Children’s Day in Spain Project: Co-teaching for Peace

Children's Day in Spain is celebrated annually on April 15 (Día del Niño y de la Niña), focusing on children's rights and welfare through institutional activities. This project is part of our Children’s Day in Spain activities. It invites our students to pause, reflect and create, not with colour or noise, but with a single black pen and the quiet power of imagination. Because sometimes a drawing in black ink can say more than a thousand bright colours ever could.

We will explore what life might feel like for a child living in a conflict zone, for example in Palestine. The aim is not to debate politics,

but to develop empathy, critical thinking and emotional literacy. We will consider daily routines interrupted, games half-played, schools half-empty, skies that do not always feel safe.

Learning Objectives

Our students will:

Develop empathy and global awareness.
Improve listening and reflection skills through guided video analysis.
Practise translation from Spanish into English (creative poetry translation).
Express ideas visually using line, contrast and composition only.
Understand how art can raise awareness and promote solidarity.

TASK 1. Watch these videos. After watching each of them, in your notebook, WRITE three words describing how the video made you feel.

TASK 2. Think about the following questions to help you with your illustration (TASK 4):

What do children do during the day?

What has changed in their routine?

What sounds can be heard?

What seems missing?

What message is each video trying to communicate?

What image stayed with you the most?

TASK 3. Poetry Translation: Translate the following haiku from Spanish into English (It has been written by one of our students at school. Her name is Hamsa):

Paz, Palestina

un cielo sin aviones

sueño de niños.

Translation is not copying. It is rebuilding meaning in another language. For that reason, for the translation you must try to:

Keep the structure of a haiku (three lines).
Try to preserve imagery and simplicity.
Reflect on rhythm and word choice, for example: Why “planes” instead of “aeroplanes”, or perhaps “aeroplanes”? Why “dream of children” or “children’s dream”?

TASK 4. Final Artistic Product following these guidelines:

Create a black ballpoint pen drawing (no colour, no pencil, no shading in grey tones with other materials). Sometimes black ink speaks loudly enough.
The drawing must represent how you imagine the life of a child living in a war or conflict zone (for example, Palestine). You must consider:

What does the sky look like?
What objects symbolise fear? Hope?
Is the child alone or with others?
What contrasts can be shown through light and shadow?

No colouring. Only line, pressure, detail and contrast.

Technical Requirements and Materials:

Black ballpoint pen only.
Plain white paper (no grid, no lines).
Your Name: Written in small, neat, legible handwriting and placed in the bottom right corner, very close to the edge. No decorative borders. No background colouring.

Exhibition & T-Shirt Design

All drawings will be displayed in an exhibition in the school Hall.

One selected drawing will be printed on T-shirts that we will design as part of this Children’s Day in Spain initiative. The chosen design will become a symbol, not of conflict, but of awareness, empathy and hope.

Assessment Criteria