Where Children Sleep: A Book For Exploring Social Issues From A Child's Perspective

Where Children Sleep by James Mollison

"...For engaging with children's rights, I found myself thinking about my bedroom: how significant it was during my childhood, and how it reflected what I had and who I was." -James Mollison

This might be the most beautiful and heartbreaking book you will ever read. It will certainly inspire some of the best conversations with your students about identity, possessions, their concept of home and the world around them, and leads them to question how the world works. 

I start off by playing the video above, which features still photos of children with their name and age, then pans over to a photo of where each child sleeps - their bedroom. Some photos reinforce cultural stereotypes while others challenge what it means to live in a "developed" country. Whether your students have traveled or not, this book gives an intimate glimpse into what it means to be a child from many corners of the world. 

After discussing what we saw in the video, and reading some of the stories in the book, students make observations about what they saw.* They naturally begin to make comparisons to their own bedrooms and personal experiences. With fresh eyes, students then make a drawing of their bedroom from any perspective. It's interesting to notice whether students choose to draw a bird's eye or keyhole point of view. Students become very aware of their own possessions and those essential objects they cannot live without. Within a class, there may also be some differences such as having one's own room or sharing with siblings/family members, the presence of technology, and how it's decorated. Depending on time, students can make dioramas of their bedrooms and enjoy using 3D building techniques.

Stay tuned to see the printmaking project students do to capture the buildings and public places in our community as we expand the lens while considering our surroundings.

Artfully,

Catherine

*The book is set up in a very easy-to-read format. Each child's portrait is set across from a picture of their bedroom - perfect for reading aloud in class!