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Fostering a Multicultural Classroom Environment

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Fostering a Multicultural Classroom Environment

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Check out this informative video on the Importance of Multicultural Literature in the Classroom.

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Who was Anne Frank?

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Who Was Anne Frank?/ Kids' book review/ 'Who was' series/ Ann Abramson/ Biography/ WW-II Holocaust

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Who is your role model? Check out this inspiring list of role models that kids like you may know!

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Female role models inspire kids to find their confidence

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8 Kid-Friendly Recipes from Around the World

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8 Kid-Friendly Recipes from Around the World

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Original audio stories to spark you child’s inner explorer

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Create a multilingual word wall in your classroom.

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How Spanish Classroom Word Walls Increase Language Proficiency Drastically - Llearning Llama

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Ideas and bulletin boards for classroom word walls to increase language proficiency. Decorate your Spanish class with vocabulary!

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World Storytelling Day is always on March 20.

Celebrate this day by sharing stories from around the world.

Here are some fun ways to get your students involved!

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I remember the first time I participated in World Storytelling Day. It was a true celebration of live stories told to eager listeners. And I was proud as a young storyteller to be a part of it.
World Storytelling Day is a worldwide celebration of Oral Storytelling. It is celebrated each year on March 20, but activities are also planned on the days around it. The goal is to celebrate the art of storytelling with as many people as possible, both listeners and storytellers.
How did World Storytelling Day start?

It all started without much coordination and without the worldwide vision that exists nowadays. Seeds were sown in the '90s in Sweden, Australia, Mexico, and various countries in Latin America.

The actual start of World Storytelling Day as a worldwide phenomenon can be traced back to Scandinavia. Starting in 2001 in Sweden, it spread in 2002 to the other Scandinavian countries. And like stories, the storytelling day traveled: to Canada (2003), to France (2004), to 25 countries worldwide (2005).

Since that time, it has continued to grow, and nowadays, World Storytelling Day is celebrated worldwide.

💡 With the growth of social media, there also grew an 'official' hashtag: #WorldStorytellingDay

What is the theme of World Storytelling Day 2022?

Each year World Storytelling Day has a theme around which the storytellers tell their stories. The storytellers are free to choose their stories, but most try to connect to the theme.
The theme of World Storytelling Day 2022 is "Lost and Found." It was inspired by all we lost in the past years and the hope of stories inspiring us to find it again. Storytellers worldwide will tell stories on March 20, 2022, on this theme.
What is the theme of World Storytelling Day 2023?
The theme of World Storytelling Day 2023 is not yet known. Each year, storytellers choose it, primarily those participating in the official World Storytelling Day Facebook group. Storytellers worldwide will tell stories on March 20, 2023, on this theme.
There have been many different themes in the past years. Some of my favorites were: Water (2011), Monsters and Dragons (2014), and Wise Fools (2018). You can find all the themes of the past on this Wikipedia page.

Who decides the theme of World Storytelling Day?

There is not one organization that decides the theme. The storytellers most active in World Storytelling Day find each other mostly in the official Facebook group. Each year themes are proposed, votes are cast and in the end, a theme is embraced by all.

Which day is World Storytelling Day?

World Storytelling Day is always on March 20. In 2023, March 20 is a Monday.

7 Inspiring Activities for World Storytelling Day

There is so much you can do. Maybe one of the little stories below will inspire you.

1. Surprise a School

A little van drives up to a primary school. Doors open and a bunch of happy colorful people jump out of the van. As they walk up to the primary school, the principal comes out to meet them.
"Welcome Storytellers! I have only told the teachers today to expect a surprise, nothing more!"
The storytellers spread out through the building, each one entering a classroom. Surprise. They tell stories, and after 20 minutes they leave with their applause. To another classroom, and if needed, another.

Soon the storytellers have visited each classroom. Then, after a bit of break, they jump back into the van and drive of to another primary school.

And the children? They will not easily forget the power of storytelling.

2. Organize an Event with Your Library

"Of course," said the librarian, "we are the perfect place for stories. After all, our books contain millions of stories! Be welcome! I will personally invite people in the coming weeks."

And so in the evening of the 20th of March, the library stayed open. The lights were dimmed, adults trickled in. On the 2nd floor, two storytellers told their stories between walls of books.

Some days later one of the storytellers got a call.

"We have had so many great reactions to the evening of stories you held. Could you do this once more in a couple of weeks?"

3. Tell the Story of a Local Landmark

The hill had always been there. With the two boulders on top, the big one and the little one. Everybody knew Boulder Hill, but not many people knew the story of the two boulders.

The storyteller was lucky. The sun shone, there was no rain, and the parks of the city filled up. Around and on Boulder Hill, people sat down to picnic, drink a glass of wine, and relax.

And so when he announced that he would tell the story of the boulders on Boulder Hill, quite a lot of people moved in a little closer.

4. Do a Story Walk

The group of storytellers met regularly and it was a no-brainer that they needed to make a plan for the 20th of March.

They found it difficult to find a space inside to do their storytelling event. Suddenly one of them said: "Why don't we organize a walk outside?"

They got to work, decided on the length of the walk, found spots where it was pleasant to tell and pleasant to listen. Stories were practiced, an order was decided. Now only what was left was letting the people know!

5. Combine Storytelling with Other Arts

Why not celebrate the connections of stories and storytelling with other arts? With music, with dance, with painting, with sand sculptures?

Imagine telling a story together with a dancer! Fragments of story and fragments of dance come together to make something bigger.

And what do you think about telling a story in a museum? A real story, that can hold its ground. Afterward, you walk to another room and all can look at the painting that inspired this story. It adds more depth to the story. And the painting will never look the same again.

6. Team Up with a Restaurant

Italian food, Italian music, and Italian stories.

Three evenings the Italian restaurant was filled to the brim. The meal was great, the music was great, but what made these three evenings unique were the stories.

Between the courses, a storyteller got up and told a tasty Italian story. Something from Italo Calvino, something from their family, something about the dish they were about to eat.

As each year had a different theme and different stories, people returned again and again.

They got together in the big room. Some nice music in the background, some coffee, some cakes.

The storyteller looked at the elderly people that came in. So many stories.

He started with thanking them for coming and with telling about how stories call forth stories. He was there to tell, but also to listen.

When he had finished telling his first story, a white-haired man with a raspy voice started speaking.

A story had called forth a story. And after that, many, many more.

Resources

PS: Do you know about these other two days?
Photo credits: Here and now, unfortunately, ends my journey on Pixabay from Pixabay
💡 Once a month, I send out an email with new writings on storytelling and fairy tales.

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World Storytelling Day 2023: March 20 [Theme and 7 Activities] | International Storyteller

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I remember the first time I participated in World Storytelling Day. It was a true celebration of live stories told to eager listeners. And I was proud as a young storyteller to be a part of it. World Storytelling Day is a worldwide celebration of Oral Storytelling.

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In this video kids share their Cultural Traditions.

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Kids Share Their Cultural Tradition | Show & Tell | Hiho Kids

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Students love talking about their families and lives, so allocate considerable time for this discussion.

Let students feel heard when sharing about their family traditions.

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With the holiday season in full swing, this is an excellent opportunity to discuss your student’s family traditions and customs. Here are some tips and a free w

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One Class, Many Cultures!  Class project

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One Class, Many Cultures!  Class project

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With this creative project turn the walls in your classroom a fun way for students to travel around the world, see where their classmates come from and their families!

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I've mentioned this project/bulletin board a few times, and now that this year's group has done it, presented it, and I've (almost) finished reading their reports, I'm going to tell you more about it!
We tweaked it this year, and I'm so happy with the results! We tied it into our social studies curriculum by telling the kiddos (and putting it on the instructions sheet for the parents) that we will learn throughout the year how California is made up of immigrants and migrants from many places, so their first task as 4th grade social studies learners is to find out how their family got here and learn about the country/ies their families came from. This tie-in wasn't as specific last year, and I'm really excited to be able to reference this project throughout the year!
Here are the parts:

1. Report - we give very detailed instructions about what should be in the report. I modeled for students that if their family has come from many different places, they could start with something like "My family came from many countries, such as ___, ___, and ___. I am going to focus on my ____, who came from _____." So that the kiddos with many countries didn't feel overwhelmed. Most of my students' parents moved here after they got married in another country, though, so they just had one country to write about.

2. Presentation - The students presented on their family history, one interesting fact they learned, and showed their Mini-Me.

3. Mini-Me - I give them each one of these cute little popsicle sticks. Last year, I let them choose from the boy or girl ones ... which left me with about 25 girl sticks and 8 boy sticks. One of my fabulous teammates suggested breaking off the skirts. Yay for not having to buy more! I broke off the skirts for all of the boys before handing them out and, then had any girls who wanted the skirts taken off raise their hands, and I quickly did theirs.

Most of the kiddos did fantastic on the presentation, though there were some who just read their report (totally not following directions)! I did have to have a few re-write their reports for handwriting/neatness issues and a few whose parents clearly helped a bit too much, but overall the reports came out great (especially for the beginning of the year).

This is such a great project because the kiddos love it, it gives me a great baseline of their writing (and how much their parents help) and presentation skills, and we get to know about each other better! I'm working on planning some activities for them to compare and contrast their history or country with others. We're definitely going to do a Venn diagram. You could also do a lot of things with graphing and data as far as how many kiddos are from where (just look at all my kiddos whose families came from China!).

It also makes a wonderful board that can be left up all year long!

(Click on pictures to go to google docs!)

**Note: These documents are a collaboration between my grade level team and myself**

My bulletin board letters:

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I've mentioned this project/bulletin board a few times, and now that this year's group has done it, presented it, and I've (almost) finished reading their reports, I'm going to tell you more about it! We tweaked it this year, and I'm so happy with the results!

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March is Women’s History Month!

Here are some great ways to include on in our classroom, celebrate and learn about some of our favorite female leaders and role models.

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10 Amazing Bulletin Boards That Celebrate All Things Her-story

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Students will explore and "travel" to different cultural celebrations, learning about their traditions, foods, and symbols.

packed with 55 pages of holiday learning and fun!

Teach your students about 10 different countries, cultures and holiday traditions

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FREE Holidays Around the World Passport!

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This awesome passport is packed with 55 pages of holiday learning and fun!Teach your students about 10 different countries, cultures and holiday traditions with this great FREE resource!

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Celebrating Diversity Through Winter Holidays

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Celebrating Diversity Through Winter Holidays

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What winter holidays do you celebrate at home?”

This video shares the many wonderful and diverse winter holidays around the world.

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Come celebrate 'Family Cultural Night' at school!

Students, families, and community members

join together to celebrate the diverse cultures within the school community through food, music, storytelling, and activities.

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Visiting Cultural Festivals to Teach Kids about Other Cultures

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Visiting Cultural Festivals to Teach Kids about Other Cultures

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Cultural festivals can be a great way to introduce your kids to cultures from around the world.

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Visiting Cultural Festivals to Teach Kids about Other Cultures - Multicultural Kid Blogs

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Cultural festivals are a great way to introduce your kids to cultures from around the world. We visited our local festival in Kansas City.

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Here is how to plan a Family Art night at your school or local community hall, library or even park!

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Family Art Nights: AME 043 | Deep Space Sparkle

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Hosting a family art night can be the best way to build support for your art program, boost parent involvement and advocate for your program within your community. In this episode, I share my experiences with my own family art night both as a parent and as the organizer. I walk you through what worked

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Host a Bilingual Parents Night at your school to make a personal connection with parents with a unique set of concerns and a valuable skill set to offer.

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Host a Bilingual Parents Night at Your School! - Multicultural Kid Blogs

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Host a Bilingual Parents Night at your school to make a personal connection with parents with a unique set of concerns and a valuable skill set to offer.