7 replies to this topic

[karenb124]

Next weeks staff meeting will require us to sahre our ideas for a whole school cultural awareness week. Ours is a one form entry school and I teach reception (the youngest class- no nursery!). All too often I get overlooked in whole school activity plans. Any suggestions for activity ideas I can put forward that my class could be involved in?

[Susan]

Cooking.
You should be able to find some simple recipes of cultural foods and cook and taste with your children.
You could use "Handa's Surprise" and go shopping for the fruits and make fruit salad.
Listen to music and make something similar.
Look at traditional art and reproduce.
Have a carnival.
Listen to traditional stories.

Good luck & have fun. Remember to stress its relevance re PSE goals!

[Carolyn C]

When we had a cultural awareness week at our preschool as well as the things Susan has suggested we looked at different clothes. It's great if (like us) you have parents from other countries who are willing to come in and show you traditional clothes. Did you know Korean wedding dressees are red? Maybe someone has a foreign doll collection to show. Wedding traditions might be an interesting topic if you have parents from other countries to support.
We really enjoyed our cutural awareness week - I hope you do too.
Carolyn

[Rea]

I always wished I could of got married in red velvet. Oh well, will wait until my next life
Could you use some of the ideas from the chinese new year thread? Like writing their names in chinese characters, and thename of the school? :D

[mousebat]

Learning to say hello, goodbye, how are you? in different languages
What's in a name - the origins of children's names
Make passports
Dressing up in national costumes
Circle time - pass around a stick when someone wants to talk as the native Americans do
Hinamatursi Day "The day of the Dolls" celebration of Japanese ancestors. Get each child to bring in a favourite doll and explain why it is special to them
Make kimonos or saris out of lining paper
Chopsticks- explain to the children what they are used for
Sing some rhymes from other countries

[Sue]

I have just planned a terms circle time activities around some literature that my boss got from Oxfam called 'Your world, my world'.

The pictures of the different nationality children are brilliant and the teachers pack has brilliant ideas for lesson plans.

Much to my surprise alot of the resources in the pack can be downloaded from Oxfams website, Oxfam - coolplanet Click on the link on the page that says 'more for the classroom' and you'll find some great stuff aimed at ages 5-11.

Maybe something here will be of help.

Sue

[catma]

We had a welcome wall: all the children in the school were invited to write a greeting, either a word or a message in their own languages, including patois if they wanted. They were all displayed in te hall and made a great permanent display for the year.

[gemini69]

Building on Susan's idea could you encourage parents to come in with food that is traditional to them? Of course this does depend on the mix of your children! I did this a few years back with Reception and the children and parents all really enjoyed it. It was surprising to see just which foods we all liked and disliked