Race question

[April]

I do not want this to get out of hand or too far off topic. Even though I put this in debate I do not want it to get nasty. If you cant be helpful and tactful then please do not respond.


We are highly encouraged to teach children diversity in daycare. Mom going to work, dad staying home, women being doctors, men being teachers, along with race and culture.

I searched long and hard for good childrens books that show some of these things. One series is the Zoe books. I only got 1 so far, let me explain it a bit. Zoe is starting school in a new town. She has a white mommy who seems to work outside the home and a black daddy who is waiting for her to get off the bus in the afternoon. Great so far! Then towards the end the kids are talking about her having a chocolate dad and a vanilla mom. Another child has a strawberry mom with sprinkles.

This just rubs me, not wrong, but gives me a weird feeling. Does anyone have any suggestions? experiences with these terms being used? Is it weird to you? I've heard them before. But I just dont know if its something I really want to be teaching. Has anyone ever been offended to be called chocolate, vanilla, strawberry (or be compared to ice cream )

Link to the Book

[Becca]

Wow...that rubs me wierd too. It's racial, entirely. I don't understand how that type of characterization would be beneficial...but I can't pinpoint precisely how it's harmful. Why can't we as a people just be neopolitan?

**edited because I forgot to say that if someone said I was "vanilla", yes I would take that as a racial reference. The same goes for using the term "chocolate" for a black person. Skin color...hello...doesn't get much more blatant than that. You can't say something like that and pretend it isn't a racial remark. I don't know that I'd be offended perse...but I probably would be irritated by it.

[April]

I added the link to the book incase you wanted to see it

[Caimbrie]

Hmmm I personally wouldn't teach my children to use those terms only because I KNOW some people will take it as racism. They don't bother me but I wouldn't have my kids use them.




I'm strawberry with sprinkles.

[Heather]

I don't think Id get any more books like that. I know there are plenty of books the just have colored people in them. When I worked in daycare and as a nanny I never brought the color of skin to the childrens attention. I just made it part of everything. If I did a bulliten board with little children I'd be sure to make them different color people. I was careful to always have books that had colored people in them. We even had some spanish books for awhile. I couldn't read them but they still had colorful objects and brown people in them. We had colored dolls as well as white dolls. Things like that. I think if its just part of the environment then the kids wont even realize its something different.

As for chocolate and vanilla thats just weird

[Caimbrie]

Originally Posted by heather I don't think Id get any more books like that. I know there are plenty of books the just have colored people in them. When I worked in daycare and as a nanny I never brought the color of skin to the childrens attention. I just made it part of everything. If I did a bulliten board with little children I'd be sure to make them different color people. I was careful to always have books that had colored people in them. We even had some spanish books for awhile. I couldn't read them but they still had colorful objects and brown people in them. We had colored dolls as well as white dolls. Things like that. I think if its just part of the environment then the kids wont even realize its something different. As for chocolate and vanilla thats just weird

Living here in Va with so many different races my kids don't even notice the difference in skin color.

[April]

Originally Posted by heather I don't think Id get any more books like that. I know there are plenty of books the just have colored people in them. When I worked in daycare and as a nanny I never brought the color of skin to the childrens attention. I just made it part of everything. If I did a bulliten board with little children I'd be sure to make them different color people. I was careful to always have books that had colored people in them. We even had some spanish books for awhile. I couldn't read them but they still had colorful objects and brown people in them. We had colored dolls as well as white dolls. Things like that. I think if its just part of the environment then the kids wont even realize its something different. As for chocolate and vanilla thats just weird

It would be nice if it wasnt a big deal to the kids. I have 2 little black girls, one 1/2 black and 1/2 asain, 2 white boys, and my son who is 1/2 white and 1/2 hispanic. the 4yo dcg walks around all the time telling the others what color they are. and the three black girls ages 1,2, and 4 will not play with the white baby doll. They fight over the 2 black ones. it is already an issue and I have to deal with it now.

I get the whole ice cream thing. Everyone likes many different kinds of ice cream so they should like different kinds of people. I understand the reasoning, but I dont really like it.

[SIMMYBABEZ]

I still remember what i was taught in school.. so here goes..

"it doesn't matter what colour, what shape we are, we are all equal. We can be polka dotted, we can be striped, we can be black, we can be white, we can be red and green, we can be circle, we can be square, we can be triangle.. we are all equal."

it works, and it dosn't discriminate.

[Heather]

have you tried taking the black baby dolls away and replacing them with white one or brown ones for awhile? Maybe its just the doll they are after not the color?

[April]

I bought 3 baby dolls because I have boys and do not have girl toys. They were the exact same doll, 1 white one and black twins. They are exactly the same except for color. The fights began from the introduction of the new toys. They knew without being taught. I have yet to find a decently priced hispanic or asian doll. since I'm not doing daycare forever I do not want to spend more money at this time.