The new year is a great time to think about strategies to promote peace in our home and classrooms. Perhaps a time to start preparing peace lessons, peace education activities or organising peace books. 

The Peace Stick is a wonderful peace book inspired by the Native American legend of the talking stick. It is a fantastic choice for reading out-loud perhaps at group time to promote peace at home or in the classroom.   

One of the reasons I really like this book is because it tells the story of squabbling siblings - something most parents can relate to. It also takes the reader through to resolution which is a valuable story. When read out-loud this story holds the attention of both my children, Otis who is three and Caspar who is seven. 

Importantly this is a book about respect, listening and improving communication with each other. 

An excerpt from the Teacher and Parent notes;

Learning and teaching ourselves and our children to listen from our heart, to listen with complete attention, to listen to everyone's point of view calmly can lead to such a great understanding, acceptance, love and harmony between human beings. We can all bring it about by working with ourselves and our children. - Nidhi Misra, The Peace Stick.

In true Montessori fashion this book is very clean and clear in appearance and is beautifully illustrated.

Peace education is going to be a focus in our home in 2015, it souldn't be something we take for granted, it is something we can role model and actively promote. For further ideas this is an amazing post from Montessori for Everyone - 10 Ways to Promote Peace in Your Classroom - it's just as relevant to the home.