Food traditions are an important part of all cultures. In this activity, your students will research a family recipe's cultural traditions. Have your students think of a family tradition that includes food. For instance, a southern family always includes black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, while a Haitian family makes a big pot of pumpkin soup on the same holiday. The students decide on a food they will research from their culture. They interview family members to uncover the history of the food's tradition. They will create a flier with three historical comments and the recipe listed on the flier. Upon completion of the fliers, make a class cookbook for everyone.
Another way to introduce your students to other cultures is to expose them to the music and dance of other cultures. Use music and dance to tell the stories of other places in the world. Invite musicians and dancers to visit your classroom to share their talents. Teach your students a folk dance. You can find music with a caller calling the steps on the Internet. Learning the dances of other cultures helps your students have a better understanding of that culture.
By providing examples of art from different cultures, students will develop an understanding of the meaning of those cultures. Have examples available for the students to analyze. Ask them to examine the colors prevalent in the art. Instruct the students to determine the use of the art, whether it's for beauty, daily use or celebrations. If there are parents or community members available to share their skills and crafts, invite them to your class for a demonstration. Have the students create a piece of art to resemble the artifact they have analyzed in class.
"Hats, Hats, Hats" by Ann Morris explains how everyone wears hats, but the hats are all different. There are other books in this series, including "Around the World," which describe the breads, houses, shoes and tools used by people in different cultures. Reading these books to your classroom full of inquisitive students, helps them to see even though we are all different, we have similarities.