Friendship Flowers
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce a pilot program that is being launched in Arizona, called Friendship Flowers. Friendship Flowers was established by parents of children with disabilities through the Arizona Partners in Leadership program. The idea to create Friendship Flowers came from many of our own children’s experiences or lack of friendships due to disabilities and our desire to change that.
What is friendship and why is it important? The qualities of friendship are endless, but a few highlighted through the program include kindness, caring, being respectful, fun, loyalty and understanding. Many studies have shown that friendship can lead to happier, more fulfilling and productive lives as well as longer lives.
We begin creating friendships early in childhood and those with disabilities may miss out on these opportunities due to being perceived as different. We chose the concept of flowers as a symbol for the program because in many ways friendships are like flowers. Flowers need to be nurtured and cultivated to or they will not grow and thrive.
The Friendship Flowers kit comes with everything that the teacher will need to implement the program in their classroom. Each child receives a lesson that addresses a different aspect of friendship in the form of a petal. Throughout the course of the school year, the children add more petals to their stems and watch their flowers and friendships bloom.
The curriculum is based around questions that the teacher can ask the children in order to engage them in a thoughtful conversation regarding friendship. We felt that designing the program as a tangible way for children to view and understand friendship was a vital aspect of the program.
We are excited about the possibility of beginning Friendship Flowers at your school and look forward to your feedback about the program. When you get a moment, please let us know how many kits will need at your school?
Please feel free to contact us via email with any questions at [email protected]
Warmest,
Christine, Alana, Athena, and Sandy
What is friendship and why is it important? The qualities of friendship are endless, but a few highlighted through the program include kindness, caring, being respectful, fun, loyalty and understanding. Many studies have shown that friendship can lead to happier, more fulfilling and productive lives as well as longer lives.
We begin creating friendships early in childhood and those with disabilities may miss out on these opportunities due to being perceived as different. We chose the concept of flowers as a symbol for the program because in many ways friendships are like flowers. Flowers need to be nurtured and cultivated to or they will not grow and thrive.
The Friendship Flowers kit comes with everything that the teacher will need to implement the program in their classroom. Each child receives a lesson that addresses a different aspect of friendship in the form of a petal. Throughout the course of the school year, the children add more petals to their stems and watch their flowers and friendships bloom.
The curriculum is based around questions that the teacher can ask the children in order to engage them in a thoughtful conversation regarding friendship. We felt that designing the program as a tangible way for children to view and understand friendship was a vital aspect of the program.
We are excited about the possibility of beginning Friendship Flowers at your school and look forward to your feedback about the program. When you get a moment, please let us know how many kits will need at your school?
Please feel free to contact us via email with any questions at [email protected]
Warmest,
Christine, Alana, Athena, and Sandy