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Entries categorized as ‘Diversity’

Lullabies Make a Difference

June 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

20090622_Lofbomm Asian Square_Adam and Jessica Lofbomm are Americans that have lived in Seoul for the past three years. They love travel, good music, nightlife and kids. They sought to integrate their diverse interests and global lifestyle with the music they loved. At the same time, they saw so many of their hipster friends reaching 30 and starting families, so this husband and wife duo decided to create something that would bring all of these pieces together. The result is “Laughing Tree Lullabies, Vol. 1“.

Nancy Kim, founder of the nonprofit humanitarian organization, Educate a Child described the album as “mellow lullabies with an adult’s musical sensibilities.”

Laughing Tree’s labor of love is at the same time enlightening and lulling for babies, while nostalgic and captivating for adults. It is a collection of songs from around the world, intended to lay down quality music for the adult listener, while fostering in young children an ease with different languages and musical styles.

The diversity of the music can be understood when reading the list of instruments used to record “Laughing Tree Lullabies, Vol. 1″: layers and layers of vocals, acoustic and slide guitar, piano, chimes, ukulele, accordion, kazoo, tea kettle, spoons, claps and African drum. Paired with the changing flow of the field recordings underneath, each song is a unique experience, yet the pieces make up a cohesive album that is best experienced from start to finish.

Partnership with Sweet Sleep

Laughing Tree is donating 10% of all profits from the “Laughing Tree Lullabies” series to support the work of Sweet Sleep, an organization that provides beds for some of the world’s poorest children.

According to the Sweet Sleep website, there are more than 210 million orphans worldwide, and each day, 5,760 more children become orphans.

Orphaned and abandoned children in Third World countries suffer from lack of sufficient or healthy places to sleep. These children often sleep on old, broken and soiled beds or have no beds at all– forcing them to sleep on paper-thin mats or cold, hard floors, making them susceptible to insects and disease. Sweet Sleep provides these children a solid new bed frame with a thick foam mattress, vinyl
mattress and pillow covers, a fluffy new pillow, comfy new sheets, a cozy new comforter and a mosquito net when needed.

Since 2005, Adam and Jessica have sponsored Felicia Stavila, a 12-year-old girl at an orphanage in Falesti, Moldova through Sweet Sleep. They are glad to be able to support the ongoing good work of Sweet Sleep by giving back with Laughing Tree Lullabies. Since June 4, for the remainder of 2009, Laughing Tree is touring Europe to promote their lullabies project, collect songs for “Laughing Tree Lullabies, Vol. 2″, and raise awareness and funds for Sweet Sleep.

They will end up in Moldova to hand-deliver support for the orphanage there and meet Felicia in person for the first time.

“Laughing Tree Lullabies, Vol. 1″ is available through LaughingTree.org where you can find links to buy digital downloads or CDs to be shipped anywhere in the world. And, for the latest news and updates, follow the Lofbomms on Twitter.

Categories: Development · Diversity · Education · Family · Poverty

Barefoot Revolution

June 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Take off your shoes and give them away.

Take off your shoes and give them away.

Beginning this week, Soles4Souls is challenging everyone to take off their shoes and donate some pairs to those who don’t have any. Most of us probably have countless pairs in our closet, many of which are seldom worn. Soles4Souls has been collecting shoes for four years, and has already distributed millions of pairs. You can lend a hand this week by taking off your shoes and dropping them in the mail, or by making a small donation. And, check out where Soles4Souls will be dropping off shoes this week (maybe in your neck of the woods).

- Sam Davidson

Categories: Attitude of Gratitude · Diversity · Politics & Justice · Poverty · Recycle and Reuse · Volunteer

Disability Awareness

May 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Take the time to talk about disabilities with your children.

Take the time to talk about disabilities with your children.

I am a junior at Vanderbilt studying Special Education, and I’m writing about an issue that is near and dear to my heart: disability awareness. In addition to being a student at Vanderbilt, I work at Susan Gray School, an inclusive preschool (we have kids with disabilities and typical peers), and I’ve seen what it can look like when typical kids really understand and love their friends who have disabilities.

As parents, take the time to talk about disabilities with your children. Explain that sometimes people have differences. Physical disabilities are often easier to explain than intellectual disabilities. Children can usually understand that someone has muscles that work a little bit differently. Use examples to help them understand, but try to not just list off all the things that the individual with a disability cannot do. Think of what he or she can still do, which varies. Maybe he or she can feed himself or herself and can walk but not run. Be mindful that you don’t want your child to think that the person is sick or that they are in any way scary or fragile.

Intellectual differences can be a little bit more complicated. Talk about how some people have a hard time learning how to talk, but they try really hard to make sure you can understand. Maybe mention that it’s hard for people to learn how to read and do math, and some people are better at it than others, but it’s ok.

It’s not hard to make your child accepting of different abilities, but it does take some careful conversation.

- Abby Claire Hardy

Categories: Diversity · Education · Healthcare & Medical Issues

American Culture

April 7, 2009 · 2 Comments

Do you live on a farm? Do you live in the city?

Do you live on a farm? Do you live in the city?

Children must learn through experiences. Since one of the main ways that children access the world is through play, it would make sense for us to help children experience differences and similarities between people in their play activities.

Of course, there are simple things, such as incorporating animals from around the world in your play, as well as selecting dolls that reflect various ethnic groups. Culture as a concept includes not only those who live on other continents, but also families who live in different places in America. They might live on a farm, they might live in a city. You can suggest imaginative play in different settings, and pretend different things. Why not teach different family structures through imaginative play? Instead of having a mommy and a daddy, you could play house with a grandma, or a foster family, or a family that has two mommies. Similarly, you can play with different socioeconomic statuses. It’s always fun to pretend to have maids and nannies, but you can also play that you don’t have those, and the child has to help her parents do chores.

All that is needed for these activities is a little energy from you, and a willingness to dive in and play with your child! - Abby Claire Hardy

Categories: Activities · Diversity · Education · Family

Embracing Differences

April 1, 2009 · 2 Comments

Children need to know that there are some things about them that other people share, and some things that make them different from other people.

Children need to know that there are some things about them that other people share, and some things that make them different from other people.

The issue of race may not be something on the forefront of a child’s mind. But as children grow older, the differences between people, cultures and races become more apparent. Talking with your children about such issues, no matter their age, is important, and here are some things to think about when dialoging with your kids.

One of the first things you can do is teach the concept of same and different. Children need to know that there are some things about them that other people share, and some things that make them different from other people.

This is easily developed — just call attention to examples of this in your child’s surroundings.

For example, try making it a game with your child. Ask them to think of as many things as they can that are the same between themselves and their best friends, and what is different. Include interests, physical characteristics, favorite foods, families, pets, and anything at all they can come up with.

You might need to do some prompting to get full answers from your child, because they may not be able to think of everything right off the bat.

Talk about what makes people different and emphasize that it’s those differences that also make each person special. Teaching your child to be aware of differences will go a long way in helping them to accept people who are different from them. - Abby Claire Hardy

Categories: Activities · Development · Diversity · Education · Family

Travel Through Picture Books

March 25, 2009 · 3 Comments

Books help children learn about the world around them and experience things they would not usually see.

Books help children learn about the world around them and experience things they would not usually see.

Books help children learn about the world around them and experience things they would not usually see. There are books at all levels to help your children grow a more global perspective. Beyond reading them together and just placing them back on the coffee table, try talking to your child. Even young children have ideas and concerns. Especially for books that show cultures different to your own, ask them to talk about what they saw and how it was similar or different to their experiences.

Here is a list of awesome picture books you might try:

What other culturally diverse books do you recommend?

- Abby Claire Hardy

Categories: Activities · Development · Diversity · Education · Family

Cultural Curiosity

March 17, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Integrate discussion of cultures into your daily life through food.

Integrate discussion of cultures into your daily life through food.

Very small children are egocentric. This is not a bad thing, it’s just a fact. Up until early elementary years, children have a very hard time understanding anything that is not directly related to themselves and their own experiences. This means that developing cultural awareness has to happen, it cannot just be absorbed.

One of the easiest way to integrate discussion of cultures into your daily life is through food. You don’t have to be an expert about any particular country, but just think about it. Do your children know where spaghetti, or tacos, or sushi come from? That is a good first step for the preschool set. For elementary kids, you can get into much more detail. Why are tortillas made out of corn? Why is there no cheese in most asian cuisine? Using the child’s concrete experience with eating different kinds of foods can help extend their understanding of different places.

Here’s an example. Say you have a four year old and a nine year old, and you’ve made tacos for dinner. Talk about the word taco. Teach your children that some of the words we use all the time are not originally English words, and that taco is a word that we borrowed from Spanish. Ask your older child if he or she knows where Mexico is, or what language is spoken in most of South America. They might not know the answers, and that’s okay. Ask them to think about it, and provide some of the answers. You can also talk about how corn is grown, and that corn is the main part of the meal for many South American families. Contrast it with Asian food, which is usually based around rice instead of corn. Ask them what they like best! Once again, this is not something that needs to be planned as an activity. Just chat it up over the dinner table, or while you are cooking.

- Abby Claire Hardy

Categories: Activities · Diversity · Education · Family · Food & Beverage

Wings of Epoh

March 2, 2009 · 2 Comments

Wings of Epoh

Wings of Epoh

Wings of Epoh is a book about a boy named Matthew that has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. He struggles to cope with being different than other kids his age. In addition, he has a difficult time communicating with others, and therefore feels alone, isolated, and misunderstood. However, one night Matthew meets a butterfly named Epoh who seems to know exactly how he feels. Epoh tells him about the difficulties and challenges she has faced in her life, and she encourages Matthew to never give up hope.

Written by acclaimed author and Holocaust survivor, Gerda Weissmann Klein, and illustrated by New York Times best-selling illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds, this book is for parents and teachers to use with elementary aged children. While some children have no trouble making friends with others that seem to be different from them, some need encouragement to step out and embrace them. This book is a great way to start conversations with children about how we all need to be loved and feel accepted, no matter how different we may be.

Additional Resources:

Educator Activity Guide
Wings of EPOH animated film (DVD)

The book and animated film are produced in collaboration with the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC). SARRC works “diligently to provide quality services and support to children and families affected by autism, while searching for answers to solve the mysteries surrounding the disorder.”

For more information, go to:
http://www.autismcenter.org/

http://shop.wingsofepoh.org/main.sc

- Malinda Moseley

Categories: Activities · Development · Diversity · Education · Family · self-esteem

World Mental Health Day

October 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Learn what you can do to combat mental illness.

Nearly 12% of the world’s population is affected by mental illness, many of whom would benefit greatly from diagnosis and treatment. What can we do in honor of World Mental Health Day? This international education campaign seeks to inform those unaware about mental illness. Take five minutes to learn about the World Federation For Mental Health and ways you can make a difference. Learn about the campaign and get your kids involved by teaching them about diversity and acceptance of people who struggle with illnesses. When we all work together, we can help make mental health a global priority. – Michelle Andrade

Categories: Diversity · Education · Health & Wellness · Healthcare & Medical Issues

Get Political

October 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Register to vote before tomorrow.

Do you care about the environment? Healthcare? Your kids’ education? What about the economy or oil? Are you concerned about welfare, abortion, earmarks, alternative energy, natural resources, or the war on terror (or drugs)? Is there any chance that you give one iota about college tuition rates, home loans, immigration, social security or national parks? If so, then make sure you vote. But in order to do that, you have to be registered. In many states, the deadline is tomorrow, so spend five minutes clicking here and registering. If you already are, then make sure your friends are, too. - Sam Davidson

Categories: Conservation & the Environment · Diversity · Education · Health & Wellness · Healthcare & Medical Issues · Politics & Justice · Poverty