Celebrating Culture in the Pre-K

The Pre-K class has been studying culture for a few months now.  We started in November, learning about the Native Americans and Pilgrims.  We talked about where they came from, how their cultures were different, and how they worked together to bridge their differences.

Over the month of December, we studied two holidays that our students celebrate, Hanukkah and Christmas.  We talked about the origins of the holidays and the different traditions of each.

In January, we are studying the variety of cultures we have in our very own classroom.  We have also explored additional cultures not found in our classroom through literature.

We have read Ganesha's Sweet Tooth, a retelling of a popular Hindu legend, and Rabbit's Snow Dance, a traditional Native American fable.  And of course, we also read Moana!

We've also read modern stories, like Last Stop on Market Street, The New Small Person, Suki's Kimono, Mama Do You Love Me, and The Red Lollipop.

Many of the characters in these stories showed us people from all walks of life, some wearing unfamiliar clothes, using unfamiliar words, with unfamiliar traditions.  We've had a fabulous time learning about all these new-to-us ideas.

This week, we celebrated the many cultures in our classroom with a very special show and tell.  

We saw flags from Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Puerto Rico and compared them to our United States' flag.  

Some of our classmates brought in books written in different languages!  We also read a book one of our friends brought in about the United States and finding our place in the world.

A few children brought in food like pasta, plantain chips, and chorizo.  We talked about holidays like Diwali and St. Patrick's Day and the ways families celebrate them.

A variety of cultural items were brought in, like Russian Nesting Dolls, a candle for Diwali, and a Greek Aphrodite Statue. 

We saw different types of clothes from places like El Salvador and Germany, plus a soccer jersey for AC Milan!

As January winds to a close, so will our spotlight on culture.  We've enjoyed the last three months, looking at the world through someone else's eyes!