Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Yin and Yang; Ox and Spacecraft
Valentine's Day nestles between the beginning of the Chinese, or Lunar, New Year of the Ox on February 12, 2021, and the landing of NASA's "Perseverance" rover in the Jezero Crater on Mars February 18, 2021. Fittingly, their interacting negative and positive yin and yang forces both propel mankind forward.
According to Chinese, Korean and Japanese folklore, the ox is an earthbound symbol of hard work and patience, plowing a fertile field free of flooding to produce a good harvest. For a visit to Mars, the legendary ox might provide nourishment to help the enginers at NASA's Jet Propulson Lab in Pasadena, California, design and assemble the 3000 parts in "Perseverance." In the minus 76-degree temperature on Mars, "Perseverance" also needs nuclear batteries and solar energy to power the rover's three little arms that scoop up and shuttle soil and rock samples back and forth between Mars and NASA's spacecraft. As a special feature, "Perseverance" will carry and drop a little, 4-pound helicopter drone named "Ingenuity" on Mars, where it took off on April 19, 2021 and flew around to explore the red planet.
Plowing a field and exploring the universe both rely on the yin and yang forces of hard work and perseverance.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Ring In the Chinese New Year
Just as tacos and spaghetti add flavor to menu options outside Mexico and Italy, foreign holidays and customs can introduce the world's children to interesting new activities.
Unfortunately, in January, 2020, the Chinese New Year introduced the world to COVID-19. Millions of people traveling for the lunar new year began carrying the new virus around the world.
With what the Chinese call the Year of the Pig about to give way to the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Metal Rat on January 25, 2020, children could have been urging adults to try making some Feng Shui modifications said to attract good luck. But by opening doors and windows for 10 minutes on the eve of the Chinese New Year, this year they let the old year out and a new virus in.
Since the Chinese associate rats with storing up food, some customs in the Year of the Rat involve saving money. Placing a glass or ceramic bowl at the front door serves as a reminder to deposit and save all loose change there every time anyone enters all year. On the other hand, all are cautioned; lending anyone money on New Year's Eve can cause a loss of money all year long.
To start the new year with abundance, the Chinese prepare a tray with eight kinds of snacks, including round fruits like grapes that symbolize prosperity, orange slices for gold, olives, pecans, almonds and various round candies and cookies. To foster optimism and energy, the Chinese start the new year wearing the warm colors of red, orange, and yellow.
You'll also want to clean your home before the new year begins, because using brooms, brushes, and dust rags might clear away good fortune. Also, avoid using knives and scissors that can cut off good luck.
Instead of trying to keep New Year's resolutions, everyone might try the Chinese method of writing nine new year's wishes on rectangular pieces of paper and hanging them on a tree where the wind can blow them into the sky for fast fulfillment.
New Yorkers counted down the beginning of 2020 while watching a crystal ball drop in Times Square and blowing horns. Instead, some Chinese will ring in the new year with a Tibetan bell.
Children born in the Year of the Metal Rat are expected to be able to turn unlucky events into fortunes. All children around the world will be able to begin the Chinese New Year with a small fortune, if adults adopt the Chinese custom of giving them coins in red envelopes.
Unfortunately, in January, 2020, the Chinese New Year introduced the world to COVID-19. Millions of people traveling for the lunar new year began carrying the new virus around the world.
With what the Chinese call the Year of the Pig about to give way to the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Metal Rat on January 25, 2020, children could have been urging adults to try making some Feng Shui modifications said to attract good luck. But by opening doors and windows for 10 minutes on the eve of the Chinese New Year, this year they let the old year out and a new virus in.
Since the Chinese associate rats with storing up food, some customs in the Year of the Rat involve saving money. Placing a glass or ceramic bowl at the front door serves as a reminder to deposit and save all loose change there every time anyone enters all year. On the other hand, all are cautioned; lending anyone money on New Year's Eve can cause a loss of money all year long.
To start the new year with abundance, the Chinese prepare a tray with eight kinds of snacks, including round fruits like grapes that symbolize prosperity, orange slices for gold, olives, pecans, almonds and various round candies and cookies. To foster optimism and energy, the Chinese start the new year wearing the warm colors of red, orange, and yellow.
You'll also want to clean your home before the new year begins, because using brooms, brushes, and dust rags might clear away good fortune. Also, avoid using knives and scissors that can cut off good luck.
Instead of trying to keep New Year's resolutions, everyone might try the Chinese method of writing nine new year's wishes on rectangular pieces of paper and hanging them on a tree where the wind can blow them into the sky for fast fulfillment.
New Yorkers counted down the beginning of 2020 while watching a crystal ball drop in Times Square and blowing horns. Instead, some Chinese will ring in the new year with a Tibetan bell.
Children born in the Year of the Metal Rat are expected to be able to turn unlucky events into fortunes. All children around the world will be able to begin the Chinese New Year with a small fortune, if adults adopt the Chinese custom of giving them coins in red envelopes.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Challenging Chinese New Year
A Chinese delegation, now in the United States, is not there to celebrate the beginning of China's Year of the Pig on February 5, 2019. Instead, the visit signals a transition between what has been an extended period of U.S.-Chinese economic cooperation to what students and global businesses need to regard with caution as an impending era of competition.
Setting speculation aside, Beijing, which already uses facial recognition technology to track 2.5 million troublesome Buddhists and Muslims, also expects to be on high alert on other days in the Year of the Pig:
March 10: 60th anniversary of Tibetans uprising against Chinese rule. Dalai Lama subsequently escapes to India and the government he led in Tibet is dissolved.
May 4: The 100th anniversary of a student movement that welcomed science and democracy.
June 4: The 30th anniversary of the crack down on the democracy demonstration in Tiananmen Square.
October 1: A military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China.
Like global businesses, young people around the world, who will be in China competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, need to learn more about this important country. When children learn a Chinese tradition includes giving kids money in red envelopes at the beginning of a new year, they will want to adopt the tradition where they live. Adults everywhere already enjoy multi-course meals at Chinese restaurants.
Setting speculation aside, Beijing, which already uses facial recognition technology to track 2.5 million troublesome Buddhists and Muslims, also expects to be on high alert on other days in the Year of the Pig:
March 10: 60th anniversary of Tibetans uprising against Chinese rule. Dalai Lama subsequently escapes to India and the government he led in Tibet is dissolved.
May 4: The 100th anniversary of a student movement that welcomed science and democracy.
June 4: The 30th anniversary of the crack down on the democracy demonstration in Tiananmen Square.
October 1: A military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China.
Like global businesses, young people around the world, who will be in China competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, need to learn more about this important country. When children learn a Chinese tradition includes giving kids money in red envelopes at the beginning of a new year, they will want to adopt the tradition where they live. Adults everywhere already enjoy multi-course meals at Chinese restaurants.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Themes for Global Advertising
Leading up to any big holiday, we are used to seeing companies run ads featuring family and friends gathering to celebrate. When Singtel, a telecom company in Singapore, ran a Chinese New Year's ad that captured today's alternate reality, according to trendwatching.com, the ad outdrew those of competitors and scored nine million views on Facebook. Singtel's ad recognized how distance and busy, professional careers separate and sadden both parents and their "children" nowadays. The company captured this emotional longing to get together by showing the conversations, when plans to share the holiday were canceled. Greeting card companies also have a knack for helping family and friends share holidays, birthdays, sympathy and other emotions across the miles.
In Singapore, Singtel found half of the population spent less than 36 hours each week with family members. I suspect that seems like a lot of time to empty nesters and young professionals alike. No advertiser wants to blatantly call, "Hey, you lonely people out there, do this," but, if you closely consider commercials, you'll see some ads show a satisfying life setting when someone is by themselves and others show the benefit of making an effort to get out to meet up with family and friends. Have a piece of candy; plan a party.
In Singapore, Singtel found half of the population spent less than 36 hours each week with family members. I suspect that seems like a lot of time to empty nesters and young professionals alike. No advertiser wants to blatantly call, "Hey, you lonely people out there, do this," but, if you closely consider commercials, you'll see some ads show a satisfying life setting when someone is by themselves and others show the benefit of making an effort to get out to meet up with family and friends. Have a piece of candy; plan a party.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
February 16: Celebrate Chinese Year of the Dog
Foreign languages express a dog's bark in different ways. In English, dogs go "Arf "or "Woof." In French, barking sounds like "Ouah, Ouah" and in Chinese, "Wang, Wang." "Wang Cai" is a popular name for Chinese dogs, because it means "prosperous wealth."
In the Chinese zodiac, those born in the Years of the Dog (1946, 58, 70, 82, 94, 2006, 18, etc.) are loyal, honest, just and have strong morals. They are great friends, because they give wonderful advice and help others break bad habits. It seems these loyal friends also could use a friend, since their friendly nature belies inner worry, anxiety, stress, and even pessimism that can cause unhealthy eating. They need to relax, maybe with yoga.
I guess those born in Dog Years should wear green, red, and purple which are said to be their lucky colors, and they should look forward to days on their lucky numbers: 3, 4, and 9. In contrast, they should stay away from blue and brown and beware of 1, 7, and 8.
What is a good profession for those born in Dog Years? Their ability to make correct judgments about people suits them for work as referees, lawyers, and interviewers.
No matter in what zodiac year Chinese children are born, they all like to celebrate the New Year, when they receive coins in red envelopes.
In the Chinese zodiac, those born in the Years of the Dog (1946, 58, 70, 82, 94, 2006, 18, etc.) are loyal, honest, just and have strong morals. They are great friends, because they give wonderful advice and help others break bad habits. It seems these loyal friends also could use a friend, since their friendly nature belies inner worry, anxiety, stress, and even pessimism that can cause unhealthy eating. They need to relax, maybe with yoga.
I guess those born in Dog Years should wear green, red, and purple which are said to be their lucky colors, and they should look forward to days on their lucky numbers: 3, 4, and 9. In contrast, they should stay away from blue and brown and beware of 1, 7, and 8.
What is a good profession for those born in Dog Years? Their ability to make correct judgments about people suits them for work as referees, lawyers, and interviewers.
No matter in what zodiac year Chinese children are born, they all like to celebrate the New Year, when they receive coins in red envelopes.
Friday, January 27, 2017
What's Your Chinese Sign?
.For fun, you can learn about the Chinese Zodiac, when the Year of the Rooster begins January 28, 2017. Since the Chinese Zodiac goes in 12-year cycles, the Year of the Roster will be followed by:
2018 Year of the Dog
2019 Year of the Pig
2020 Year of the Rat
2021 Year of the Ox
2022 Year of the Tiger
2023 Year of the Rabbit
2024 Year of the Dragon
2025 Year of the Snake
2026 Year of the Horse
2027 Year of the Goat
2028 Year of the Monkey
Some think the years of your birth animal are the most unlucky in the 12-year cycle. But Roosters can count on their lucky numbers (5,7,8) and lucky colors (gold, brown, and yellow) to help them get through this year. In terms of relationships, Roosters are said to be most compatible with those born in ox and snake years.
Since career-minded Roosters are hard-working and multi-talented, they are capable of a wide variety of jobs from sales person to surgeon. In this, their bad luck year, they are supposed to work hard, not talk too much, not seek attention, and not expect their efforts to be recognized until another year.
(Also see the earlier post, "Go Holiday Globe (S)hopping.")
2018 Year of the Dog
2019 Year of the Pig
2020 Year of the Rat
2021 Year of the Ox
2022 Year of the Tiger
2023 Year of the Rabbit
2024 Year of the Dragon
2025 Year of the Snake
2026 Year of the Horse
2027 Year of the Goat
2028 Year of the Monkey
Some think the years of your birth animal are the most unlucky in the 12-year cycle. But Roosters can count on their lucky numbers (5,7,8) and lucky colors (gold, brown, and yellow) to help them get through this year. In terms of relationships, Roosters are said to be most compatible with those born in ox and snake years.
Since career-minded Roosters are hard-working and multi-talented, they are capable of a wide variety of jobs from sales person to surgeon. In this, their bad luck year, they are supposed to work hard, not talk too much, not seek attention, and not expect their efforts to be recognized until another year.
(Also see the earlier post, "Go Holiday Globe (S)hopping.")
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Chinese Culture Creep
The Chinese Year of the Rooster is fast approaching on Saturday, January 28, 2017. After the antics of the Year of the Monkey, the rooster wakes us up to prepare for fresh challenges that require a quick wit, practical solutions, and persistence.
With theme parks and film, savvy showmen Qiaoling Huang and Wang Jianlin are providing entertainment and spreading Chinese culture at the same time. Huang's Songcheng Group is making its first overseas investment in the $600 million Australia Legend Kingdom. On Australia's Gold Coast, local visitors, the 1.2 million Chinese tourists who spend $8000 per trip, and other international tourists will be able to visit a theme park that features an aboriginal Australian village and the "Mystic Orient," which showcases Chinese and Southeast Asian culture.
Chinese investors have acquired AMC movie theaters and the Legendary Entertainment movie studio in the United States. Wang Jianlin, chairman of the (Dalian) Wanda Group/Wanda Cultural Industry Group, is in the process of developing a state-of-the-art Movie Metropolis Complex and offering up to 40% of production costs to attract filmmakers to Qingdao. China's censorship State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television is therefore positioned to counter Western values and to introduce China's core socialist values into films and to influence the culture of global moviegoers.
China's attempt to buy into World-Cup-class soccer (football) suffered an initial setback. According to TIME magazine (Jan. 16, 2017), Christiano Ronaldo, a Real Madrid star, turned down a $314 million offer from a Chinese Super League club. But by 2018, Alibaba had a sports channel streaming soccer. China's HNA Group was one of the sponsors at the French Open tennis tournament May 22 - June 11, 2017.
Chinese culture has no trouble being represented on dinner tables around the world. Begin the Year of the Rooster by dining at a local Chinese restaurant or, with an adult's help, try this recipe at home.
Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry
Servings: 4
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 boneless, skinless Chicken breast halves, cut in strips
1/2 green or red pepper, thinly sliced
1 can (15.25 oz.) pineapple chunks in their own juice
3/4 cup sauce (1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 tsp ginger)
Hot cooked rice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and green pepper, cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is done (no longer pink).
2. Drain pineapple and reserve 2 tablespoons of juice. Combine reserved juice and sauce.
3. Add pineapple chunks and sauce mixture to skillet. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.
With theme parks and film, savvy showmen Qiaoling Huang and Wang Jianlin are providing entertainment and spreading Chinese culture at the same time. Huang's Songcheng Group is making its first overseas investment in the $600 million Australia Legend Kingdom. On Australia's Gold Coast, local visitors, the 1.2 million Chinese tourists who spend $8000 per trip, and other international tourists will be able to visit a theme park that features an aboriginal Australian village and the "Mystic Orient," which showcases Chinese and Southeast Asian culture.
Chinese investors have acquired AMC movie theaters and the Legendary Entertainment movie studio in the United States. Wang Jianlin, chairman of the (Dalian) Wanda Group/Wanda Cultural Industry Group, is in the process of developing a state-of-the-art Movie Metropolis Complex and offering up to 40% of production costs to attract filmmakers to Qingdao. China's censorship State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television is therefore positioned to counter Western values and to introduce China's core socialist values into films and to influence the culture of global moviegoers.
China's attempt to buy into World-Cup-class soccer (football) suffered an initial setback. According to TIME magazine (Jan. 16, 2017), Christiano Ronaldo, a Real Madrid star, turned down a $314 million offer from a Chinese Super League club. But by 2018, Alibaba had a sports channel streaming soccer. China's HNA Group was one of the sponsors at the French Open tennis tournament May 22 - June 11, 2017.
Chinese culture has no trouble being represented on dinner tables around the world. Begin the Year of the Rooster by dining at a local Chinese restaurant or, with an adult's help, try this recipe at home.
Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry
Servings: 4
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 boneless, skinless Chicken breast halves, cut in strips
1/2 green or red pepper, thinly sliced
1 can (15.25 oz.) pineapple chunks in their own juice
3/4 cup sauce (1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 tsp ginger)
Hot cooked rice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and green pepper, cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is done (no longer pink).
2. Drain pineapple and reserve 2 tablespoons of juice. Combine reserved juice and sauce.
3. Add pineapple chunks and sauce mixture to skillet. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.
Monday, December 30, 2013
New World's Resolutions
As 2014 begins, children, parents, students, and teachers have an opportunity to find new opportunities for international, and even out-of-this-world, involvement. Here are some suggestions. (In parenthesis, there are references to related, earlier blog posts.)1. Prepare for the Winter Olympics, February 7-23, by going to a map or Russia to locate Sochi, where the winter games will be held. ("Wide World of Sports")
2. Name a new doll, action figure, or plushie toy for an international icon, such as Malala or Mandela. ("What's in a Name?")
3. Find an outgrown clothing item to pin or tape to the country on a wall map of the world where the item was made. ("Fashion Forward")
4. Get ready to give children coins in red envelopes in honor of the cheerful and exciting Chinese Year of the Horse, which begins on January 31. ("Go Holiday Globe (S)hopping")
5. Mark the end of September on your calendar to remember to learn if a space probe sends information back from Mars, when it lands on or comes near the planet. ("Space Explorers")
6. Make a contribution to or plan a fundraiser for an international cause, such as Kids in Need of Desks at unicefusa.org or Operation International Children at operationinternationalchildren.com. ("Hope for the Future")
7. Go to ePals.com to find a joint project to work on with a class in a foreign country. ("Getting to Know You")
8. Read a book with an international theme. ("Talk With the Animals," "This We Believe," "Travel the World with Summer Reading")
9. Get in touch with the world's environment by planting a tree. ("A Healthy Environment")
10. Learn a few words in a foreign language. Say "Thank you" in German, danke; or greet friends in Japanese, konichiwa." By December 25, 2014, you'll be wishing everyone Milad Said (Mee-LAHD Sah-EED) in Arabic. ("How Do You Say?")
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Go Holiday Globe (S)hopping
Gifts can help kids think globally on holidays, birthdays, graduations, and other special occasions. In this gift-giving season, catalogues, international organizations, and museum, map, and book stores are good sources of presents with meaningful international connections.Christmas, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year
Christians can purchase a pop-up Advent calendar from UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, (unicefusa.org/shop) and help provide for the health and education of the world's children at the same time. SERRV (serrv.org) donates a school notebook to children in Ghana, Africa, for every Advent calendar it sells. Why? Because the chocolate hearts young people find behind the numbers for each day in Advent come from the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative in Ghana. SERRV also sells Kosher certified dark and milk chocolate foil-covered coins for children who celebrate Hanukkah.
When the Chinese New Year arrives between January 21 and February 19 at the second new moon after the beginning of winter, Chinese children receive money in red envelopes. Children in other countries would approve if their families joined in this tradition. Besides U.S. currency, the American Automobile Association (AAA) could add some foreign currency in the form of a TipPak (registered trademark) of Australian, British, Canadian, Japanese, or European Union money to these red envelopes. In preparation for the Chinese New Year, youngsters also can write their own fortune cookie messages with rub-on Chinese characters in a kit from Multicultural Kids (multiculturalkids.com).
Personalized presents
For children old enough to appreciate personalized presents with a foreign twist, there are cartouche (kar-toosh) necklaces and netsukes. In Egypt, a cartouche, or amulet, was designed to protect each Pharaoh. Nowadays, necklaces sold my Signals (signals.com) or made in Cairo for National Geographic (shopng.org) translate children's names into Egyptian hieroglyphics using eagles, owls, crowns, lions, and other symbols.
Birthdays are especially good occasions to give Japanese netsukes, little statues once used on cords that closed pouches or baskets. Some are made to symbolize the animal zodiac signs for each year. This is the Year of the Dragon, and 2013 will be the Year of the Snake. Since animal designations occur in 12-year cycles, kids can find the symbols for their birth years by counting forward or back from an animal known for one year. Children might enjoy seeing if their personalities match the qualities attributed to their birth year animals.
2000/2012 Dragon: A solitary, free-spirited non-conformist who is generous to others.
2001/2013 Snake: A wise, well-organized person who understands others and can wiggle out of
trouble.
2002/2014 Horse: A cheerful, popular crowd-pleaser who loves excitement and handles money
carefully.
2003/2015 Sheep/goat: A dazzling, elegant dresser and creative thinker with a shy nature.
2004/2016 Monkey: A clever, brilliant thinker with a thirst for knowledge and the ability to solve
difficult problems.
2005/2017 Rooster: A talented, deep thinker who likes to work alone.
2006/2018 Dog: A loyal, somewhat eccentric protector who can keep secrets and inspire
confidence.
2007/2019 Pig: A gallant champion or causes who is satisfied with having a few lifelong
friends.
2008/2020 Rat: A charming, energetic, imaginative perfectionist who is careful not to hurt others.
2009/2021 Ox: A patient leader who inspires confidence.
2010/2022 Tiger: A warm, courageous, goal-oriented worker with a sparkling personality.
2011/2023 Hare/rabbit: A tactful, ambitious peacemaker who is fortunate in business.
Finally, no present is more personal and infused with international significance than a child's own passport. Students don't need to have a foreign trip planned when they get a passport, they just can start thinking about which countries they would like to visit. Local post offices provide the details about obtaining a passport, and they even take passport photos.
Global gifts
Usually presenting children with educational gifts is like giving them underwear. A number of globes, books, and toys escape that classification, however. The National Geographic website sells a levitating globe, suggested for students 8 and up, that uses electromagnetism to hover in mid-air between the top and bottom of its display stand. Younger children, 3 and up, can use a joystick to circle National Geographic's Fly and Discover Talking Globe to learn about the world's oceans, animals, customs, and fun facts. Young Explorers (YoungExplorers.com) sells the GeoSafari (registered trademark) talking globes that children 6 and up can use to answer 10,000 geographical questions, while MindWare (mindware.com) and National Geographic have interactive globes that students 5 and up can touch with a digital pen to find information about a country's population, weather, currency, and more. With a remote control, children 6 and up also can watch the world's cities go by on a wall "globe" using MindWare's Earth from Orbit Light. In low tech worlds, UNICEF has a Planet Earth Lift-the-Flap book and SERRV's mobile of the world includes children dressed in costumes representing their cultures.
There is no shortage of fiction and non-fiction books with an international theme. For centuries, classics have taken children through German forests in the stories of Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and many others collected by Jakob and Wilheim Grimm. Children have traveled with Paddington bear from Peru to meet Christopher Robin's Pooh bear and Alice in Wonderland in the gardens of England. Through literature, children have experienced the splendor of the Swiss Alps with Johanna Spyri's Heidi. Ever since the 18th century, when Frenchman Antoine Galland recognized how European and Muslim cultures could share the fascination of The Arabian Nights, kids and adults have shared the Indian and Persian stories of a genie who granted Aladdin's wishes, a girl who saved Ali Baba, Sinbad's adventures, and 998 additional tales.
Books about Asia, Latin America, and Africa now have joined these familiar stories. Heian publishes a series of Asian folktales, and Raul Colon uses a unique combination of paint, etched lines, and colored pencils to illustrate a book of Latin American folktales. For their illustrations in Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, Leo and Diane Dillon won a Caldecott Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. Just a couple more examples suggest the breadth of books that help children explore their world. Journey to the River Sea takes young people down the Amazon River, while Gena Gorrell, in the context of The Land of the Jaguar, describes every South American country for her young audience. The Children's Atlas of World Wildlife goes around the globe to show children the diversity of nature's creatures, and National Geographic Kids: Animal Creativity Book couples information about the world's animals with games, stencils, stickers, and crafts.
Animals in a healthy environment
Gift givers are on a sure footing, when they tap into a child's love of animals. The World Wildlife Fund (worldwildlife.org) makes it possible to present children with plush animals and, at the same time, introduce them to ways to save animals all over the world from harm and extinction.
There are both animal gifts that help children play in traditional ways and some that provide a new experience. Besides plush animals, kids 6 and up can construct their own lions, tigers, giraffes, and zebras using puzzle pieces from MindWare. Toys to grow on (ttgo.com) invites kids 3 to 10 years old to go on their own safaris by giving them vinyl jungle huts, an SUV, and 12 animals. Kids also can hide a monkey, elephant, or tiger and launch an adventure using wands from YoungExplorers to find them.
Toys appeal to children's concern for the world's environment not only its wildlife. To see solar power in action, youngsters can build robots from Young Explorers and MindWare that use the sun to move windmills, boats, helicopters, cars, bulldozers, and a scorpion. Even adults will be excited to learn how MindWare's zero-emission car runs on water converted to hydrogen power. And how does the greenhouse effect, desalination of salt water, or a solar oven work? MindWare has kits to teach those means to a clean environment, too.
Conclusion
From Signals (signals.com) wooden blocks with alphabets, numerals, and animal pictures in Arabic, Chinese, and 14 other languages to a full array of dolls, map puzzles, and books from Multicultural Kids and Latin American rainsticks from Musician's Friend (musiciansfriend.com), the world is ready to help children realize globalization can be fun.
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