Valuing and celebrating diversity is an integral part of our everyday practice at Busy Bees
Published: 19/10/2023
October is Black History Month, founded to recognise and celebrate the contributions that black people have made to the UK over many generations.
Valuing and celebrating diversity is an integral part of our everyday practice at Busy Bees, not something that is just introduced at certain times or dates.
However, Black History Month offers children additional opportunities to learn about important figures who have made a contribution in this country or around the world.
In our centres children are taking part in a wide range of activities that help them make connections between different lives, cultures and experiences and talk about their own families.
Busy Bees parents can also access many learning activities on our exclusive UP App that support children's exploration and understanding of diversity.
Sharing stories with children is one of the most powerful ways to support children's understanding of Black History.
Below we've collected some of our favourite books celebrating black people in history and diversity.
Little Leaders - Bold Black women in History - Vashti Harrison
Featuring 40 trailblazing black women in the world's history, this book educates and inspires as it relates true stories of women who broke boundaries and exceeded all expectations.
Little Leaders - Exceptional men in black History - Vashti Harrison
Learn all about the exceptional black men who broke barriers and fought injustice to realise their dreams and make the world a better place.
All are welcome - Alexandra Penfold
This rhyming story is about a school where diversity is a strength and children from many different backgrounds learn from each other's traditions
This Jazz Man - Karen Ehrhardt
In this toe-tapping jazz tribute, the traditional "This Old Man" gets a swinging makeover, and some of the era's best musicians take center stage. The tuneful text and vibrant illustrations bop, slide, and shimmy across the page as Satchmo plays one, Bojangles plays two . . . right on down the line to Charles Mingus, who plays nine, plucking strings that sound "divine."
I am Rosa Parks - Brad Meltzer
Each book in this series focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Rosa Parks dared to stand up for herself and other African Americans by staying seated, and as a result she helped end public bus segregation and launch the country's civil rights movement.
I am Martin Luther King Jr - Brad Meltzer
Even as a child, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shocked by the terrible and unfair way African-American people were treated. When he grew up, he decided to do something about it-peacefully, with powerful words. He helped gather people together for non-violent protests and marches, and he always spoke up about loving other human beings and doing what's right. He spoke about the dream of a kinder future, and bravely led the way toward racial equality in America.