The 2022-2023 school year is now in full swing. For both educators and children, a new year of classes brings new opportunities to build relationships, share new ideas and learn about those around us.
The Rick Hansen Foundation has created an incredible Resource Library for educators and parents to help their children better understand inclusion, differences and relate to their peers with disabilities.
The Resource Library offers more than 130 downloadable lesson plans, short activities, videos, and e-books free of charge. They are also available in French. These tools can help start meaningful conversations with children of all ages and inspire the next generation of difference makers.
Some of our favourites include:
We are Like Snowflakes (Suitable for Kindergarten)
By examining the differences and similarities between snowflakes, children learn that each one is unique – just like people.
School Inspectors (Suitable for Grades 2-3)
Students learn about different types of physical disabilities and the barriers that can make getting around difficult for people with a disability. Students analyze different areas of the school to consider how accessible they are.
Assumptions
Students examine their first impressions of different roles people hold in society (for example, Artist, Athlete, Musician). These mindsets are challenged by introducing students to famous people with disabilities who hold these roles.
Mapping Rick’s Route (Suitable for Grade 4-5)
Students read aloud from excerpts from the Rick Hansen: Man in Motion book and label a world map. By understanding Rick’s journey, students appreciate the challenges faced by people with disabilities when travelling, the value of team work and identify many countries around the world.
Mapping Rick's Route Resource for Grade 4-5
Calculating the Distance (Suitable for Grades 4-7)
Students complete grade appropriate math problems related to Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion journey. Connecting math with real-life experiences help students to approach math in a meaningful way.
The Bionic Man: Using Technology to Improve People’s Lives (Suitable for Grades 9-12 Science Classes)
Small groups of students work together to research current technological advances in relation to Spinal Cord Injuries and present their findings to the class during a mini SCI expo.