Category Archives: Sudan

Top 10 Resources of Arabic for Kids

Posted on January 28, 2013 | 11 Comments

Sharing a list of resources of Arabic for kids today is Christi Madrid, a Florida based blogger. Together, she and her husband strive to rear their daughter to be a globally-minded citizen; confident and empowered in her world identity. Christi blogs about step parenting and her personal passion of Learning to be the Light at ChristiMadrid.com. You can also catch her on Facebook.

In rearing our daughter to be compassionate and globally minded, it was important to my husband and me that she be protected from stereotypes and misunderstood cultures. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Algeria, Asia, Bahrain, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Language, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen

Tagged Arabic

Map the Book: “Africa is NOT a Country”

Posted on September 6, 2012 | 20 Comments

“We have kids from Nicaragua, Guam, and Africa in my class…”
“We made masks from China, Peru, and Africa…”
“He is been to England, Africa, and Italy”

I have a pet peeve. It makes my skin crawl when I hear people referring to Africa as a country, instead of an immensely diverse continent. Did you know Africa has well over 2000 languages and innumerable ethnic groups, in its 54 countries!? My goal is to help parents and teachers dispel stereotypes by teaching a variety of stories from different countries in the continent.

One great book that counters stereotypes, “Africa is Not a Country,” gets to the heart of modern Africa: rural and urban families, living contemporary and traditional lives, and children in their homes, with their families, going to school, and playing with their friends. In this activity- which touches on 25 countries in Africa- kids will be locating and coloring countries on the map as they hear them mentioned in the story. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Geography, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Literature, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, People, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe

Tagged fiction children's books, maps

Names & Cultural Identities in Stories of Immigrant Children

Posted on June 13, 2012 | 8 Comments

Here is a lesson plan for elementary school students that discusses personal names, moving from one country to another, and adopting aspects of the new culture while maintaining cultural identity. I have chosen several books representing characters from different countries, for different ages levels, that tell about children that have struggled and succeeded with this assimilation. Many stories show why children have decided to keep or change their name for different reasons. These stories provoke discussion on the significance of our names and identities, the process of adapting to a new culture and language, and the challenges of making new friends.

I have been involved with the immigrant community in teaching, training, and translating for almost 20 years, and I believe that when we allow our children to understand the perspective of others, they will be compassionate and welcoming towards newcomers who might first appear “different.” After a brief summary of the books, I have included a list of discussion questions and writing prompts that ignite critical thinking skills, and allow students to put themselves in the shoes of others. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Around the World, Asia, China, El Salvador, Europe, Japan, Korea, Literature, Sudan, The Americas, Ukraine

Tagged anti-racism, education, ESL, fiction children's books, multicultural, social studies

“Henna Hands:” A Simple Craft

Posted on June 7, 2012 | 3 Comments

Here is a wonderfully simple craft that teaches children about the use of henna, a traditional art form that has been practiced in India, the Middle East (especially Pakistan), and parts of Africa (Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan) for hundreds of years.

My 2 budding artists: the hands on yellow were done by my 4.5 year old, while the hands on blue were created by my 7.5 year old. So pretty!

Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Arts and Crafts, Asia, Celebrations, India, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen

Make and Play the Ethiopian Game “Tegre” (aka Mancala!)

Posted on November 14, 2011 | 5 Comments

A Tegre (mancala-type) game board we bought near Dorze, Ethiopia

When I was a teenager, my parents bought my little brother and sister a game called Mancala: “one of the oldest board games from Africa,” claimed the box. Mancala is the name that anthropologists have given to a type of board game that is played throughout Africa, and some places in Asia (from The Complete Mancala Games Book by Larry Russ). They are usually made of wood that have various numbers of holes carved in them. Seeds, beans, or stones are moved around according to different rules, and victory is achieved when one player has captured all of the seeds.

The boys in Dorze who taught us to play Tegre

Fast-forward to 2008, and my husband and I were traveling in southern Ethiopia. In a small village called Dorze we became friends with a group of boys who were interested in showing us their ping-pong table, their instruments, and their “Tegre” game. This was like the mancala game I had when I was younger! With deft hands and broken English, the boys explained how to play, while quickly scooping up seeds and depositing them around the board. There are many ways to play, but here are the rules they explained to us, instructions for an easy-to-make game board, and even an on-line mancala game to try.

Continue reading →