South Grove Elementary School in Syosset recently held a Multicultural Explore-A-Rama consisting of different cultural share workshops presented to students in kindergarten through third grade.
Facilitated by teachers, support staff, and most notably, South Grove fifth-grade students, the event featured nearly 40 different workshops covering topics such as Afghani games, Chinese terra cotta, El Salvadorian food, Indian and Spanish sports, Italian nursery rhymes and pasta art and much more.
Some students even simulated Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel by creating colorful illustrations on the bottom of their desks while lying on their backs.
Students were initially asked to present their favorite multicultural games, food, dance, art, music, holidays or stories. While the kindergarten through third-grade ‘guests’ learned a lot about different cultures, according to enrichment specialist Michele Webb, it was the fifth-grade presenters who reaped the greatest benefit from the leadership experience.
While some students presented workshops related to their personal cultural heritage, many others developed workshops related to a culture not necessarily from their own ancestry, but rather interest. Many of these interests were developed through their participation in the elementary World Language Program.
Webb said the goal of the Explore-A-Rama is to promote an awareness of and an appreciation for different cultures. —Syosset Schools
