Hooray for Bollywood!

Mumbai has a thriving movie industry and its own genre of movies that are hugely popular throughout the country. In fact, India is the world’s largest film producer. Bollywood movies are in Hindi, although they do sometimes contain some Indian english, and they always feature the same basic elements–singing and dancing, adventure (heros and villians), romance, and comedy. A little bit of everything it seems! Since the movies include so many elements they are generally long (about three hours) and have an intermission.

Inspired by the Hindi Cinema, we decide to pick two movies that seem to have many of the Bollywood film elements to watch, and then review. We choose Aladdin, set in Agrabah, a fictional city in the Middle East, and Life of Pi, set in India.

Since big dance numbers are central to the Bollywood films we also give a Bollywood dance workout a try! For better effect, AZ wears a belly dance hip scarf with coins that Papa brought back from Syria.

We love the Indian music and dances, and AZ gets the moves right away 🙂

After a good workout we’re ready for a good movie and start with Life of Pi. This film is rated PG but is very intense and only one of our kids makes it through to the end. I’m glad that she (AZ) does because the end somehow makes the movie itself seem less violent and therefore less disturbing. HZ falls asleep at the start of the film and CZ really dislikes the fighting between the animals and thinks the rating of PG is wrong. She stops watching about 10 minutes into the journey at sea…

Both films have characteristics of Bollywood movies, but Aladdin does especially so with the action, comedy, romance, and singing being major features of the film. In Life of Pi we do see some examples of traditional Indian dance and there is a bit of a love story but the action clearly dominates the film. Larger themes of religion and survival make the movie and its ending very interesting. AZ appreciates the ending and the questions that it raises. She agrees that it would be interesting to watch the film again with the end in mind…

Both movies also have something else in common–a Bengal tiger as a main character. Aladdin’s is a bit tamer!

Much like Life of Pi, Aladdin has beautiful scenery but unlike the previous film, it has a lot more comedy thanks to the genie. The kids love him and give the movie a thumbs up.

Movie reviews:

Life of Pi: 
“Life of Pi is a little bit scary. I recommend it for grade 5 and up. It might still be good (4th grade and younger) if you understand it. If you just watch some scenes then you might think it’s a little scary. Especially on the boat. If you do not watch the very end then you will not get it a bit. I don’t want to give away the whole entire movie but it’s a mystery! 3 stars out of 5”

“Life of Pi: I liked the beginning of the movie but found it very violent towards the middle, so I decided to put the movie aside. The movie has a lot of death. Many animals attack each other and Pi’s family also dies because the ship they are on sinks while they are sleeping. Even though the animals are fake, they look very real when they are attacking and some kids might not like the movie. 1 star out of 5”

Aladdin:
“Aladdin would be appropriate for almost all ages. About 3 and under might not get some of the words. I think the best part is when the Genie gets out. I think there is one bad part and that’s the battle. There might be some bad words in the movie. For example–street rat. 5 stars out of 5.”

“Aladdin: I really like this movie. I found a tiny bit of violence in the villain, but no different from the other Disney villains. When the Genie was happy he was dancing and singing, but when he was sad, he was totally droopy and moody. This made it easier to really feel what the Genie was feeling. A good movie for the whole family! 5 stars out of 5”

“There was a princess. And a flying carpet. And a small guy. And a big man. The carpet was magic. It was a good! 5 of 5 stars”

Chinese Cuisine: Beef Wontons

The kids love Chinese food. And whenever we order it, we always start with wontons! So we are excited to pick these little dumplings as our cooking project for the week and are surprised to find out that wontons are actually very quick and easy to make…And even more surprised to see that the homemade version goes over even better than the restaurant variety!

Before getting ready to cook we read a bit about Chinese cuisine in DK’s China. Interestingly, we learn that about 60% of this vast country’s population live off the last but only about 15% of the land in China is able to be cultivated. Even so, the country produces more rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, cotton, silk and tobacco than any other country. The kids are quick to add that China also produced just about every toy they own!

We already know that people eat with chopsticks in China but it’s interesting to learn that disposable chopsticks have now been banned there to reduce waste (an average of 45 billion pairs were used and tossed out each year!).

Next we read some lovely storybooks that all seem to touch on Asia’s cuisine.

The Seven Chinese Sisters is already familiar to us because CZ played the dragon in the play a few years ago! Lots of noodle soup…

Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake is a traditional tale about the powers of kindness and Jizo, a divinity of the Buddhist faith.

One Grain of Rice is a fabulous Indian folktale about famine, a selfish raja and a very clever girl. And one great math lesson.

After reading about barrels of rice, oodles of noodles and one very large rice cake, we are hungry and ready to cook! So off to the kitchen we go…

This is how we made Beef Wontons:

AZ and HZ carefully dice four scallions.

CZ mixes 1/2 a pound of ground beef with 3 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, plus one egg, and then adds in the finely chopped scallions…

We use a package of these wonton wrappers that we found in the produce department of our grocery store…

I scoop a small spoonful of the meat mixture onto each wonton wrapper and the kids dip their finger in a cup of water and then trace around the edge of the wonton square.

Now fold the square in half and press the sides together…

Next squeeze the two far ends of the triangle together with a bit of water to help them stick..

We put them on tin foil until it’s time to cook them…

The wontons can be cooked by boiling, steaming or frying them. We decide to steam them (for about 8 minutes) and then pan fry for a minute to crisp them. They’re ready…

And they are a hit! ( But HOT!)

We serve them with some other Asian dishes…Hummus with pita, and lentils from the Middle East. And noodles with vegetables and sushi from Japan. Rice, as we now know, is a staple throughout the continent!

To drink we give Lychee juice a try…

And Japanese Sangaria soda…

Cheers!

Animal Origami

In Life in Ancient Japan we read about some of the traditional Japanese customs, and from Tokyo we see how modern the city has become! We learn that the first religion practiced in Japan was called Shinto (which means the way of the gods). The ancient Japanese worshipped the spirits of their ancestors, known as kami. They believed that the kami could cause negative events to occur if they were ignored or angered. Each home had a shrine to the kami and the ancient Japanese would leave gifts of food and drink to please the kami. They also believed in gods of nature and the most important was Amaterasu, the sun goddess. Shinto shrines were built in natural settings, like in a cave or forest, and always had a worship hall as well as kami hall, for the spirits to live in. A pair of protective lion statues stood outside the shrine as well as a fountain for visitors to wash their hands and mouths before prayer.

By the middle of the 6th century monks from India and China had brought Buddhism to Japan and influenced the Shinto to adopt some of the Buddhist beliefs. During this period the art of origami also first appeared. Paper was folded into shapes that were symbolic to Shintoists and used during Shinto ceremonies. Origami butterflies, for example, were used during Shinto weddings. Later the art form was also used to make practical objects like boxes and wallets. We have an origami kit and we think it will be a fun project to try!

Before we get started on the origami, we read a really lovely book by Rosemary Wells called Yoko’s Paper Cranes. HZ is a big Max and Ruby fan so this is great choice for us and the book is a nice way for him to understand origami and the meaning behind it. We also read Yoko, a story about sushi and understanding, and the girls spot Ruby’s friend Valerie!

Now onto origami…We have a couple of origami kits from Papa and the kids pick the Animal Origami set to try tonight…

First up is the snake. Starts with a simple fold…

And then many more folds…

The snake tail is a little tricky and we end up with three different styles of snakes. AZ wants hers to be a rattlesnake!

Next they pick a fox face to try…Which only has about four steps…and yet still seems tricky!

 

Actually, the folds aren’t tricky but the picture directions are! After a couple of tries they all get it right.

Next is the giraffe and they are getting the hang of it. This one includes a cut out for the legs…HZ is happy to get a chance to use scissors 🙂

When all the animals are made, the kids use crayons to add in some details…

Starting to look a little more like faces now…

And there you have it! A zoo of origami…

Indian Market Finds

We learn about Indian culture and lifestyle from the books India: Enchantment of the World and Festivals of the World: India and then head over one town to an Indian super market to get a better feel for it ourselves.

In one of the books we read that many Indian families do not have hot water in the kitchen or ovens and instead cook on small portable ranges. While we thought this was probably no longer the case in most areas of the country, we find it interesting to see how much of the food at this market is pre-made and needs only to be heated on a stove top.

We know that most of India is vegetarian so it’s not a surprise that we find no fresh meat in this store…We do find lots of dry lentils and chickpeas, which are a staple of the cuisine.

We see lots of brands that are new to us…

And one we know well in America…

In the produce section we find white coconuts…

And sugar cane. AZ thinks this is very cool!

Some colorful fig and coconut desserts in a refrigerator …

And a variety of homegoods…lots of incense (some charcoal and some bamboo) and several perfumes…

The books we have read on India talk quite a bit about religion and we know that several religions began there–Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. In this market we find many different religious statues but most of them are representations of Buddha.

We also find many henna products, from hair dyes to henna tatoo cones.

We fill our basket with some new things to try for lunch and head home…

We heat up Palak Paneer (cubed cottage cheese in spinach sauce), Chole (chickpeas in a spicy sauce), and Malai Kofta (cheese dumplings in a tomato and safron sauce). And try them with naan bread and some chickpea crackers and salted lentils.

We also sample some Indian drinks. One is a mango juice but the other two are less familiar–we think they will be thicker but they are the consistency of skim milk with the taste of yogurt. The kids are excited to try the rose flavor but decide they actually like it the least of the three…

AZ tries the Malai Kofta and says it’s too spicy for her. CZ likes everything but says the naan and the cottage cheese in the spinach sauce are her favorite. She finds a couple of the dishes slightly spicy but the yogurt drink helps to get rid of the heat from the spice…HZ says he has tried everything but his plate is looking very untouched!

Somehow he is quick to pick up his spoon when it’s dessert time…we picked two flavors of ice cream–rose and cashew with raisins. The cashew is by far the favorite. The rose ice cream they don’t love the flavor of, but they do like the bright pink color! Very festive…

And finally we open the rose water. After their disappointment with the rose drink and the rose ice cream they are not as excited about the rose water as they were when we bought it, but are happy to find out it makes a very nice, light perfume 🙂

Week 5–Asia–こんにちは, 你好, مرحبا!

We begin week 5 amazed that we’ve already been on our adventure for a month and inspired by all that we have learned. The kids are spotting examples of European and African art and architecture all around us these days, which is great to see. We set up our map and globe to begin our week on Asia and decide to examine them a bit before we read about its countries.

Thye are impressed at the size of China and notice how many of the countries are actually islands. The kids take turns feeling the surface of the globe to find the largest mountain peaks. (HZ uses a little flashlight to find the right spot!) They quickly locate the Himalayas and so we turn to the book Sacred Mountain Everest to learn more.

We learn that the Himalayas cross over several countries in Asia and that Mount Everest, its highest peak (and the highest peak in the world at 29,035 feet above sea level), is located between Nepal and Tibet. The people of Nepal call the mountain Sagarmatha (Goddess of the Sky), while the people of Nepal and China call it Chomolungma (Goddess Mother of the World). We read that the mountain was considered very sacred, and that the people who live on the mountain are called Sherpa. They have adapted to be able to live at such a high altitude.

We read about the terrain and see pictures of animals that live on the mountain–some, the Himalayan tahrs and the red panda, that we have never seen before. We learn that the base of the mountain is fertile, with rhododendrons growing to 30 feet tall! As you travel up the mountain, the trees get smaller and by 15,000 feet only small plants can be found. Above 18,000 feet the mountain is covered with snow and the conditions become increasingly difficult for climbers and at 25,000 feet temperatures can fall to -100 degrees. Very few have successfully climbed Mount Everest. Interestingly, we learn that the mountain grows in height by about 4 millimeters per year because the plate shift that caused the mountain to form 8 million years ago, continues to occur slightly each day.

The kids take notes in their journal as we read a bit about the Middle East and the Far East in our Children’s Atlas. We learn about the varying terrain and climate, from  snowy mountain peaks to dry desserts and flooded fields, perfect for growing rice. AZ is especially interested in learning more about the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines, although she is quickly disappointed to learn that no actual candy is involved–these 1,268 grassy hills got their name because they turn a chocolate brown color at the end of each summer. We learn about Monsoon season and the heavy rains and hurricanes it brings and the that some areas receive very large amounts of rain, like Indonesia, where the average is 7-11 inches of rain per month.

The kids end the night by reading a bit about some of the countries of Asia on their own. With such a vast territory and so many inhabitants (1/5 of the World’s people live in China!), it’s not a surprise that there is a wide range of cultures and traditions across the countries of Asia. We look forward to learning more about them throughout the week!

Animal Tales

Today we spend some time reading and writing about the fascinating people and magnificent wildlife of Kenya.

From Kenya: Enchantment of the World we see pictures of Nairobi, the capital city, with its highrise buildings and urban feel. It’s hard to believe that the Masai Mara is only about 160 miles away, because the lifestyles are worlds apart. From the beautiful book Maasai the kids gain an understanding of the Maasai people, the nomadic tribe that lives in and near the Masai Mara much as they did 300 years ago.

We see pictures of the Maasai huts built of sticks and covered in animal dung for waterproofing. We learn that the Maasai use jewelry, clothing and body paint to honor each stage of life (similar to the way that husbands and wives wear wedding bands in our country).

We read about their rituals, such as the jumping dance, and notice that for Maasai warriors (Ilmoran) body paint often resembles animal markings. For today’s art activity the kids will use face paint to create their own animal prints. They are very excited! But first we talk more about the animals, the other interesting inhabitants of the Masai Mara’s golden grasslands.

From the picture book Africa Calling: Nighttime Falling the kids get a good idea of the expanse of the savannah (the Masai Mara is about 1500 sq km). In Kenya, the national reserve is called the Masai Mara, and in neighboring Tanzania, the grasslands are called the Serengeti, which translates to “endless plains.” From African Animal Alphabet we learn all sorts of cool things about the animals that live there. From teeny dung beetles, who fertilize the land spreading bits of animal droppings, to meerkats who eat poisonous scorpions, and lions who eat more than 30 pounds of meat a day, all the animals play an important role in the savannah.

The best way to see these majestic creatures, in their natural habitat, is on safari and I tell the kids about my own safari adventures. At one point, our jeep got completely stuck in the mud, deep in the savannah. Scary! Since safaris are full of adventure we use this as a topic for creative writing today. We talk about how they can be exciting, interesting, and bit dangerous, and then it’s time for the kids to write their own stories and imagine how their safari would end if their jeep was stuck in the mud…

CZ’s tale has an elephant who is tracking a peanut butter sandwich…

and AZ’s features a threatening giraffe and lion who comes home as a pet. Yikes!

Now onto facepaint…Here we see some examples of the Maasai warriors markings on their legs.

Young Maasai men use red paint as a symbol of strength. They wear their hair in long braids, also covered in red paint. They are given the best meat to eat as they need to be kept strong for hunting and fighting, and wear the brightest colored jewelry and clothes.

We don’t make our paint out of crushed berries and mud like the Maasai would and opt for a face paint kit instead..

First the kids decide which animals they would like to use as inspiration..

And then they get started…we use q tips as they seem easier to control than the paint brushes…

HZ’s zebra is getting his stripes…

AZ carefully paints some leopard spots…

The finished product:

CZ’s lion:

HZ adds some yellow to his zebra because he notices that in the picture many of the white stripes actually contain brown or light yellow.

Lions, and leopards and zebras, oh my!

Cameroonian Cooking: Suya Skewers

Cooking meat on skewers, like a shish kabob, is popular all over West Africa. In Ghana it is called chichinga, but in Nigeria and Cameroon, where it is thought to have originated, it is called suya. They can be eaten as meal or as a snack, and are even sold by street vendors. The type of meat used for suya can vary–beef, chicken or goat–but the rub is always very much the same combination of ground peanuts and spices.

We give it at try with steak and our not-so-spicy version of the marinade. Here’s how we made suya skewers:

Ingredients:
3 tbsp peanut butter
2  tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili power
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 lb of meat

Start with the oil and peanut butter. A little sticky and tricky to get in the bowl…

Add the salt and all the spices. Very colorful! Mix well…

Squeeze in the lime…

Slice the steak

Coat the steak with the peanut butter sauce and allow to marinate for a few hours.

While we wait the kids read some story books set in Africa…

Once the beef is ready, thread the meat onto a stick accordion style.

Cook over hot coals.

And enjoy! We tried ours with couscous, cauliflower and sliced tomatoes, which are all traditional sides in different parts of Africa.

Moroccan Style

Morocco is a beautiful and exotic country whose culture and style is shaped by its rich Berber and Islamic history. From Morocco: Enchantment of the World we learn about the meaning behind the intricate tile patterns that decorate so many walls, floors, and important buildings in Morocco.

We read that the Koran does not allow images of animals or people to prevent Muslims from worshiping other gods or creating idols. Because of this, decorations in Morocco often featured geometric shapes repeated to form a pattern. Koranic script was also incorporated into the design in many cases. While the patterns might look busy, they are actually very calming. Some patterns are very intricate and others are quite simple, with only one shape repeated over and over.

While we live thousands of miles away from Morocco, and our culture is quite a bit different, we see the influence of Moroccan design all around us. We head to a local  store and quickly find many examples…

A colorful plate…

A bowl with a tile patterned rim…

A placemat…

A table runner…

A cluster of candles!

a foot mop!

A selection of lanterns…

An area rug…

And an even larger rug…

Lamps…

Lots of sheets!

A pattern of pottery…

Gift bags!

Several ceramic table tops…

Giant flip flops!!

And a pair of bottles

Comfy chairs

…and even cozy baby blankets.

As you can see, the Moroccan influence is all around us. Hopefully now that the scouts have learned a bit about its history, they will appreciate its beauty even more!

Mastering Mancala

From the interesting book Life in Ancient Africa we learn about a game called Mancala that dates back to 1500 BC. The Ancient Africans believed that it tested intelligence and used it as part of their education. Today it is popular all over Africa, though many countries have different names and rules for the game.

Originally the game was played in the dirt, by scooping a set of parallel holes in the ground and moving pebbles from hole to hole. Later game boards were carved out of stone. This example was found at an Aksumite site in Ethiopia and dates back to the 7th century AD.

Size and design of Mancala boards and gameplay vary by region but they all contain “pits” and “seeds.” We create our game by using an egg carton and two little boxes. The boxes are the “capture pits.” Instead of seeds we use beads. Traditionally seeds, pebbles, or beans are used.

The kids count out 48 beads and place 4 beads in each “pit” of the egg carton.

The idea of the game is to “sow” your seeds around the board until you have none on your side and to try to capture the most seeds in the process. We go over the game rules (here’s a good primer) and the girls think this will be easy and fun.

But pretty quickly the game gets serious!! They realize a little thinking goes a long way…

They game is over when one player’s side is empty of beads. They count up the beads in their capture box..

And we have a winner! (With some very kind moves from her big sister.)

They quickly ask to play again 🙂

Week 4–Africa–Hujambo!

We begin week 4 before bedtime and after a long hot afternoon at the beach, so tonight is a short one but I’m excited for this week. Some of my favorite places to visit are in Africa–Egypt, Kenya and Morocco. I think the scouts will really enjoy learning about these fascinating countries.

We start with the pledge that CZ decided last week we should add to the beginning of each meeting. Next we turn to our globe and our children’s atlas to get started. We learn that there are about 50 countries in Africa. The girls guess how many different languages are spoken there–CZ says 25 and AZ thinks it could be 51. The correct answer? 2000-3000! They are amazed.

We read about the extremes of climate and terrain in Africa. The vast desserts, wild grasslands and swampy rainforests, the world’s highest sand dune (Erg Tifernine in the Sahara is 1,300 feet tall), the highest peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet), and the hottest place on earth–Al’Aziziyah in Libya reaches 136 degrees! This seems unimaginable to us as it was just under 100 degrees in our town today and we can’t imagine it getting any hotter.

From the book Explore the World of Man-Made Wonders we learn a bit about the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. (The kids ask again to hear the story about the time the woman in front of me almost got stuck in the very narrow and dark passage of The Great Pyramid.) We read that 2,300,000 blocks of stone were used to build the pyramid over 4,000 years ago. Each block weighed about 6,000 pounds! Groups of men pulled the blocks up long ramps to reach the top. Inside the pyramid is a maze of passageways, one leading to a chamber that housed the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Cheops and others leading the empty chambers that were meant to trick tomb raiders. The Pharaoh’s chamber was filled with treasures, food and furniture because the Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead could bring these things with them into their afterlife.

From the book Egypt:Enchantment of the World we learn about hieroglyphics, the Egyptian alphabet that dates back to 3000 BC. Pictures stood for different sounds and by 300 BC their alphabet contained more than 700 symbols. AZ gives it a try:

From DK’s Africa we read a bit about the ways that different African cultures use jewelry, colorful fabrics, face paint and tattoos to adorn themselves.

The beautiful and colorful beaded jewelry of the Maasai  tribe immediately catches AZ’s eye. But CZ can’t look when she seems that some tribes use a piece of bone or stones to stretch out their ear lobes and lips! Ouch! Actually, the books says that it does not hurt at all, but she is still cringing.

On that note we decide to call it a night but look forward to our own adventures in Africa this week 🙂