HD 25 ANTI-BIAS ACTIVITY
Passport
to
World Culture
World Culture
Because young children form ideas about themselves and other
people long before they start kindergarten, it is important to begin teaching
anti-bias lessons early. If we reinforce these lessons, children will learn to
appreciate, rather than fear, differences and to recognize bias and stereotypes
when they see them. Children learn early on — from television, books,
magazines, photographs, and, of course, interactions — how others view people
like themselves.
Uncomfortable reactions can alert children to the negative
significance some people put on differences. In other words, the differences in
eye or skin color can simply become a category of human variation — or those
differences can take on a particular negative significance.
As professionals who work with families, our willingness to
talk openly about identity and to help foster a positive sense of self in
children can make an enormous difference in affirming the rich diversity of our
human community and helping children make bridges across cultures and
traditions. Some people fear that by affirming children's identities in terms
of home cultures and traditions, we may be promoting separatism. That is not
the case. The more that children have a solid grounding and understanding about
who they are and where they came from, the more they learn to move with grace
and confidence among communities different from their own, and the closer we
get to building a world of respect, curiosity, sharing, and humanity.
ACTIVITY OVERVIEW:
Each center featured weekly will have 5 activities available for students to explore in groups of 5. This is a 6 week program. Country
featured changes weekly for a duration of 6 weeks. Daily there are 5 children taking part in the center,
during center time. The 5 children will alternate activities in the center for approx. 4-5 minutes for each activity, totaling 20-25 minutes daily. Each child will be given
a passport with a page for each country and an area where they can get the
activities stamped once completed “Hear Music, Try Clothing, Play Instrument, Read a Book, and Try Food." They will have five stamps on the country's page at the completion of one week, and 6 completed pages at the end of the
series. By the end of each week, each child will have had a chance to participate.
The Anti Bias Goals:
Acceptance of cultural differences; Each child will learn to express comfort and joy with human diversity.
Nurture the Understanding of cultures of others and self; Each child will learn about demonstrating self-awareness, confidence, family pride and positive social identities.
(ABE, pg 4-5)
Supplies Needed:
Create a passport with 6 pages
5 different colored or different shaped stamps, one for each activity of each page
Music CD's of 6 different countries (Resource: Library)
CD Player & headphones
6 Books (Resource: Library, online)
Food items (ask for parent sign ups)
Clothing items (ask for parent participation, using a wish list..or find items on ebay,craigslist or at the thrift stores)
Musical instruments (either order online for plastic flutes & tambourines or ask for parent participation, using a wish list..or find items on ebay,craigslist or at the thrift stores. Some instruments will be made as craft projects in the classroom)
Description:
In this large center activity, there will be 5 stations, where one child can explore for 4-5 minutes at a time in each station. Once all the activities are completed by every student, their passport can be stamped 5 times on that countries page. The activities are:
-Listening to a music CD from the country.
-Try on traditional clothing of country represented.
-Play an instrument from the featured country.
-Look through a picture book from country represented.
-Try a sample of food from the country represented.
Example Week 1 Activites
COUNTRY: MEXICO
Musical Instruments: maracas, guitar
Clothing: Sombrero, poncho
Food-Tortilla chips
with a traditional salsa or pico de gallo
Book-P is for Pinata-Tony
Johnston
http://www.amazon.com/Pinata-Mexico-Alphabet-Discover-World/dp/1585361445/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Y54PS5P9TRBCHEY6K3N
This is an A-Z picture
book with lots of pictures from Mexican Culture.
Example of Week 2 Activites
COUNTRY: JAPAN
Koto, flute (shamisen),
lute
Food Boiled Edamame (soybeans)
Squeeze the beans out of the pods with the children.
Clothing: Kimono,
Sandals (online or ask parents)
Book: "Suki’s Kimono"- Chieri
Uegaki, Stephane Jorisch
This book would pair
well with providing an actual Kimono, and shows a child’s journey to finding
pride in her heritage.
Suki's favorite
possession is her blue cotton kimono. A gift from her obachan, it holds special
memories of her grandmother's visit last summer. And Suki is going to wear it
on her first day back to school -- no matter what anyone says. When it's Suki's
turn to share with her classmates what she did during the summer, she tells
them about the street festival she attended with her obachan and the circle
dance that they took part in. In fact, she gets so carried away reminiscing
that she's soon humming the music and dancing away, much to the delight of her
entire class! Filled with gentle enthusiasm and a touch of whimsy, Suki's
Kimono is the joyful story of a little girl whose spirit leads her to march --
and dance -- to her own drumbeat.
Example of Week 3 Activities
Country: NATIVE AMERICA
Instruments: wooden drum, wooden
flute, wooden rattle, make rain sticks (activity during week)
Clothing-Head dress,
vest
Food-Corn on the cob (Maize)
Book-"D is for
Drum"-Michael Shoulders
This is an A-Z
picture book showing many snapshots of Native American Culture
Or "Corn is Maize" by Aliki
This book would pair
well with providing corn as a snack, and describes all of the ways corn is used
in Native American cooking, therefore depicting its importance Native American
Culture.
An additional activity as specified above would be to make rainsticks with the class during the week.
Native American Rainstick - Kid's Craft Materials Needed:
Cardboard Tube - Paper towel rolls or wrapping paper rolls
Construction Paper
Aluminum Foil
Crayons, markers or paint
Dry goods - Rice, uncooked beans or uncooked popcorn
Ribbon or string
Beads, feathers and stickers (optional items)
Make a Native American Rainstick:
Source & instructions:
http://voices.yahoo.com/make-kids-native-american-rainstick-craft-items-4685993.html?cat=25
Other countries that for
example can be included in the 6 week program are:
Africa, Ireland, and India
Additional Activities over the 6 week period:
-You could also have the children have small concerts at the
end of the series in groups of 5 where you choose 5 children to play all the
instruments at the same time. Everyone would alternate and have a chance to
play in their “World Concert”.
-Ask parents to bring in cultural or favorite music Cd’s they
listen to as a family, including those in other languages. Or if any family
members play a musical instrument or sing, ask them to do so in circle time,
and perhaps even bring in musical instruments from their native lands for the
children to play.
-Throughout the 6 week program, you could show online videos
of traditional dances of these countries during circle time. Like this one:
(click on link) Native American Dance
You could teach some of the dance moves to the class during
music and movement time.
-You could also talk about each student’s individual
cultures, what types of music they listen to at home, what kinds of foods they
eat at home and during holidays. Possibly have a finale where parents sign up
to bring different foods from home.
- On Mexico week, you could have a taco making snack. Or other traditional food preparation with the children.
-You could make sitars (a traditional instrument of India) in craft time: http://www.ehow.com/how_8706259_diy-homemade-sitar.html
An excellent book to share with the class to wrap up your Passport to World Culture Series is:
“Whoever you are” by Mem Fox
