Challenging Gender Stereotyping

Year Six met the challenge of designing a robot dog toy brilliantly. Each group had a top secret target market to aim their designs at - children aged ten, girls aged ten and boys aged ten. 

The results of this were fascinating for the class to examine. What was particularly interesting was that those with 'children' target audience chose realistic colours for their designs, whereas the 'girl' and 'boy' groups used colours which have perhaps been labelled in the past as girl or boy ones. Accessories for the 'boy' toy were gaming ones but those chosen for the 'girl' designs were pet accessories such as decorated collars. 

After some very perceptive discussions, the children felt that they would like to be mindful of one or two main points:

• allow others to choose reading books without teasing them about their choices
• set an example to younger children by not expecting them to like a certain activity or toy because of their gender
• be careful in conversations that you don't make someone feel bad about the clothes or activities that they have chosen
• pink is a colour for everyone

Finally, the children also decided to ask Ms Jackson if they could order new toilet door signs which did not make children think that boys and girls are known by the choice of clothes; she was pleased to listen to the children's thoughts and new signs were ordered...

Investigating Anger!

Year Six challenged themselves to question what anger is and the forms that it can take. Is anger a good thing? Is anger a bad thing? Using scenarios given to them, role-play helped the children to examine emotions, their triggers, resulting actions and the impact of these.