Here’s one thing I’ve learned from being around kids: They all love elephants. They may not always name them as their favorite animal, but ask them a question about elephants, and they’re sure to offer elephant trivia in response to questions you haven’t yet asked.
Why this gift matters
At a moment—an era, really—of global environmental and social crises, the elephant provides an interdisciplinary crossroads from which to consider any number of issues. Too often, the environmental messages we send our young people are oversimplified—to use but one example (from Susan Davis’s excellent book Spectacular Nature: Corporate Culture and the Sea World Experience), young visitors to edutainment venues like Sea World are told that they can hep save the whales if they don’t litter. In reality, conservation is far more complicated—it would be better to get kids on board with using less plastic, or with lobbying governments to punish corporate polluters, for example—and thus it makes sense to help kids understand both the nature and culture of conservation. This African elephant-themed education kit approaches elephants and elephant conservation from multiple disciplines and learning styles–kinesthetic and tactile learning through play (with a puppet), visual and scientific learning (through photographs and books), and narrative and aural learning (through folktales).
For the budding conservationist or zoologist on your gift list, I recommend the following selection of items. Purchase one, or bundle the gifts together for a unique gift package. The prices of each item are current as of the day this post is published; to see the absolutely current price at Amazon, scroll to the bottom of this post. If you prefer shopping at an independent bookseller, you’ll find links to the items available from Powells.com at the bottom of the post.
Please note: When you click the links below and make a purchase from Powells.com within 90 days, or Amazon.com within 24 hours, you’re supporting the quality posts and multicultural educational resources made available through The Multicultural Toybox, as a portion of every sale supports this site. Thanks!
Folkmanis Elephant Puppet — Currently on Amazon for $22 — a terrific deal, as I’ve seen this puppet priced more than $50!
Puppets encourage powerful imaginative play, and the Folkmanis puppets never fail to delight children and adults. This one features 17 inches of plush pachyderm fun, including a manipulable mouth and trunk and ultrasoft microfiber fabric. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales book and DVD
In 2004, South African leader Nelson Mandela edited this collection of African folktales. In 2009, a number of well-known actors—including Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, Alan Rickman, Jurnee Smollett, Charlize Theron, Blair Underwood, Forest Whitaker, and Alfre Woodard—recorded the stories on DVD. It’s a wonderful compilation, whether you have it in book or audio form—but they work best together, of course. You can learn more about the DVD—and hear clips of famous actors reading from Mandela’s book—from NPR.
Elephants: A Book for Children
This book features photographs of both African and Indian elephants by the outstanding wildlife photographer Steve Bloom. Bloom photographed elephants in the wild, at work, and at play—the photos of elephants swimming are sure to be among your child’s favorites. The book conveys some really interesting and surprising facts about elephants. For example, did you know that elephants are right-tusked or left-tusked, much as humans are right-handed or left-handed? I recommend this book for preK through third-grade children.
Older kids (and adults!) might better enjoy Bloom’s beautiful hardcover book Elephant. The book represents 12 years of Bloom’s fabulous work.
Endangered Elephants (Earth’s Endangered Animals)
This book, written for children ages 6 to 12, but ideal for grades 3 to 5, offers a wealth of information about elephants. It explains what it means for an animal to be endangered and offers a glossary of vocabulary terms for word-hungry young minds.
These items, when combined into a package, will provide many opportunities for children to learn through play, listening, and reading. I hope you found these ideas useful, and that you make a child—or a classroom teacher—very happy with them! Here again are the links to the individual items, from Amazon and, where available, from independent bookseller Powells.com:
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Favorite African Folktales
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Elephants: A Book for Children
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Elephant
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Endangered Elephants (Earth’s Endangered Animals)
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