100 Ways to Make the World a Better Place: An Activity Book to Inspire Change

Part of the “CitizenKid” series, this interactive book provides a variety of activities which are designed to help readers better understand some of the many challenges facing the world today. 100 Ways to Make the World a Better Place begins with a guide for adults that explains the goals of the book and offers tips on the varying degrees of adult supervision and/or participation required for each of the activities. The book is divided into three main sections, each with four chapters or subtopics which follow the same sequence: background information, the activity, and some ideas for further study and how to change one’s habits and engage the community.

In the “People” section, the focus is on poverty, hunger and nutrition, health and hygiene, and roadblocks to a good education. One of the activities in this section, “Poverty Line Challenge”, asks readers to plan three days’ worth of meals with a budget of only $1.90 per day per family member. This activity requires a trip to the supermarket (hence parental involvement), but it is guaranteed to be an eye-opener for children since they are not the usual grocery shoppers of the family. The second section, “Community”, features jobs, fair trade, healthy cities, diversity and inclusion, human rights, conflict resolution and the plight of refugees who are seeking safety from war and natural disasters. Finally, the third section, “Planet”, highlights the challenges of climate change, global warming, producing clean energy, using resources wisely, and changing consumer habits, one example of which is being mindful of purchasing products with less packaging.

The activities are wide-ranging: from pen and paper tasks, such as a crossword puzzle and a word search, to a snakes-and-ladders type game, creative thinking and designing, experiments, cooking, interviewing and organizing a food drive or a school supply drive. There is bound to be something for everyone. But the activities which offer challenges will likely be the most impactful. One example is for readers to try living without any electricity for one day – no TV, no phones, no lights, no computers.

Due to the fact that some of the activities require the reader to write or colour on the pages, the book is really meant for a single reader, but these activities can easily be adapted for group use in a classroom setting. The selection, as well as the success of the various activities, will depend on the maturity level of the reader.

Illustrations in 100 Ways to Make the World a Better Place consist of cartoon drawings rendered in muted shades with occasional pops of bright colour. An answer key and quite an extensive list of online resources are included.