Activity 1: “One in Six”

Materials needed:

Blue index cards
Red index cards
Four bowls
Cheerios
M&M’s
Raisins
Hard candies or mints
Small paper cups
Safety pins or masking tape

How many children in America today are living in poverty? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, an estimated 12.9 million children were living below the poverty line – 17.6 percent of all children, or one out of every six in the United States. To illustrate the number of children living in poverty, have your group count off by six. Individuals numbered 1 through 5 receive a blue card. Those numbered 6 receive a red card. 

Prepare a table at the front of the room with four bowls of food, containing Cheerios, M&Ms, raisins and peanuts, and a stack of small paper cups. Individuals with a blue card are then invited to come to the food table, and are allowed to take a cup and fill it with cereal, candy, and raisins, all the way to the top, if they desire. Individuals with a red card are then invited to the food table but are told they may only choose the Cheerios – and may only fill their cups halfway. (You might ask your group members to pin or tape the card to their clothing so they can empathize with the notion that others know you are poor, like when children have to present their free lunch cards in the cafeteria, announcing their poverty to their peers.)

Once the distribution is made, the individuals with the blue cards are then advised that they may share any of their food with those holding a red card. 

Have the group members write their reactions and reflections in a journal and then share their reactions with the class. How did it feel to be the one in six with the red card? How did it feel to stand at the table spread with food but be allowed to only choose one item – and a lesser amount than available to the others? For the blue card group, what was your initial reaction when told you could share your food with the others? For the red card group, how did it feel to have someone share with you?

What exactly does the face of poverty look like in America? For younger children, the “official” facts and figures issued by the federal government may have little impact in helping them grasp how the problem of poverty affects so many in the United States. As an initiating activity for early grade groups, open the activity by reading one of the suggested resources, such as Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, which tells the personal stories of families living in poverty. Then, using the stories as a springboard for discussion, introduce the following questions, aimed at separating the facts from the myths about poverty in America.

Q. Who is poor in America today?

A. Poverty affects all types of people in the United States. Whites, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native-American and Asian-Americans are all affected by poverty.

Q. Do poor people only live in the city?

A. Poverty can be found in all kinds of communities in America. Poor people live in the suburbs and the country, as well as the city.

Q. Are poor people poor because they don’t work?

A. Many people who are living in poverty have jobs, but do not make enough money to pay for all the things they need for them or their family, such as food and clothing.

Q. Are homeless people and poor people the same?

A. Although many poor people are homeless, most poor people live in houses or apartments. But while they may have enough money to pay the rent, they have little left over to buy other necessities.

Additional Activities

Upper-school-aged groups (Grades 4-5) should also refer to the “Sharing the Message” and “In Your Own Words” activities contained in the Grades 6-12 section of this Education Center.