24th October United Nations Day

The concept of the United Nations is a beautiful one, setting high standards for human, animal and environmental wellbeing so that, one day, we might reach a fairer world. United Nations Day commemorates the anniversary of the UN Charter of 1945.

After World War II, 51 countries united to promote international peace and security, better living standards and human rights. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill are the ones who wrote the declaration, which was then signed by other countries. Antonio Guterres has been the Secretary-General of the United Nations since 2017.

On this UN Day, let’s stand together and fulfil the extraordinary promise of your United Nations. Let’s show the world what is possible when “we the peoples” choose to act as one.

António Guterres
The four main purposes of the United Nations are to:• Maintain International Peace and Security.• Protect Human Rights. • Deliver Humanitarian Aid.• Support Sustainable Development and Climate Action.

This video is a short summary of what this day is all about. School students need to understand how global mindedness and global initiatives can make our world a better place.


There are some general books that outline the role of the United Nations.

If you want to follow up on the 17 United Nation Sustainable Goals please see my book suggestions on Pinterest, one for each of the goals. 

31st December United nations Sustainable Development Goals

As this year draws to an end and our lives are still dominated by the Covid pandemic, it is easy to think about how restricted our lives have become, but while I have had time at home I have researched the Sustainable Development Goals as a way of putting together a book club/wide reading list for my young students to explore during 2022 and I have realised that my life is just fine. Acting on these goals is even more important than ever if the world is is to recover from the pandemic.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognise that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. More importantly than ever, the goals provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery.

What are the goals?

What do I plan to do?

I plan to do what many other schools and teachers have already done and use picture books and reading as a means to create discussion of the goals. As my students are young, under eight years old, I plan to do this with the aid of adults, either the students' teacher or a parent. The parents can borrow from our school library and many of the teachers already ensure that sustainability is a perspective when planning units of inquiry. I have combed through the catalogue looking for suitable books for each of the goals and I will affix a sticker to the book with the icon of the apt goal. I have put together a booklet that will serve as a reading record and then it is 'Let's read and discuss 17 books'.  It could be a book a week, a book a fortnight or as the UN SDG Book Club suggests one a month.

The SDG Book Club aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list of books from around the world.

I will share my booklists with you over the next 17 days, so that you too can use these books to start something similar with your students.

20th June World Refugee Day

Today is World Refugee Day and there will never be a better day to focus on children, their needs and why they shouldn't be in detention centres. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his comment for today:

"...Despite budget constraints everywhere, we must not turn away from those in need. Refugees leave because they have no choice. We must choose to help."

When we look at a book such as Amnesty International's We Are All Born Free and see the inspiring artwork by many well-known children's book illustrators that has been used to illustrate each of the United Nations' Rights of the Child, we can't help but feel very privileged to have the life we have and to see that every child needs to live a good unencumbered life. If you don't have this book to share with your children, your library may have Unicef's For Every Child which also introduces children to their rights.

If neither of these books is available, look for a picture book such as Brigitte Weninger and Eve Tharlet's A Child is a Child which stresses for readers that it doesn't matter whose child you are, you still have the right to a family, care and comfort. In the story Mama and Papa frog are missing and the baby frogs are scared and alone. Mr. Mole, Mr. Hedgehog, and Mrs. Blackbird don’t know what to do. Then along comes Mrs. Mouse with her five babies, and she says she’ll look after the froglets. The adults remind her that mice and frogs are different, to which she replies: “A child is a child.” She sends Mr. Hedgehog for some worms, Mr. Mole to dig a burrow, and Mrs. Blackbird to fetch a bathtub-waterbed for the little orphans. In no time, the froglets are happy and playing with their new mouse siblings. While this is simplistic, and some preschoolers might be worried about parents who don't come home, in a discerning teacher's hands this story offers hope and shows children that even if children look different, behave differently or come from somewhere else, they have the same needs as them.