'Kit goes to school with her friends Harley and Vanya, and always tries her best at everything she does. Arlo is too loud, too close, just too... much. But when a moving van pulls up next to Kit’s house one weekend, Kit and Arlo find out they have a lot more in common than they thought. Join Kit, Arlo and their friends as they navigate school, home life and friendships, and learn more than a few things about how to get along.
'Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8–12 year-olds is a much-needed consent teaching resource for Grades 3 to 6. An action-packed and relatable fictional chapter book, Kit and Arlo is a page-turning journey of upper primary school kids – Kit, Arlo, Harley and Vanya – developing and exploring friendships with plenty of ups and downs. Entertaining and compelling as a standalone narrative, Kit and Arlo’s secret weapon is that it contains all of the complex components of consent and includes respectful relationships education in an age-appropriate format.
'Teachers can read the story, chapter by chapter, in class, and then use the discussion points and ‘read and respond’ notes to facilitate conversations around consent in child-friendly ways with their students. For schools needing a more in-depth consent and respectful relationships curriculum, a dedicated Kit and Arlo teaching resources platform houses evidence-based teaching activities, videos, webinars, podcasts, resource links and lesson plans designed to tie in with the story.
'Key topics include:
- body boundaries and safety
- verbal and non-verbal cues
- developing a sense of self, personal strength and self-determination
- understanding that the responsibly of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should be shared
- understanding that shared activities should have enthusiastic, affirmative and ongoing consent
- having the courage to withdraw consent
- understanding gendered stereotypes, coercion and power imbalances
- learning to have empathy for others
- managing disappointment when someone changes their mind
- how to be an upstander when someone is being harmed
- the keys to respectful relationships and better friendships.
'Kit and Arlo Find a Way is a vital resource for schools doing the essential work of empowering kids with decision-making skills that will carry through to their interactions and relationships later on in life.'
(Publication summary)
