Introducing the Gulf War

Aim

To increase youth awareness and understanding of the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

Objectives

Through this activity, youth will:

develop a basic understanding of the 1990-1991 Gulf War;
learn how Canadian service members helped people of Kuwait during and after the war; and
recognize and appreciate the challenges of Canadians who served during the Gulf War.

Target audience

This activity is suitable for ages 5-8

Sequence of events and anticipated time frame [variable]

(This activity can be modified to fit available time)

Introduction Discussion (10 minutes)
Gulf War Word search (20 minutes)
Gulf War Colouring page (20 minutes)
Conclusion (10 minutes)

Materials

Discussion [10 minutes]

Before you begin your lesson, you may wish to read the Canadian Armed Forces and the Gulf War Historical Sheet to use as background information about the war. Introduce your students to the 1990-1991 Gulf War, and provide them with a basic understanding about the war.

Using a world map, show where Canada is, where your province and city are located, as well as the Persian Gulf, and the countries Iraq and Kuwait.

Describe to your students how the country of Kuwait was being “bullied” by another country, Iraq, because Iraq felt as if Kuwait should be part of their country. On 2 August 1990, Iraqi soldiers invaded Kuwait. However, an organization that represents countries around the world, named the United Nations, did not agree with Iraq’s decision to invade Kuwait and approved to send military troops from different countries, including Canada, to defend Kuwait.

You may wish to read aloud the Treats from home story to your students to help further their comprehension of the war.

Gulf War Word search [20 minutes]

Provide each student with a copy of the Gulf War word search sheet. Help students find several words that touch on the Gulf War and the Canadians in uniform who participated in the war. Words can be found left to right or up and down.

Gulf War Colouring page [20 minutes]

Provide students with a copy of the Gulf War colouring page to help think of all Canadians who served during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, where our air force, army, navy and support personnel had an important role to play.

Conclusion [10 minutes]

Lead a discussion with the class about the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Ask your students what important words they learned during the activity. You may want to display the colouring sheets in the class or the hallway.

Date modified:: 2022-01-27