Purpose: To help children understand different aspects of culture and how customs are developed.
Methods: Have the children invent their own country. They need to determine its geographical location, the type of climate, the types of food grown, animals that would exist in this country, etc. Then have them create a culture for this country . First though, have them list the different aspects that make up a culture. These include housing, clothing, food, language, and communication, values, rules, government, family, religion, money, etc. Staff will need to help children understand that all cultrues were created in a similar manner and because of location and environmental factors differences have come to exist.
The children would work in small groups with each group selecting a different cultural aspect to focus on. For example, one group might create a value the culture would have- given its location, population makeup or form of government. Or they might choose to create a religious ritual, or artifacts the people of this country would need or might just want to have for fun. Given the environment of their country they could decide what type of transportation might exist and what kinds of rules would govern the different forms of transportation.
Each day while the project is underway, have the children meet to share their progress and to see if all aspects of their culture agree.
At the end of the project, have students invite parents and others to a program in which they present an overview of their culture. The invitations would be written in the language of their country and any food served should be appropriate to their culture. Ceremonies developed around rites of passage such as birth, marriage, and death would be shared. The children might dress in costumes designed by the group that determined what clothing would be worn by the people in their culture. The program could be video taped to share with others in the future.
This project should be worked into the School-age child care program over a several week period. Children would be free to work on aspects of the overall project, as it met their interests and needs. For example, games and sports might be worked on during outdoor play time and jewelry making could be a part of creative crafts.