It’s day 2 of our series on unique holiday gifts that emphasize multicultural learning. (Browse the previous unique holiday gift ideas.) Here, for the budding gourmand or cook on your holiday gift list, I’ve pulled together a selection of items that you might give individually or as a set to reinforce learning.
Why this gift matters
Food is a huge issue around the world, whether it be because of hunger, increasing costs to grow and transport food, a push to grow food locally, or discussions about the safety of genetically modified foods. These gifts can open the door to conversations and learning about a number of food issues. In addition, they also offer opportunities to discuss, and in some cases taste the cuisine of, cultures from around the world. Whether children are tactile, kinesthetic, visual, olfactory, or gustatory learners, these gifts are sure to delight.
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What parent wouldn’t appreciate their child receiving a book of easy-to-prepare recipes that kids love? The recipes in Deanna Cook’s terrific book The Kids Multicultural Cookbook are inspired by conversations Cook had with children from around the world. Representing 41 countries, the tasty dishes in this book are fun and easy to make (for kids as well as adults), and the ingredients have been adapted so that in most cases you can find the ingredients at your local grocery store.
The Healthy Hedonist Holidays: A Year of Multi-Cultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts is a delightful book. Kids will love cooking these dishes with their parents–and the parents will love that they have a handbook of healthy holiday meals and treats. Holidays represented include Chinese New Year, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, Eid al Fitr, Passover, Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and the 4th of July. This is a great opportunity for children to learn about—and more importantly taste!—cuisines from around the world, including foods from Greek, Ethiopian, Italian, Turkish, Moroccan, and Chinese traditions. Recipes feature fish, poultry, and vegetarian entrées.
This multicultural foods play set offers opportunities for tactile and visual learners to “prepare” and discuss food from around the world. By talking about these foods with your children, you’ll increase their vocabulary and cultural knowledge while they enjoy imaginary play.
This play cookware set, especially when combined with the multicultural foods set or this matching set of fruits and vegetables, will spark young children’s imaginations. Talk to them about the taste of each food–and offer samplings of the real thing–and talk as well about food preparation and recipes from around the world. Ask them where their food came from and how it grows. The learning opportunities are nearly endless.
Prefer to shop at Amazon? Here are the product links not already included above:
Buy The Kids’ Multicultural Cookbook (Kids Can!) at Amazon.com
