Author / Artist Visit

I recently had the good fortune of visiting Nootka Elementary School for an author visit with art workshops to follow. I was also able to include an introduction to media literacy in the presentation, which was followed by some fantastic discussion with students! It was so fun to hang out with these kids, read The Body Book, and make artwork about their favourite things to do in their bodies.

I love this activity because it shifts the emphasis on how our bodies look to how it feels to be in them, from a perspective of judgment to one of gratitude. It also culminates in a beautiful gallery of diverse bodies to decorate the class with!

Below I included some photos of the artwork in process. These images contain so much joy and imagination. I love helping kids to visualize their bodies in a positive way.

FREE art lesson for The Body Book

I have FINALLY put together a resource to go along with ‘The Body Book,” after meaning to for a looong time. I’ve done this art lesson in classes and day cares and it is such a fun and meaningful way to help kids rethink their relationships with their bodies.

Even in kindergarten and early primary grades kids are learning to judge their bodies by how they look, and whether they “fit” the ideal image they see in media, toys and adult role models. Sadly, it’s not rare to hear a girl in grade one call herself “fat.”

I wanted to shift the focus to one of celebration and gratitude, so this activity is all about answering the question: “What is my favourite thing to do in my body?”

The results kids come up with are diverse, vibrant and fun. When these go up on the wall the classroom turns into a place where EVERY BODY is celebrated for who they are.

Here’s a link to the lesson plan  PDF.