Little Peacemakers

Book excerpt: Conflict is a way of life ¿ something we cannot avoid. By teaching mediation skills to elementary school children, we demonstrate creative and constructive ways to handle these conflicts and empower children for a lifetime. Little Peacemakers provides a step-by-step framework for training classroom mediators who help peers resolve a problem and arrive at a peaceful solution. The eight-week curriculum consists of 30-minute hands-on lessons that teach problem solving, active listening, and brainstorming, as well as ways to apply those skills to mediation. Two CDs accompany the book. One provides forms, handouts, and other printable materials. The other contains ¿The Mediator Rap,¿ a song that helps students memorize the steps of the mediation process.