Discovering Foreign Culture: Portfolio of Childcare Programming - Assignment Example

Discovering Foreign Culture: Portfolio of Childcare Programming Contents Introduction 3 Snack Schedule 5 French Discovery Week 5 Japanese Discovery Week 7 Italian Discovery Week 9 Egyptian Discovery Week 11 Conclusion 13 Works Cited 14 Introduction In order to create the best possible choices for a month of activities for a childcare situation, it is necessary to take in the wide variety of stages of development within school aged children and the wonders of the world that can be explored. The first thoughts about a themed month was to explore nations and art, providing for a wide variety of ideas that could work for a range of ages, all while allowing them to participate together within a multi-generational environment. Making the assumption that children would be from the age of about six to the age of about twelve, a range of activities would be necessary to keep them all interested. Choosing four different nations allowed for the development of a program that could utilize a range of previous knowledge that could be used for the purpose of educating them about culture while providing for crafts, movement, and activities along with a snack calendar that supported the themes. This program assumes no budgetary or resource restriction. The four nations that were chosen to be represented for the four weeks of thematic activities were France, Japan, Italy and Egypt. This provided for nations that had a more commonly understood set of cultural concepts that could be accessible while still having the sense of ‘otherness’ that would enrich their cultural understandings of the world. One of the first ideas for the project was to develop a snack calendar that represented each of the nations through food choices that were nutritious, representative, but still palatable for school age children. One risk food per week was provided to show some variety in dining. During this day the alternative of crackers and cheese was offered when children did not want to try the new food. These days are indicated with an asterisk. Day one and day five were the same in order to frame the experience. The following snack schedule supports this concept. Each snack consists of a small portion of carbohydrate, complimented by fruit or protein. This schedule supports a Monday through Friday provision of daycare. Food allergies and preferred diets are supported through carefully planned alternatives. Each day the students would learn something about the food culture of the nation that was being explored during that week as well as an overview of the culture of that nation. Snack Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday France Mini Croissant Grapes Crackers Cheese Mini Muffin *Ham wrapped Bananas Mini Croissant Grapes Japan Rice Pear Slices *Tea Mochi (rice sweet) Crackers Cheese *Fake Sushi Cooked Tuna and rice rolled Rice Pear Slices Italy Small portion of Spaghetti *Buffalo Mozz and Tomato Salad Healthy Gelato Crackers Cheeze Small Portion of Spaghetti Egypt Fruit and Chicken Kebobs Rice Pancake and Ghee (clarified butter) Cracker Cheese *Toasted Pita Triangles Hummus Fruit and Chicken Kebobs French Discovery Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday France Mini Croissant Grapes Crackers Cheese Mini Muffin *Ham wrapped Bananas Mini Croissant Grapes Monday Arts and Crafts Day: This day would consist of a lecture about French Impressionist Art, tailoring the lecture to appeal across age ranges with the end of the discussion presenting the opportunity for the children to wear smocks and try their hand at painting. Ideally, each student would have access to an easel and using tempura paints, they could explore the idea of impressionism at the level for which they could understand and create their own interpretations of the idea. Tuesday Music Day: During this day music and movement would be emphasized, with the classic song Frères Jacques being used as the cornerstone of the discussion. The idea of singing in the round would be introduced and through a free expression period at the end, the class would perform using various bells, drums and simple instruments with the intention of creating a cooperative effort towards creating a piece of music. Wednesday Arts and Crafts Day: During this day of arts and crafts the Eiffel Tower would be discussed, ending in a project through which the tower would be built through the use of glue and Popsicle sticks. Deciding whether to work individually, in groups, or in one large group would be given as options to the members of the class. The intention would be to introduce some rudimentary philosophy and concepts of architecture. Thursday Movement Day: On this day the children would be introduced to the concept of ballet. Ideally a performer would be a special guest, showing the children the concept of the ballet through expressing their art of this form of dance. Simple movements of ballet would be taught to the class, as well as introductions to the concept of storylines for dance using the examples of the ballets Sleeping Beauty and The Nuttcracker. Video excerpts could be used to enhance the discussion about ballet. Friday Finale: During this finale of the French Discovery Week, the children would discuss all they had learned about the culture of France, saying what they liked and did not like about the week. The class would draw pictures of what they learned throughout the week and present them in an art display. Japanese Discovery Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Japan Rice Pear Slices *Tea Mochi (rice sweet) Crackers Cheese Fake Sushi Cooked Tuna and rice rolled Rice Pear Slices Monday Arts and Crafts Day: Kinder Art provides an example of Japanese Fan art interpreted for children ages 5-12. Through exploring the idea of Japanese fans as representational of art, children are given the opportunity to see the art of Japan through visual depictions of the fans, then through the opportunity of creating their own fan in a project that is designed to represent this form of art (West). Tuesday Music Day: During this day a demonstration by a local musician who plays a Koto would be ideal as this is the national instrument of Japan. In addition to the demonstration of the Koto, an appropriate version of a Japanese tea ceremony would be experienced during snack time. Wednesday Arts and Crafts Day: This day would be an exploration of the style of the traditional Japanese house with paper walls and framework. As well, a discussion and demonstration of the bonsai tree would provide further exploration of Japanese culture. The use of paper and Popsicle sticks would be used to build small versions of the houses. Thursday Movement Day: Children will learn about the concepts of Kabuki Theater on this day. A video of a kabuki dance that is designed for children would provide for the experience of the Kabuki Theater. Youtube would provide the resource for a video that is appropriate without being too long. Movements that are like the dance of the Kabuki will be attempted. Friday Finale: During this finale of the Japanese Discovery Week, the children would be introduced to Japanese Bunraku in which Puppet Theater is produced. Using Youtube as a resource once again, an appropriate example is shown, after which the finale of the week consists of the children making their own puppets with simple materials. Italian Discovery Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Italy Small portion of Spaghetti *Buffalo Mozz and Tomato Salad Healthy Gelato Crackers Cheese Small portion of Spaghetti Monday Arts and Crafts Day: An introduction to Leonardo da Vinci would occur on the opening day of Italian Discovery Week. Select paintings would be used in order to create a visual representation of his work. In addition, small scale examples of his inventions such as his submarine and his flying machine would be used to further explore how he viewed the world. An opportunity to ‘invent’ something would be presented where they could explore ideas through three dimensional craft materials. Tuesday Music Day: Italian Opera would be explored during this day as a video that presented an Italian opera singer would be viewed and the idea of Opera discussed. While this is an ambitious topic for school age children, they would be able to relate through the choice of music presented. Although not in Italian but in German originally, The Magic Flute by Mozart and performed in English by the Metropolitan Opera would be a great introduction to the idea of Opera (Metropolitanopera) Wednesday Arts and Crafts Day: The beauty of Venice would be discussed as the unique city would be explored. The concept of the Venetian mask would be introduced and the children would have an opportunity to develop their own masks using craft materials. Thursday Movement Day: The dance called the Tarantella is taught, the story of its origins included in the instruction. The dance was supposed to cure the bite from a tarantula spider, the individual dancing the venom out of their body (Ludwig). Friday Finale: During this finale of the Italian Discovery Week a discussion about Italy along with drawings done about what was learned during the week provides the students with an opportunity to reflect. Egyptian Discovery Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Egypt Fruit and Chicken Kebobs Rice Pancake and Ghee (clarified butter) Cracker Cheese Toasted pita and Hummas Fruit and Chicken Kebobs Monday Arts and Crafts Day: They mysteries of the pyramids are explored as the children are introduced to the wonder of these enormous buildings. After a discussion about these old and grand structures, the children are given materials with which to build their own version of a pyramid. Through help and direction, a large scale model of a pyramid is built through cooperation of the class. This will serve as a backdrop for the rest of the week. Tuesday Music Day: Ideally, a resource for Egyptian music using traditional instruments would be available to visit the class and discuss the music of Egypt as well as play for the children. Wednesday Arts and Crafts Day: Egyptian wall paintings are discussed on this day with the children shown how the figures are created with the flattened perspective. They are then encouraged to create their own version of this type of painting. Thursday Movement Day: The most popular game in Egypt is football. By sharing this similar interest, children can see that no matter how exotic a nation, there are always ways to find similar interests. Teaching them the Egyptian form, football is safely played under strict observation and without the violence of adult versions. Friday Finale: During this finale of the Egyptian Discovery Week, the concept of hieroglyphs is discussed. Children are given the opportunity to create their own language through pictorial representation. Conclusion While ambitious and very sophisticated, teaching children cultures allows for them to learn about the world. While globalization of resources and industry is bringing nations closer together, it is important to remember the unique features of each nation. Through teaching children about other cultures the nature of historic culture is preserved. Children will enjoy interactive lessons about the world, thus this type of lesson plan can be enjoyed and fruitful in knowledge. In choosing nations that represent various parts of the world, the instructors can provide an overview of world culture. Further exploration in subsequent weeks might include African nations, Canada, and Latin American nations. Through easily translated foods, movement, and art, cultures of other parts of the world are explored and differences can provide context for what is essentially the same in relating to other people across the world. Works Cited Harris, Maureen. Music and the Young Mind: Enhancing Brain Development and Engaging Learning. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2009. Print. Ludwig, Pamela Ann. The History of Tarantella Folk Dance. Ehow. 2012. Web. 25 August 2012. Metropolitan Opera. The Magic Flute: The Metropolitan Opera. 14 June 2011. Web. 24 August 2012. West, Karen. Kente Cloth Strips. Kinder Art. 2012. Web. 25 August 2012. Read More