Cammie Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Ok, so DD goes to an international school. One of the biggest events of the year is the Multicultural Day festival. Each culture is represented by a table. Each table is decorated with all sorts of stuff representing that country. You also have to have an activity/game for your country and an appetizer/snack to hand out (to a few hundred people). I was really hoping someone signed up to do the US. It is getting down to the wire and no one has signed up...so I probably will. The problem is I have NO ideas about what to do!! Last year I remember the people had lots of "Americana" type decorations and picture books. They did a lassoing kind of a game and handed out chocolate chip cookies. Normally I can come up with this stuff...but I have nothing. To make matters worse (for my competitive self) some of the groups have tons of parents and do an amazing job! The Japanese table is always incredible - elaborate food, multiple games, writing your name in Japanese, etc. The only "idea" I have so far is to do something related to America's immigrant culture. Highlighting the contributions of different cultural groups to America's identity. So ladies (and gentlemen) I need some ideas that I can pull off here in Bangalore that showcase American culture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 What about focusing on one region of the country? Even though I am a New Englander myself, I think the South would be perfect for this especially concerning food and music. Cornbread! What more do you need? Banjo and Bluegrass music. Cotton. A southern belle gown. p.s. I have been meaning to call you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Jazz music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I am sure you can affect a southern drawl if you try, Cammie. Cajun, creole, and southern BBQ. Sweet tea. Also "If it ain't fried, it ain't cooked!" Southern Fried Chicken. Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, Haper Lee for writers. Movie: Gone with the Wind. NASCAR and college football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftymama Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Sliders, hamburgers, wings, hotdogs, apple pie or tarts, brisket sandwiches, cupcakes,... Pin the tale on the donkey, American football, Dr. Seuss books... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Pin the tale on the donkey You might want to pick a different game - we've had this in Britain too all my life, so it might not be distinctive. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 How about "tabletop football" - all they would need is a sheet of paper, teach them how to fold it into a "football," have a goalpost to "kick" it over with your finger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I think the US is hard to represent at something like this. It seems like the American section is either boring or some caricature of one small part of the country (usually Texas or the South). Or it's just stereotypical American stuff that everyone sees in American films. So I love your idea of doing something with immigrant cultures. You also could do something with Native American cultures, or maybe a colonial American thing. I hope you come up with something you're happy with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Sliders and french fries, apple pie and Coke. How about some form of baseball. I don't like it personally, but it's said it's as American as apple pie..which I also don't like :lol: . I like the idea of all things colonial America, that would be fun, or maybe the wild west, do a cowboys and gold rush theme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 maybe some food from various areas? But when I think american I think hamburgers (maybe mini sliders?) buffalo wings, iced tea, apple pie. You could do mini apple pies to make it easier to hand out. play a cd of american folk songs? Decorate with blown up pictures of famous American landmarks and scenes of the prairies, redwoods, everglades, smokey mountains along with golden gate bridge, space needle, statue of liberty, liberty bell, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 How about a 4th of July theme? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 I think the US is hard to represent at something like this. It seems like the American section is either boring or some caricature of one small part of the country (usually Texas or the South). Or it's just stereotypical American stuff that everyone sees in American films. So I love your idea of doing something with immigrant cultures. You also could do something with Native American cultures, or maybe a colonial American thing. I hope you come up with something you're happy with! Amira - this is EXACTLY the problem I have been struggling with. I don't want to present a stereotype. But of course there are things I am proud of when I think about being American. I thought Native American and having popcorn...but then I felt weird because I am not Native American so it seemed like I was coopting another culture...oh I TOTATLLY know I am overthinking this. AAGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I second the jazz idea, as it was revolutionary enough to really count as an American export. For a display thing, there are plenty of visuals, and some lesson plans that might form the base of something interactive. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/history_of_jazz.htm http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/ http://jazzhistoryonline.com/ http://www.jazzinamerica.org/LessonPlan https://www.pbs.org/jazz//kids/lesson/ Can you bring a laptop/tablet with video, which would be a bit more engaging than just music on an ipod? EDIT -- food and jazz works -- New Orleans food is it's own food world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 What is considered American there in India? What started here? I think of jazz and baseball, myself. But if someone were to come to your table with no knowledge of the US, would you just be promoting a stereotype of one sort or another by the things you choose? I think of all the people I've seen on the news shows who think Americans live where there's lots of land, ride horses, and are rude. Our country is so dang diverse that it would be nearly impossible to make a table of the whole place! So IDK--maybe you could, along with whatever else you choose to do, make a poster of the country, and somehow put statistics on it that show where people "come from." Highlight that our traditions are varied because our population is a tapestry, not a melting pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Sports. Baseball and American football. Especially if you can borrow gear from someone, I bet a football helmet to try on would be a hit! A display highlighting natural wonders would be cool as well, I'm thinking Grand Canyon, Arches national park, giant redwoods, Niagara falls... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hmmm... football, yes, helmet, no. It would only take one kid with head lice to infect a lot of people fast. A baseball glove might be a better prop. If you are doing this alone, easy foods/drinks would be better than time-consuming. Iced tea or lemonade in tiny Dixie cups, brownies cut into little pieces, hot dogs cut up into bite-sized pieces with toothpicks in them and ketchup for dipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I think it gets old trying to represent modern culture because it is so diverse, and it gets really old to let the 19th century cowboy culture of the west be the stereotypical representation of America or even sports. It kind of reduces our country to well, not much, LOL! I like Alef's idea to highlight our natural resources. We have such a vast land and cover everything from the tropics, to temperate rainforest, arctic lands, plains, you name it. I like the idea of the Grand Canyon, the Redwood Forests, the Temperate Rainforest, Niagra Falls, Arctic Reserve, the Florida Keys, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes...that's a tough one for a lot of people because it's hard to imagine their magnitude...they are literally "inland seas", etc. Yellowstone, ....Actually, you could get a lot of information on the National Parks and just do an entire National park theme. I'm not certain about activities, but maybe members of the hive could email pictures they have of these places so you could print them and have a memory board for several outstanding sites such as the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, etc. If I don't have anything of Lake Huron on my hard drive, I do not mind going and getting some beautiful winter pics of the lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 America is opportunity and creativity to many....howabout a patchwork quilt theme, where you can highlight inventions, or regions, or whatever your children think is unique, on each square. Wear your jeans, t-shirt, & sneakers Food: waffle cones and ice cream (any american companies there that can donate?) Games: send your name via telegraph (or maybe vote for your superbowl pick if you're doing this quickly). Provide printables - word search with Americana theme, (printables for fourth of july for kids such as on dltk for kids) etc How big an area do you have for games? Do you have room for kid size lacrosse sticks, so they can throw the ball back and forth? How about frisbee? Craft: popsicle harmonicas. Do you have anyone who plays a real one, and can provide background music? Lots of great ideas here...I was thinking along the great American inventors theme as well. Love the telegraph idea....maybe something about learning morse code?? Frisbee is great! I also love the ideas other people have given...jazz, sports (I do have a baseball glove). You guys are fantastic! Keep the ideas coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Being a nature girl, I really like the National Parks theme, but does it count as culture for a "Multicultural Day Festival"? It seems like geography, but as long as the organizers would accept it, it is a really fun and interesting idea. The food choice might be a little difficult though! Blueberries grow in Acadia National Park, though, and you can get them in a can in India. Don't get too hung up on stereotypes. I am sure that the other tables are pretty representative of "stereotypes" of their nations. If you are trying to compress an entire nation down to a single food, game, and display, you are going to pick things that are common and recognizable. I mean one could put up a non-stereotypical Canada table with corn on the cob, soccer, and information about how they speak French and English there--all those things occur in Canada and do not unfairly stereotype Canada, but they also occur in maybe 15 other countries! Take down the Canada sign on the table and no one would know what country is indicated. I doubt any Americans would be offended if your table included jazz and blue jeans and cornbread and baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 The inventors theme is good. American culture is known for innovation. Now you have to find a food that was invented in America like peanut butter, cream cheese, maple syrup, and cranberry sauce (I bet cranberries and sugar maples grow in some of the National Parks too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Sliders, hamburgers, wings, hotdogs, apple pie or tarts, brisket sandwiches, cupcakes,... Pin the tale on the donkey, American football, Dr. Seuss books... What's a slider?????? I'd do hip hop personally. Or inventors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 OK - I guess I'm going to go ahead and volunteer....will post pics of the table for all you ladies when it happens. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I wouldn't do immigrant. Baseball Cowboys American football Wild west NASA Explorers Statue of liberty Computers - xerox park, IBM, HP, ms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Now see I'd put out: a rifle/shotgun groundhog (a picture will do) a banjo a episode of the Beverly Hillbillies playing on an ipad That hits food, sport, music, entertainment, and freedom. Don't ask which one corresponds to which. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I would concentrate on Thanksgiving. In my experience, non-Americans are really fascinated by Thanksgiving, and have some weird ideas. They usually don't believe that gifts aren't exchanged. And it's pretty easy to make Thanksgiving food... turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top. You can have info about the myth of Thanksgiving and about the real history, too. All of that is really interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I'd do Route 66! Maps for decoration, kind of a 50s theme, food samples from a few different states, hula hoop for activity, rock and roll and standards for music, famous sites along the drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I'd either do Colonial America, birth of a nation stuff or the 50's or the national park idea. If you do Colonial America, you can focus on Thanksgiving, pilgrims, freedom of religion, regions where the colonists settled, etc. For the 50's, you can get all fun and play 50's music, dress in a poodle skirt, have mini apple pies and milkshakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 How about "A Day in the Life" theme for the targeted age group? You can include: schedules food (all meals, snacks) school church home life clothing transportation family friends pets descriptions/photos of homes & schools recreation If I were going to an international day, I'd be disappointed to see historical information, unless it provided necessary background. I would want to know what the country is presently like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Here is the set-up for all you lovely people! It is a HUGE - think 1/2 football field size - tented area. There is a stage at one end and food. The rest of the tent is lined with tables representing each country. There will be about 300 kids and their families attending the event throughout the day. The kids have a passport and they have to get a stamp from each table. Each table also has to incorporate a picture of the national bird for the kids to find. Each table area is handing out snacks/appetizers (the French people had crepes being made hot and fresh coffee last year!) Each area has a game/activity from that country as well. I sent the mail...I signed up...I even found another mom to help out on the day of the event. Now I just need to figure out the details..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Maybe someone already mentioned this: Show some picture / 3-d Model of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Picture people in distinct groups on one side of the building according to their country of origin and show them united on the other side as Americans. Pretty whitewashed, I know, but it may fly as an idealistic portrayal. You could have several typcial dishes from multiple regions of the U.S but I have no clue what kind of food you can access in Bangalore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I'd do 50s Americana. Grease (the movie, made in the 70s, but oh so 50s) Sock hop Black and white tv Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis! Coke Barbie Lone Ranger Mickey Mouse Club I Love Lucy Or do a combination table aka Melting Pot theme. Pick 4-6 different groups. German, British, Mexican, Nigerian, Bosnian, Syrian, Thai, and Korean would be resprentative of the area where I live. Germans and Brits formed the base population; the rest have come in later. This one has more educational value, I think. Americana is more fun though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I taught English overseas, and always did special things for American holidays, because we have cool holidays. How about a holidays of America theme? Halloween is basically all ours, and has really cool fun food and games! Thanksgiving and a bit of history re Pilgrims, 4th of July and a bit of history and a craft maybe, Christmas is pretty foreign if you are in Asia and Santa, etc is fun. Pinterest has adorable holiday food, games and crafts,too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Jazz is an American creation, as are bluegrass and American folk. You could focus on music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I wouldn't do history--which includes the 50s. I like the Day in the Life idea and I like the American holidays idea. You could call the holidays, A Year in America. You could have the kids decorate a Halloween cupcake with toy spiders (if you can find any--or black icing from a tube) or they could "Trick or Treat" from you or fill a Christmas stocking (small sock) with goodies that you give out. Can someone dress as Santa and ask what they want for Christmas if they've been nice and not naughty? I have a recipe for a cranberry dessert for a sample of Thanksgiving food if you can get your hands on canned cranberries, orange jello, and apples. You could pass out little samples of it. It's sweet. I've heard that turkey is somewhat exotic sounding to other cultures. Can you get your hands on a turkey and give out cold samples of it? Like a quarter of a cold turkey sandwich to each person? They could decorate a Christmas card with fake snow. It's hard to know what you could get in another country. Are there pumpkins there you could carve and put little candles into for display? Or some sort of gourd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I would include Native Americans, teach a NA dance. You can make dolls from cornhusks if you can find them. Making dream catchers is pretty easy as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 one of the things Indians and Americans have done together recently is discover water on the moon. most of the meetings over the months prior to launch were in Bangalore. dh worked on one of the nasa instruments on that flight, the moon minerology mapper, which collected the data showing water on the moon :) so maybe you could go with a history of space flight, including Chandrayaan 1.... ? that would be a theme that could open up things.... games: alan shepherd played golf on the moon (you could set up a little putting green or three) there are actually launch day food traditions, too. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/last-meal-on-earth-what-astronauts-eat-on-launch-day-17891293/ you could have a map with pins on it where each of the astronauts since the beginning of manned flight were from. that might lead to some more ideas about food. (you can buy freeze dried ice cream here; i don't know about there, or shipping times, but that could be amazingly fun!) and tang to drink..... you could play a moon trivia game: http://m3.cofc.edu/trivia.html its a start ;) and it could be fun.... really... ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 You need to do snacks for a couple of hundred people? You're a brave soul Cammie! If you can borrow a carnival style popcorn popper, I'd go with that. The chocolate chip cookies are also very doable. I wouldn't mess with any sort of food that requires a lot of prep unless you've got at least 2 or 3 other adult volunteers. As far as a fun game that's obviously American, I second the finger football idea. That's actually a lot of fun. If you need something more elaborate, maybe a hula hoop contest or basketball free throws. If you can do popcorn, maybe you could do a ring toss or other carnival style game? Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 My husband (former chef) immediately jumped on corn.. It's quintessentially American. Popcorn, corn on the cob, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Your event sounds like Girl Guide/Girl Scout Thinking Day. You may get loads of suggestions for complete table ideas by googling America and GS Thinking Day. Back when we did scouts, the tables had a game/activity/craft, a food, some visual aids, and even a passport stamp. I agree that it would be less daunting to focus on a region. I think I'd be tempted to do hot dogs, sweet tea, and apple crisp because they're cheap and easy. Maybe a baseball (play with balloons and a pool noodle), hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet booth (maybe a cardboard car cut-out to use as a photo booth thing.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 OR you could go with the entertainment industry . . . red carpet, movie posters, popcorn, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 popcorn is perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I agree with Tara that jazz, bluegrass, and American folk are music forms that originated in this country, so maybe playing a loop of songs from those traditions. You could do some kind of game where kids threw a football, baseball, and basketball into a state-fair type arcade thing , or just have a basketball hoop and some kind of backdrop to catch the other balls. All three sports were made in America. Lacrosse is American, too. Don't know what you have access to, though. You could just let the kids try the various balls out. Red, white, and blue as a theme. You might consider different kinds of chicken to represent the ethnic diversity: fried chicken is very broadly consumed in the US, chicken nuggets (yuck, but very US), wings, then maybe some Chinese or Mexican variations of chicken. Maybe some typical US candies to give away? That would be easier than the chicken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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