MULTI-CULTURAL SUMMER

MULTI-CULTURAL SUMMER

One summer when my children were teenagers we decided to have a multi-cultural summer.  Having five children made this a wonderful event.  

Each week, starting with one of the oldest twins I would ask them to pick a country.  After they had decided upon their country, we would start digging through the encyclopedia and read what the people of the region they chose were like.  Then the child would go shopping with me during the week and we would buy a few decorations to hang in the kitchen area and use for table settings.  We would decorate a poster or two with different things we found in magazines.  At the end of the week, we would then go shopping and buy food that fit with the culture they were going to present to the family that evening. 

The older children would cook the meal themselves with my assistance and then at the dinner table we would have open discussions about the country they choose and why they had made that selection. The younger children assisted me as I cooked and we would have discussions about the type food we were cooking.

Having five children that ranged from fourth to tenth grade gave us a full summer of multi-cultural studies.  it not only enlightened them on other countries but introduced them to new foods and helped them understand people from other regions once they were out on their own and living among diverse ethnic groups.  This was an event I planned for them, hoping to help them develop and learn.  Looking back it also gave me a great foundation for the type ministry I have each day as I meet people from every ethnic group and something I would love to do again.  

If you choose to have a multi-cultural summer we would love for you to share your idea's with us as each person will have new ideas and unique ways of doing this event.