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Cultural Awareness Activity Project

American classrooms are rich with diversity. School systems and teachers regularly implement programs to ensure students respect and understand each others' differences. A variety of creative and fun activities can be used to promote cultural pride and acceptance. Exercises that allow students to share information about their backgrounds create better social and learning environments.
  1. Food Bridges

    • Using food for diversity activities is simple and fun for students.

      Food is an exciting way for students to learn about each others ethnicities. Each day a different student can bring an authentic snack from home to share with classmates. Be certain to avoid foods that may trigger allergies. Using food can also teach that different skin colors do not mean people are different inside. For instance, bring brown eggs and white eggs to class. Break the eggs in a bowl to show they are the same inside. The same exercise can be done with green, yellow and red apples.

    Foreign Language

    • Bilingual students can teach fellow students about their culture by sharing their language skills. Students can exchange salutations or teach one another simple phrases such as "how are you?" or "what is your name?" Students who are not bilingual can research and learn greetings based on their ancestry. For instance, a student with Irish roots may learn how to say, "hello" in Gaelic and share what he's learned with his class.

    Games

    • Students can also teach classmates games common to their families' heritages. A child with Thai ancestry, for instance, may share the game of Takraw. It is a national pass time in Thailand and involves passing a ball around in a circle without using any hands. Games are a fun way to expose students to entertainment enjoyed by different cultures.

    A Diversity Garden

    • Planting different flowers can symbolize diversity.

      Students can plant different seeds which eventually grow into a garden of varying flowers. The mix of colors and flower types will show how differences can exist and create beauty in harmony with one another. The analogy can then be made to the students and people in general.

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