The Learning Umbrella

Happy May Day everyone!  We are going to be celebrating the spring holiday aspect of the day by making fairy houses and flower baskets. 

The other aspect of today is International Workers Day, inspired by the Haymarket Massacre of 1886.  After that event, there was international outrage and the day has become remembered and made an official holiday in many countries.  However, here in the U.S. (where it started) the day was instead declared “Loyalty Day” and it is not remembered for how it really started. 

We just happen to be having our first Earth Scouts meeting tonight for a badge on Economic Justice.  I didn’t plan it this way, but what a great way to introduce the kids to the topic!  I was struggling with how to work on this badge with such little kids, but now I have a plan.

I’m going to start the meeting by brainstorming with the kids all the things they need money for, and make the point that money is needed for almost everything in our society.  Then I’m going to read them a picture book about a society that didn’t use money, The Invisible Hunters.  In this book, three brothers are given the power to be invisible when they hunt, if they promise never to sell the meat and never to use guns.  Everything is good for a while, and the village is happy and well fed.  Then traders come and the brothers start to sell the meat, then use the guns they are given in payment.  And they stop feeding the village as they become greedy, until finally they are cursed to just be invisible all the time and driven off into the forest by themselves.

After that cheerful tale, I’m going to show comparisons on material wealth from the book Material World.  Hopefully we can pull some thoughtful discussion off.

And, finally, I’m going to talk about the history of the Labor Movement, The Haymarket Massacre, May Day, and some current labor issues.  Our area has recently had issues with illegal workers and INS raids.  I’m also going to talk about ACORN and the work they do, with the hope that the kids might be interested in doing a bake sale to raise funds for them.  There are also a variety of ways to get involved outlined on their website.

And that’s my plan for our meeting.  Were you aware of how May Day started as a Labor holiday?  Does your community have May Day events planned?