Exhibit of Dreams in Clouds

• Show a video of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the Lincoln Memorial, and talk about his vision for America. Explain why Dr. King wanted the world to live in peace and harmony. Make a bulletin board resembling the blue sky. Afterward, have the class make clouds from construction paper. Then ask the preschoolers, "What do you want to become when you are older?" or "How can you make the world a better place?" Assist the children in writing their dreams in the clouds and exhibit the clouds on the bulletin board.
  
  

Secret Messages in Communication

• Explain to the children that slaves created an elaborate system of signs and secret codes to communicate with each other and the people who helped them escape to freedom. Slaves often embedded codes and symbols within music, art and poetry.
  
  Display pictures of quilts to illustrate how they provided directions, such as for traveling to the North. In addition, have the children listen to "Steal Away," a song that invited slaves to seek freedom or announce a secret meeting. Teach the pupils to create different musical beats with their hands, feet or toy drums. Tell them musical beats can be a form of communication. Create beats that represent a particular message for the children to follow, such as rhythms for snack time, recess, nap time, lunch, quiet time or arts and crafts.
  
  

African-American Inventors

• Discuss important African-American inventors, and display reproductions of their inventions. Have the children gather pictures of African-American inventions from magazines and newspapers to create a collage to exhibit on a bulletin board. For example, students may include John Arthur Johnson's monkey wrench, Alfred Benjamin's scouring pad, Sarah Walker's hair straightener, Sarah Boone's folding ironing board, James A. Bauer's coin changer, J.A. Burr's lawn mower or Joseph Hunter Dickinson's player piano.