We started the project on 1st May 2008, as a Social Studies unit, using the Shoah as the context for studying rights and responsibilities and the choices people make as part of a society.  

We  heard about a project in the USA called Paperclips, and we decided to collect buttons to show our children exactly how huge a number like 1.5 million is. For our tiny school of 30 children this number was difficult to comprehend. We started with only 300 buttons - the children were sceptical . . .

“We have been really surprised by the response we have gotten to the project.  At first we weren’t so enthusiastic.  We thought it was a waste of time and that no-one would want to send buttons to an unknown Jewish school in Wellington. One and a half million buttons seemed like a lot to collect, but we have slowly built up our confidence in the project and now we are certain we will reach our goal” Kessem, Yr 7 (12 yrs)


In our classes we touched briefly on the historical details, but our main focus is on the people of the holocaust – the victims, perpetrators, bystanders, collaborators and the resistance.  This helps the children see the complexity of society and to consider their role within it.  

We also learnt about the lives of child victims, as the students find it easier to relate to children their own age.

We studied children’s books on the Holocaust, from picture books to young-adult fiction.  There is a large variety of stories, from differing perspectives.  There are books about resistance, books written from the perspective of German children, and stories of children who made it out as refugees (see our education page for some ideas). Stories give students the chance to explore the emotions involved, as well as opening up questions which motivate them to explore historical facts.