School-Age: Names

Starting to think about why you have the name you do or who you might be named after/for, can be a complex topic. But it can also be a fun one for school-age kids to start learning about. 

1. Craft: Name Art
I had my teen helpers use masking tape to create the first initial of the kids names on 8.5x11 card stock as they came into the program. We put newspaper down on our folding tables and had the kids bring their initials over to the tables and begin putting bleeding art tissue paper down over the letters.

If you have never heard of bleeding art tissue paper, it is super neat! Once the kids laid their tissue paper down, we used spray bottles filled with water and spritzed the tissue paper until it was wet. The bleeding art tissue paper begins to bleed color once it is wet which transfer to the paper. 

*Note: Scroll down for the big reveal

2. Reading
I wanted to tie this topic in with the book "Thunder Boy, Jr." by Sherman Alexie. In the book, Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his father. He hates his name because it isn't his own and he dreams up names that he feels would fit him better. Sherman Alexie is a fabulous writer and the book is a wonderful read-aloud. I was so excited to share it at our program this week.

3. Discussion
A. I asked if any of the kids had been named after family members or friends. It was neat to hear who they were named after, if they knew, and why. It was also fun to start getting kids to think about the why behind their names.
B. I asked if they liked their names. If not, what would they prefer their name to be? One kid told me he wanted his name to be "Jeff". It turns out it was a character he liked. 
C. I also asked if any of them knew what their names meant. That led into an activity about the meaning of their names.

4. Activity
I handed out small sheets of paper to all the kids and had them write down their name. Then, as a group, we looked up the meaning of their names. For the most part it was an easy activity to do but, with kids names these days, a few were pieced together of two different names or had been created by their parents. It was fun and the kids loved finding out the meaning of their names.

5. Art Reveal
At the end of the program, after we let the tissue paper bleed for awhile, we came back to take the tissue paper and tape off of the card stock. 

Here's some my teens and I made:

Notes:

It was a little challenging searching for some of the kids names. Not surprisingly, they were not very patient. But, for the larger crowd on Friday, we had 2 baby name books that I had my teens use to search for names. And I used my phone to search for names that might not be as well known.

The kids all loved sharing the meaning of their names. We all had fun learning about one another this week!