My son's preschool teacher has traveled recreationally to 30 countries. She lived in (what was it? Taiwan, maybe?) for two years, teaching English to kids. A big part of her lesson plans include teaching the kids about the different parts of the world. The celebrated The Day of The Dead, Mardi Gras, Nowruz, and countless others I can't even remember.
She asked M if he would come and talk about Pakistan to our son's class of 12 five year olds. She did that with another kid whose father is from Chile. We did that once before, last year, for a different group of kids. He read a kid's book about Pakistan, told them a few words in Urdu, and they tried on a mirror-decorated kid's vest. They couldn't try on the hat as there'd been a recent lice outbreak.
The kids are older this year, and can probably handle a little more information, so I'm soliciting suggestions. M thinks he should print out pictures of, as he said "markets, buses, farmers, some new buildings, people with folk dresses." I think he should write out all the kid's names in Urdu on pretty paper. LuckyFatima suggested we play a little music and have the kids do some bhangra, which I thought sounded fantastic. I can't think of any foodstuff we could share - it would have to be pre-packaged and contain no nuts. I thought of kulfi but that would be expensive and very heavy for the kids...
(I am trying to be sensitive to our kid's feeling about this. I'm not going to force him to monkey around as a prop and say things in Urdu or dress him up, but I'll ask him how he would like to participate, if at all.)
Any other suggestions?
She asked M if he would come and talk about Pakistan to our son's class of 12 five year olds. She did that with another kid whose father is from Chile. We did that once before, last year, for a different group of kids. He read a kid's book about Pakistan, told them a few words in Urdu, and they tried on a mirror-decorated kid's vest. They couldn't try on the hat as there'd been a recent lice outbreak.
The kids are older this year, and can probably handle a little more information, so I'm soliciting suggestions. M thinks he should print out pictures of, as he said "markets, buses, farmers, some new buildings, people with folk dresses." I think he should write out all the kid's names in Urdu on pretty paper. LuckyFatima suggested we play a little music and have the kids do some bhangra, which I thought sounded fantastic. I can't think of any foodstuff we could share - it would have to be pre-packaged and contain no nuts. I thought of kulfi but that would be expensive and very heavy for the kids...
(I am trying to be sensitive to our kid's feeling about this. I'm not going to force him to monkey around as a prop and say things in Urdu or dress him up, but I'll ask him how he would like to participate, if at all.)
Any other suggestions?
20 comments:
Little fruit chaat cups for the kids might be cool. Or pakoras.
That's tricky. What about the mouth fresheners? Those might be interesting for the kids to try because they're so colorful.
I think it's great that your son's teacher is introducing the kids to different cultures.
Maybe some kind of rice pudding/desert?
my experience. Food wise kids are not so adventurous. Namak paras were always a hit with the kids.
Jalebi always goes well with kids.
Also bhangra is primarily an indian punjabi dance that has spilled into pakistani culture.
You can get the kids to make little pakistani flags - take sticks and paper and they can make it.
Kids always love ice cream. Maybe malai kulfi... Or an indian beverage, like Limca.
U can serve mithai if thats possible
Bhangra is a great idea. BLAND namak paras or fried up bland papads (southindian appalam urad dal kind with no masalas in them) are always a big hit. Kindergarten kids who are not used to idea of trying unfamiliar or ethnic foods do not do well with Jalebis/Kulfi/mithai/chaat... all of which have strong and lingering flavors (including cardamom or sweet spices). Been there, done that and bought the T shirt. You do not want any kid spitting out the food and forever associating it with your son. It happens. It really does.
Make it Desi Lite for the sake of your son.
How about a Powerpoint presentation (with music in the background) of what a school is like for young children in Pakistan, include games young kids play and examples of children's dress in Pakistan. If you want to make something, make a sweet dessert like kheer or bring breads like naan or fried parathas...
Hey, I like the namak para idea, i thought of chillie millies. ... or maybe tasting ... what is it called, that black liquorice that I just love!!! I might suggest mangos, but DH says that they don't even taste like PK mangos, yet, still are good and the kiddos might eat them. DH would suggest getting a little cricket ball and bat and talking about the sport -- after all, it is the fave of PK kids everywhere. I like the flag making idea. And, I always write the kids name in braille, so Urdu letters would work good and the kids always like seeing their name written differently. I think I'd show pics of the mountain and desert and rivers, also. Just to show the contrast. And, does your son have a shilwar kamis? That might be fun to look at.
So how did the presentation go
"bhangra is primarily an indian punjabi dance that has spilled into pakistani culture."
Not true. Bhangra is actually based on very old agricultural dances and other traditional music (folk music) from Punjab that was re-tooled with synthesized pop-beats in the UK by both Indian and Pakistani artists. It has gone "back" to Pakistan and India after being given a new spin in the UK. The traditional aspect of the beats and the origins of many of the songe are just as much Pakistani as they are Indian. Bhangra really represents Punjabi folk culture more than general "Pakistani culture," but it is danced and enjoyed at least in weddings by many Pakistanis of all backgrounds. And well, it sounds cool and upbeat and kids will enjoy hopping around to it.
So, what did you end up doing?
Hey there Gori Wife! I found your blog in early March and am looking forward to reading more updates!
How did it all go?
Exactly as I would have phrased it, thank you for the proper explanation!
Silencium :-(.
Have U decided to stop writting in here ? :-(
Nice blog and nice post, The topic here i found is really effective.
Nice blog, I really appreciate the way you are sharing your experiences.
This is a hard one. Little kids are eager to learn about new things and places, but, as I've learned from my kids, who are half-Gujarati and half-white, sometimes they get embarrassed by their parents (and it just gets worse as they get into the teen years). Even my five year old is a little shy about sharing a lot of Indian things with his friends.
Maybe toys or Urdu books would be good? We have Gujarati coloring books that we've used and the kids like that. They like to see the funny letters.
i hope you and your family are safe wherever you are. miss your blog,
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