With Mother's Day around the corner, I wanted to create an activity that related to mothers, but that also reflected the mothering spirit that so many of our female family members possess, whether they be biological mothers or not.
I started thinking about elephants. Female elephants and juvenile males live in complex social groups that are matriarchal in hierarchy. One elder female elephant leads a multi-generational herd of related females and young males. They all travel together, and protect and care for each other. And since elephants can live as long as humans, and their behaviors suggest a deep emotional intelligence, the bonds they form with each other are just as strong as the bonds we form with our human family members. This PBS website discusses more about the social behaviors of African elements, and even includes a family pedigree chart of one particular herd!
Kids love watching and learning about elephants. And I think you can combine a science/nature lesson about elephants with a family history lesson, using the elephants' social structure has a jumping-off point. Here is a worksheet with some cute little elephants, where kids can write down the names of immediate and extended female family members who they feel sometimes act as a mother towards them. (Click on image to download PDF.)
I started thinking about elephants. Female elephants and juvenile males live in complex social groups that are matriarchal in hierarchy. One elder female elephant leads a multi-generational herd of related females and young males. They all travel together, and protect and care for each other. And since elephants can live as long as humans, and their behaviors suggest a deep emotional intelligence, the bonds they form with each other are just as strong as the bonds we form with our human family members. This PBS website discusses more about the social behaviors of African elements, and even includes a family pedigree chart of one particular herd!
Kids love watching and learning about elephants. And I think you can combine a science/nature lesson about elephants with a family history lesson, using the elephants' social structure has a jumping-off point. Here is a worksheet with some cute little elephants, where kids can write down the names of immediate and extended female family members who they feel sometimes act as a mother towards them. (Click on image to download PDF.)
Modern families don't always live near their immediate and extended family members, but I think it is important for us to talk with our children about just how important female relationships were to many of our ancestors. Women raised children together, sewed together, grew food together, and relied on other women for essential medical care, especially during and immediately after childbirth. It's a good history lesson for all of us, to bring awareness to bonds without which many of our ancestors would not have survived.
©2018 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.
©2018 Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.
|
|
