Materials for Migrants

Recently I received an email from Kerry Howard, a Montessori teacher (AMI South Africa) living in Southern Italy, right were so much difficulty is happening. Like all of us, she was incredibly frustrated by the media coverage showing so many children of migrant families waiting endlessly in political limbo. These children have nothing to do with themselves. She thought, "Imagine what might happen if we got some Montessori materials into their hands." 

Imagine indeed. That's just what I've been doing since I received her email. That and going through all of our replacement cards and discounted cards and just about anything that wasn't already supposed to be somewhere. My son Dante (see photo) and I have been busily bundling up packages of matching and vocabulary cards to send to the children. All told we have sent several hundred card packets to Kerry. Hooray! But that is such a tiny drop in the bucket when we hear about the thousands upon thousands of children in need.  

With the help of Google translate, we've translated the lesson plans into Arabic (let's hope it makes some sense). But I guess the lesson plans don't matter as much as just having something for the children to work with. Anything. Who knows what they'll do with the cards...maybe play go fish. That doesn't matter really. Just having something of value that is theirs, for them to use as best they can. And maybe, just maybe, a little softness might grow in their hearts as they notice that people care. They are not alone. And maybe this is how the world will change...through the children.