When rapport is experienced, as the American Indian wisdom states, we speak with one mind. We begin to care. Development of rapport is encouraged by having the students choose their favorite species and build rapport with it. Children seem tocome with an innate sense of rapport. This natural rapport can beused as a powerful motivational tool.
Masks are excellent rapport building tools for young and old.
Mask making is nearly a universal human activity. For our purposes, making masks is a powerful rapport developer and it also leads, through activity and study, to the celebration of Earth Day. Mask making evokes emotional ties to the chosen creature. Students want to know more about their chosen species. By involving students in rapport-building skills they have a chance to shift their perception and take a larger view of the Earth.