and sways back and forth, holding hands
• Teacher and children finish in silence by closing their eyes and imagining their hands encircling the whole globe for a minute or two of mindful awareness…in Peace.

PLEASE NOTE: These suggestions for teaching Peace Activities in the classroom have been donated to our website by educators using One Thousand Acts of Peace in pilot programs from coast to coast. We welcome your own classroom experiences and suggestions for teaching Acts of Peace to all age levels. Please share them with other teachers on our Teachers' TAP Forum (as an Act of Peace!) Or write us at info@onethousandactsofpeace.org .We'll add them to our list of suggestions.

And be sure to visit our website regularly to read more and more Teachers' TAP suggestions from around the world!