CHRISTMAS BOOKS

During Cristmas period, we have been using different Christmas Stories from Year 1 to Year 3 in order to enhance philosophical thinking.Through the activities, the students were enhanced to start questioning, dialogue, exchange ideas and opinions, try to understand each other, shift arguments and explore alternatives. 

Year 1 pupils worked at the Christmas book "Mpounamades me mpelades". 

The children noticed the cover of the book and start questioning:

Why the boy has this expression?

What is Santa telling to the boy?

Maybe the boy does not like his present? Maybe he wants something else?

Then, the students start wondering, discussing and arguing about 

• What present they should ask from the Santa?
• How many presents they should ask for?
• Do we all deserve presents?
• Could anything be a present? 
• Do we need presents?
• Should everyone receive the same number of presents? Or presents of the same size, price? 

The children focused on the question

Could anything be a present? 

They start arguing whether they can ask a cat or a dog for present? Or if it is ethical to give such a present to anyone? Maybe the one that receives such a present is not able to take good care of the animal. 

Few days later, we had a second discussion about the book. 

Now the students discussed about the last words of the book "We should focus on the important things, those things that make our hearts beat faster and you can't buy with money."

After discussing and arguing about what it is really important for them, they were asked to write down on a colourful paper all the "important things".  

Through this journey, the pupils enhanced their imagination and reasoning to explore values, assumptions and concepts like justice, truth, equality, fairness.