- Ask the children to brainstorm things they want, eg toys, clothes, sweets, computers, trainers. Make a list of the items. In groups, the children discuss which of these 'wants' are 'needs', and then they think of other things they need. The groups report back to produce a class list of 'our needs'. They decide which of these are needs shared by all humans and so should be fundamental rights - human rights. They identify which are essential for life, eg food, shelter, and which might be essential for well-being, eg love, friendship. Circle time may be an appropriate context for discussion, complemented by other relevant activities.
- Using the results of the previous activity, and any work that children have done on classroom rules, the children work in groups to create a charter of rights for children, eg the right to a home, to learn, to be safe, to choose their own friends to play with. Groups present their charters to the whole class, either orally or on a large sheet of paper, and similarities and differences are discussed. They could vote on which rights to include in a final charter.
- Play some 'trust games' to raise the children's awareness of their responsibilities towards others. They could play 'Blind trust', in which pairs of children take turns to be blindfolded. The sighted partner leads the blindfolded partner around the room, then they reverse roles. Afterwards they discuss their feelings about how it felt to be blindfolded and how it felt to have responsibilities as a leader.
- The children look at the charter of rights they've drawn up and write appropriate responsibilities alongside each right, eg we have the right to a home - and the responsibility to help care for it; we have the right to learn - and the responsibility not to prevent others from learning; we have the right to feel safe - and the responsibility not to hurt others, either physically or emotionally.
- Tell the children that the United Nations has a Convention on the Rights of the Child, and give them a copy, simplified according to the age of the class. The children compare their own charter of rights with the UN version and decide whether they would like to alter their charter before agreeing a final version. Tell the children that in UK law, the Human Rights Act contains many similar rights to the UN Convention. The children then use ICT and design techniques to produce a poster of their charter.
- Discuss why children need a special charter, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ensure that the children understand that the Convention applies to all children, regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they live and what their beliefs are. They consider whether the charter they developed would be right for other groups of children, eg children in other schools, in other parts of the UK, in other EU countries, in less economically developed countries. Would their charter be able to uphold the rights of children with a disability or children who live in countries where there is conflict? There may be opportunities for the children to write to or e-mail children in other schools to compare ideas.
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- learn the difference between wants, needs and rights
- know that all children have the same basic needs and rights, and can describe them
- know that rights come with responsibilities
- empathise with the experiences of other people and describe situations from other points of view
- describe some of the components of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- understand the importance of trust, tolerance and honesty in relationships
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