There are several ways to use the idea of a patchwork quilt to show children that when differing people come together, something wonderful can result. Ask each child to draw a self-portrait. Scan the pictures into a computer and print them onto transfer paper. Iron the pictures onto squares of muslin and stitch the squares together to form a quilt. Place the quilt in the reading corner for children to use during silent reading. As the kids read about African-American figures, ask them to draw the people. Choose one picture for each notable person and hang it on a bulletin board. At the end of the month, tape the pictures together to form a paper quilt wall hanging.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that still resonates today. The "I Have a Dream" speech is realized every time children of different races come together to learn and play. Ask each child to draw a self-portrait. Print the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on a bulletin board and surround his words with pictures of the class. Take a picture of each child in class with his hands extended to either side. Cut out the pictures and create a border with the pictures "holding hands" around the speech.
Help the children explore the colors of friendship with puppets. Cut out paper doll shapes in a variety of peach and brown colors of paper. Glue the paper people to large craft sticks. Give each child several puppets, scraps of paper, yarn and googly eyes. After all of the kids have decorated their puppets, encourage them to act out little shows about how they all became friends. Ask each child to bring in a colored sock. Show the children how to put their hands inside to create sock puppets, then have them put on a show about how all the puppets are friends even though they are green, or blue or even purple.
Read the children a story about George Washington Carver and celebrate his invention by making homemade peanut putter. Puree roasted peanuts and spread it on toast. Discuss Garret Morgan and his invention of the stop light. Help the children make their own stop lights out of rice crispy squares with red, yellow and green candy-coated chocolates.