Italian for Kids: Easy Calzone Recipe and Italian Food Vocabulary

Italian food is a big part of Italian cultural heritage. At the same time, pizza must be one of the most popular foods and, for sure, it’s one of the most consumed and kids love it! Traveling around the world, you can find pizza almost everywhere, as well as buy a slice of pizza at a street corner and in a luxury restaurant. La cucina Italiana (Italian cuisine) is also famous for flavorful pasta, lasagna, risotto, ossobuco, tiramisu, etc. These delicious preparations are just the tip of an iceberg in terms of all that this cuisine offers. Followed by these, the calzone rank pretty high in the popularity chart worldwide.

It is much like the stuffed version of pizza, with similar taste, flavors, and flexibility to choose (vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or vegan) filling as per your preferences. Over the years, people have experimented generously to figure out which food combination works best in this addictive preparation.

Typically, the calzone is stuffed with ham, vegetables, salami, or egg, and any of the cheese that melts well upon heating, such as mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, etc. The most popular calzone filling comprises fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, differently colored bell peppers, fresh herbs, and shredded mozzarella. However, various regions might have a varying filling that is usually associated with the pizza toppings popular in that region. Like in the US, calzones are mostly stuffed with meats, a combination of cheeses- ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, provolone, etc., and a few vegetables. Have your kids tried a calzone before? You can make them as a hand-pie for little ones with simply tomato sauce and mozzarella. It’s also a good chance to add secret veggies and protein to the filling for a balanced meal.

Other popular calzone fillings can include the combination of artichoke hearts, asparagus, differently colored bell peppers, broccoli, capers, eggplant, mushrooms, olives, onion, tomato, zucchini, cheese (Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, gruyere, goat, blue, etc.), and herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.).

Use a wok for stir-frying the filling ingredient, as you need to keep the crunchiness of vegetables intact while preparing the calzone filling. This is because the filling ingredients will be cooked again in the oven when the bread dough bakes. Find the best wok buying options here; you will be amazed by the best reviews and purchase guide mentions on this page.

So, now that you are better aware of what all can be used as a calzone filling search for the ingredients of your interest to make one for yourself today!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)

Impasto per pizza

• 50g cottage cheese, small cubes

fiocchi di latte 

• 1 small red onion, chopped

Cipolla rossa

• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped

Peperone rosso

• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

Peperone giallo

• 1 small capsicum, chopped

Capsicum

• 1 small zucchini, chopped

Zucchine

• ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

Funghi

• 1 large red ripe tomato, chopped

Pomodoro rosso maturo

• ½ tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped

Basilico

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Oregano

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Olio extravergine d'oliva

• Salt, to taste

Sale

• ¾ cup mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1.      Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and grease a baking tray with a few drops of oil.

2.      Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion until it turns pink in color.

3.      Stir in red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

4.      Season the vegetable mixture with salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil.

5.      Stir in cottage cheese to the vegetable mixture and turn off the heat.

6.      Roll the pizza dough into ¼ inch thick circle and cut out 3-4 equal-sized circles from it.

7.      Equally divide and put the cooked filling at the center of each dough rounds.

8.      Top the filling with an equal quantity of mozzarella cheese.

9.      Now, pull half of the unfilled dough over the filled half and seal edges of each dough round to get half-moon shaped calzone pockets. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.

10.  Carefully transfer the calzones onto the prepared baking tray and bake them for about 15 minutes or until golden in color.

11.   Serve hot and enjoy!

Photo by Roberto Valdivia on Unsplash

6 Easy Multicultural Recipes to Make with Your Kids

One of the best ways to introduce culture and language into your home is through the kitchen. Everyone learns to love something that is the source of delicious meals and snacks. Whether your children are learning another language or just stretching their linguistic wings, cooking is the perfect time to explore the globe through language. 

Cook together and pick recipes from all over the world. Talk about the origin of recipes, why people cook the way they do in other cultures. Then name each ingredient in the language of the people who invented it. From toddlers to teenagers, cooking together is a great way to learn. Let's take a look at six multicultural recipes that are easy enough to cook with kids and will bring language to your kitchen.

Spanish: Soft and Crunchy Tacos

Everyone loves a delicious meal of tacos. Crunchy or soft, spicy or mild, tacos are the ultimate in hand food. Kids love tacos and most kids are crazy about taco night. Make it even more special by putting tacos together as a family and naming each ingredient in Spanish along the way.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef

  • Carne molida

• Seasoning

  • Condimento

• Lettuce

  • Lechuga

• Tomatoes

  • Tomates

• Shredded Cheese

  • Queso rallado

• Crunchy Taco Shells

  • Tacos crujientes

• Flour or Corn Tortillas

  • Tortillas de harina o maiz

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2. Pan-fry the ground beef (or other meats) until browned and fully cooked.

3. Chop lettuce and tomatoes

4. Lay foil on a cookie sheet. Place crunchy shells and soft tortillas, line each with cheese along the fold.

5. Place the sheet of shells and tortillas in the oven.

6. Add taco seasoning and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Let the water cook down and infuse the meat with flavor.

7. Remove the shells and tortillas, then distribute them onto plates. 

8. Load each taco with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cheese.

French: Mini Breakfast Quiche

Quiche is one of the most simple and delicious French recipes in your cookbook. It's really very simple: Quiche is an omelet pie. If you can make a delicious omelet with your kids (or just delicious scrambled eggs) then you can make a delicious quiche. Explain the strange name and explore the French names for each ingredient as you put them together.

Ingredients

• Pastry Dough (optional)

  • Pate a patisserie

• Eggs

  • Des oeufs

• Milk

  • Lait

• Cheese

  • Fromage

• Diced Protein

  • Proteine en des 

  • Ham, Bacon, Feta, Tofu, Scallions, etc.

• Chopped Vegetables

  • legumes haches 

  • Mushrooms, Spinach, Tomatoes, Onion, etc.

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven to 350 F

2. Grease a muffin pan and line each cup with pastry dough. This can be pie crust, premade dough, or croissant roll dough.

3. Sprinkle in meat and vegetables into each cup

4. Fill each cup with egg

5. Top each cup with cheese

6. Bake 25-30 minutes

German: Deviled Eggs - Gefüllte Eier

Deviled eggs are hard-boiled eggs with a creamy kick. In fact, most families don't realize that this Easter classic has deep roots with the German people. They have a unique name for the recipe and introduced sprinkling paprika onto egg-yolks mixed with mustard. If your kids love to make deviled eggs, turn this treat into an all-year recipe by practicing the german names for each ingredient.

Ingredients

• Eggs

  • Eir

• Mustard

  • Senf

• Mayo

  • Mayonaise

• Salt and Pepper

  • Salz und Pfeffer

• Paprika

  • Paprika

• Optional

  • Dill or Sweet Relish

  • Tartar Sauce

  • Sour Cream

  • Onions

Directions

1. Hard-boil the eggs, give them an extra few minutes to boil quite-hard.

2. Peel each egg and slice it in half, longwise.

3. Scoop the hard yolk from each egg, carefully keeping the egg whites from breaking

4. Mix the egg yolks with mustard, salt, pepper, and mayo or a mayo substitute. Mix additional ingredients if preferred

5. Re-fill egg whites with deviled egg mixture

6. Top with sprinkled paprika

Irish: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is filling and nutritious in a way that only very practical traditional foods can be. Stacked with all the good things a meal needs in one dish, kids love shepherd's pie. You can't go wrong with beef, mashed potatoes, and cheese. Enjoy the traditional recipe and Irish names for ingredients or mix it up and look up the Irish words for anything you add.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef

  • Mairteoil Talun

• Peas, Carrots, and Corn

  • Pisaenna, Caireid, agus Corn

• Onions

  • Oiniuin

• Worcestershire Sauce

  • Anlann Worcestershire 

• Seasoning

  • Seasue

• Mashed Potatoes

  • Bruitin

• Cheese

  • Cais

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Brown and break up ground beef in a pan

3. Fry chopped vegetables with the beef. Add Worcestershire sauce and seasoning to taste.

4. Load a casserole dish or muffin cups with beef-vegetable mixture

5. Top casserole or cups with mashed potatoes

6. Sprinkle with cheese

7. Bake for 30 minutes

English: Hand Pies

Every culture has hand-held recipes and in the UK islands, the favorite is definitely hand-pies. For children practicing English, explore the names of pastry dough, and name the fruit in the filling. Talk about street vendors singing about their pies and how hand-pies are an important part of traditional life in both rural and city England.

Ingredients

• Pastry Dough

• Fruit Filling

• Meat Filling

  • Cooked and minced

• Butter

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 

2. Shape dough into flat circles the size of a spread-out hand

3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of filling to the center of each dough circle

4. Fold each dough circle in half and press the edges together

5. Brush the tops with butter, line pinched crusts with foil

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes

Japanese: Sushi (Philadelphia) Rolls

Sushi is the single most recognizable meal from Japan and something every kid can enjoy. Both a refined entree and a healthy finger-food, practice Japanese with your children while rolling your own sushi rolls.

Ingredients

• Short Grain White Rice

  • Sushi to Gohan

• Seaweed Sheets

  • Nori

• Fresh Raw Salmon

  • Furesshusamon

• Avocado

  • Abokado

• Stick of Cream Cheese

  • Kruimuchizu

Directions

1. Cook 2-3 cups of sticky white rice

2. Slice thin strips of sushi-grade raw salmon

3. Slice equally thin strips of avocado

4. Lay out one sheet of nori seaweed on a bamboo rolling mat

5. Distribute an even layer of sticky rice over the nori

6. Lay salmon in a line down the center of your rice, same direction as your bamboo mat sticks are pointing

7. Lay avocado in a line next to the salmon

9 Chinese New Year Activities for Kids

Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 

In China, the New Year is the most important holiday of the year. It's a time for families to come together and celebrate. People enjoy eating traditional foods, watching fireworks, and going to parades. 

When is the Chinese New Year? 

In 2020, the Chinese lunar year will start on January 25th and end on February 11th, 2021. The Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year because it is based on a lunar calendar.

• Each year starts on the new moon that occurs between the end of January and the end of February. 

• Celebrations run for approximately two weeks, from the first day of the year until the next full moon.

• New Year's festivities end with the Lantern Festival.

The Chinese lunar calendar has been in use since the Shang Dynasty during the 14th century B.C. Even though China adopted the Western calendar in 1912, the Chinese New Year is still observed as a cultural celebration. 

Chinese New Year's Activities for Kids

The New Year is the perfect opportunity to introduce Chinese culture and the Mandarin language to your kids. The great part about a celebration that lasts for two weeks is that you'll have the chance to do several activities.

Watch a Parade

Many larger cities hold Chinese New Year's celebrations. San Francisco and New York City are famous for their parades. If you can attend a parade, it will be an experience you and your child won't soon forget! If you can't be there in person, check your TV schedule or live stream a parade. 

If there aren't any Chinese New Year's celebrations near you, there are still plenty of ways you can celebrate right at home. 

Eat a Traditional Meal

Dumplings are a traditional Chinese New Year food. Making them from scratch requires a bit of prep work, but they are so tasty! Get the family together and make this kid-friendly Chinese dumpling recipe. Young children can help by mixing and rolling the dough. 

• If your family doesn't eat pork, you can substitute ground chicken or crumbled tofu.

• Serve with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. 

• For extra fun, try eating with chopsticks. You might be surprised at how well your children do! If traditional chopsticks are intimidating, purchase a "beginner" pair. These chopsticks are made of plastic and are joined at one end.

Get Crafty

Preschoolers love making crafts. It allows them to be creative and spend time with their caregivers. Crafts are also beneficial because using scissors and coloring gives kids a chance to develop their fine motor skills.

• Lanterns are a traditional New Year's decoration. Using craft supplies you probably already have at home, you can help your child create this Chinese lantern. Children can make them in their favorite color, or go with the traditional red.

• Dragons are a symbol of good luck. Chinese New Year's parades feature dancing dragon puppets. The puppets are so large, they are operated by several people. Create your own good luck by making a smaller dragon puppet out of wooden spoons and ribbons. Your child can dance around the house with their new puppet. 

Give Gifts

A traditional New Year's gift for children is a red envelope containing money.

• You can surprise your children with this gift, or opt to have them decorate their own envelope.

• Depending on your child's age, you can give them real money and coins, or play money. 

Gifting red envelopes is an ancient tradition, but the origin is somewhat unknown. One legend states that an orphan defeated a demon that was terrorizing a village. As a show of thanks, the elders gave the child a red envelope full of money.

Learn about Chinese Zodiac Animals

Like the American zodiac, the Chinese zodiac has 12 signs. 

• However, the Chinese zodiac is based on a 12 year, and not a 12 month, cycle.

• The year your child was born determines their zodiac animal.

The rat is the zodiac animal for 2020. You can celebrate by making a cute rat finger puppet.

Read a Book

Visit your local library and check out books about China and Chinese culture. The author Grace Lin has several picture books that are appropriate for preschoolers:

• Dim Sum for Everyone

• Bringing in the New Year

• Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Ask your librarian if they have other book suggestions. 

Clean Your Home

Cleaning the home is a traditional way to prepare for the Chinese New Year's. While it is a chore, you can still make it fun. Young children love to mimic the activities they see you doing.

They can sweep with a small handheld broom and dustpan, or dust with a cloth lightly dampened with water.

Celebrate with Indoor "Fireworks"

Fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate, but there's a safer way to have noise and colors.

• Fill balloons with glitter or confetti before blowing them up. You or another adult can then pop them with a pin. If your child is adventurous, they can try to pop the balloons by sitting on them.

• If loud noises scare your child, make DIY confetti throwers.  

Learn Mandarin Words

The Chinese New Year is the perfect time to teach your kids some Mandarin words. You can use these words as a starting point:

Rat = Shǔ

Red = Hóngsè

Dragon = Lóng

Lantern = Dēnglóng

Are you and your child ready to learn more Mandarin?

The Little Pim Difference

Over a billion people speak Mandarin Chinese, more than any other language. It's a great choice for a foreign language for your child.

Children are never too young to learn a second, or even third, language. In fact, learning multiple languages is easiest and has the most benefits between birth and six years of age.

If don't you don't speak Mandarin, don't worry! Our program is designed so that parents don't have to already know the language in order to help their child learn it. You'll learn right along with your child. Our companion guides and scripts will make it easy.

Subscribe to Little Pim today and introduce your child to a new language!

Unlinked Sources:

https://www.littlepim.com/choose-a-language

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/chinese-new-year-2020-when-date-what-rats-meaning-zodiac/

https://www.rd.com/culture/history-chinese-new-year/

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year

Eight Children's Books to Help Your Kids Learn About Other Cultures

Reading books is an excellent way to expose your children to new cultures or deepen their understanding of the ones they already know about. With recent social shifts paving the way for improved cultural diversity in our every day lives, a number of authors and publishers have happily stepped up to the plate and started putting out compelling, meaningful children's books designed to improve cultural awareness.

Those who are interested in a more immersive learning experience for their little ones may even want to consider reading books in the language (or languages) their children are learning. While this can prove difficult, particularly if you aren't bilingual yourself, the benefits of reading a language you're trying to learn are well-known. If your language skills are shaky, consider leaving out board books for little ones to gain exposure to the written language and letting older kids head off on their own with age-appropriate chapter books.

We know that figuring out what's best for your kids can be tough; that's why we've taken the initiative to round up the best children's books to help your kids learn about other cultures. Whether the messages are overt or not, each of these books carries a special meaning designed to build kids' understandings of cultures outside their own. 

Eight Children's Books to Help Your Kids Learn About Other Cultures

Global Babies, Global Baby Girls, and Global Baby Boys by the Global Fund for Children

1 - 3 years

Too literal? We don't think so! Learning at this age is all about sight; so what better way to start teaching your little one about cultures around the world than by showing them pictures of children who look just like them, only different? These three books all give our tots the opportunity to meet other babies from around the world. Whether it's a little girl in Guatemala or a young boy in Bhutan, your baby will be making friends with kiddos thousands of miles away. 

I Love My Mommy Because... by Laurel Porter Gaylord

1 - 3 years

While not explicitly a cultural undertaking, I Love My Mommy Because... is a fantastic book to introduce to toddlers and little ones. You may not be reading aloud about life in other countries, but you will be teaching your kiddo about empathy and the fact that we all communicate the same things a little differently. This book is a great chance to introduce the concept that not everybody's life or language looks like yours-- and that's okay!

Ramadan Moon by Na'ima B. Robert

4 - 7 years

Ramadan Moon offers children a peek into the festival of Ramadan and the way it's celebrated around the globe. This thoughtful, slow-paced book helps explain to children how faith and religion play into the lives of other kids regardless of where they are or where they come from. Lyrical, inspiring, and full of gorgeous illustrations, this book manages to capture the delight of an incredibly sacred annual event in the Muslim community. 

Fly, Eagle, Fly: An African Tale by Christopher Gregorowski

5 - 8 years

This book presents a dramatic story in a simple, intuitive way. Children will have the opportunity to learn about freedom, fulfillment, and African culture as they read the story of a baby eagle raised amongst chickens. One forward, written by Archbishop Tutu, proclaims that the piece will delight and encourage children to "lift off and soar."

Handa's Surprise: Read and Share by Eileen Browne

5 - 9 years

Most of us are familiar with the tale of the very hungry caterpillar. Handa's Surprise is yet another mouthwatering children's book that focuses on food and counting, but this tale brings in a little cultural twist. The books centers around Handa, a young Kenyan girl, who sets out to visit her friend. She brings along a basket of seven different fruits to offer as a gift, but hungry critters along the way foil her plans.

Fruits: A Caribbean Counting Poem by Valerie Bloom

5 - 6 years

It must be the fact that summer is just around the corner-- we can't get fruit out of our minds! Much like Handa's Surprise, this short book reminds us of the tale of a hungry little caterpillar munching his way through a smorgasbord of delicious foods. The book is essentially one long rhythmic counting poem. Your kiddo will get the opportunity to learn about the beautiful variety of Caribbean fruits that help enrich local cuisine and culture.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

8 and up

While perhaps not an easy read for the more sensitive among us, Esperanza Rising serves as a sobering reminder of what happens when you're separated from the culture that you love. Children will follow along with the story as Esperanza goes from a beautiful life on her family's ranch in Mexico to the struggle to survive a Mexican farm labor camp in California. The novel teaches us that culture can help us rise above difficult circumstances and find our way home-- literally and figuratively.

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

10 and up

The Breadwinner is certainly a book best left to children with a little more age and maturity to their names, but it's worth the wait. The novel explores how a young girl, Parvana, and her mother and sisters struggle to make life work following Parvana's father's arrest. The catch? The women are house-bound under the Taliban's law stating girls and women aren't to enter public on their own. Tweens and teens will be faced head-on with the ugly truth that sometimes, other cultures look different from ours in ways that aren't so pleasant. 

Teaching your kids about cultures other than their own doesn't need to be difficult. Bringing these cultures into your reading routine is an excellent way to make learning about other people and countries a fun, easy, and natural experience. Tell your kids that you're excited to hear about any questions or comments they have once they've set their books down-- you may just be surprised by what you hear. 

Reading books is an excellent way to expose your children to new cultures or deepen their understanding of the ones they already know about. With recent social shifts paving the way for improved cultural diversity in our every day lives, a number of authors and publishers have happily stepped up to the plate and started putting out compelling, meaningful children's books designed to improve cultural awareness.

Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash

How to Raise Your Kids as Global Citizens

"I am a citizen, not of Athens, or Greece, but of the world." — Socrates

As parents, it's our goal to raise children who feel a deep connection to their community — both locally and globally. By raising kids as global citizens, we're not only exposing them to fascinating world cultures, we're also teaching them to be kinder, more compassionate, and more inclusive individuals. Because that's what global citizenship is all about, isn't it? Embracing our part in communities and the wider world while working cooperatively to make this planet a better place for all. 

While these goals may seem lofty, they're certainly achievable — especially for children. In fact, you can easily nurture your kids' natural tendencies towards morality and empathy in a few simple and achievable ways.

What Makes Someone a Global Citizen? And Why Does it Matter?

You don't necessarily have to travel the world to be a global citizen. Rather, a global citizen is someone who recognizes that there are no boundaries to our shared humanity, and that human rights and civic responsibilities transcend our individual cultures, communities, and countries. Global citizens tend to stand behind common goals that benefit everyone, like greater ecological sustainability, human rights, and the end of world poverty.

Obviously, there are many benefits to raising children who think like global citizens. Firstly, kids raised like this will find it easier to be more open and inclusive in social situations. They'll understand that other members of the human community are just like them, which will deepen their empathy and compassion. And when you teach your kids about other cultures and ways of life, you'll help foster in them a lifelong love of learning, education, and curiosity.

Finally, it's more important than ever to prepare kids for a future in which they're comfortable interacting with people of different backgrounds. This sets them up for a lifetime of good citizenship, and even prepares them to pursue careers and educational opportunities in pursuit of the greater good.

5 Ways to Raise Your Kids as Global Citizens

Every family is different, but some of these tips might help your kid on their path to becoming a global citizen:

1. Teach the Core Values: Empathy & Curiosity

Global citizenship requires a person to look outside themselves and their own limited community in order to extend their energy and compassion outwards to others. This requires a healthy knowledge about other peoples and ways of life, which is something your child will naturally want to explore if you encourage them to remain open and curious.

Sometimes children ask questions about other people that they perceive to look or act different from themselves. Instead of shutting these questions down, work with your kid's curiosity by taking the time to explain people's differences — and underlying similarities.

Most importantly, encourage your children to think and act with empathy. Validate your child's emotions ("I see you are feeling frustrated/sad/excited") so that they can identify feelings in themselves. By teaching them the value of their own feelings and emotions, you're setting them up for the next step — extending that compassion and understanding to others. 

2. Read Books on Global Citizenry 

You don't have to go that far to teach your kids about different cultures around the world. In fact, incorporating children's books that celebrate other ways of life is an easy, inexpensive way to expand their horizons. Here are just a few to get started:

• What is Your Language? by Debra Leventhal. Geared for pre-K to second grade children, Leventhal's delightful children's book celebrates music, language, and communities the world over.

• What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers. It's so important to teach your young global citizen about what citizenship actually means, and Dave Eggers' book seeks to do exactly that.

• Babies Around the World by Puck. Looking for something for babies and toddlers? Babies Around the World is a simple and colorful celebration of the world's babies, suitable for little ones.

While books that teach children about diversity as a whole are great, it's also important to find children's books that celebrate specific cultures. If your child is bilingual or learning another language, consider foreign language versions of treasured classics. 

3. Teach Your Child A Foreign Language

"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where it’s people come from and where they are going." ‒Rita Mae Brown

Learning a second language can support your children's development in so many ways: it helps keep their brains active and sharp, boosts memory, and improves listening skills. 

When it comes to supporting young global citizens, learning a second language can also create a powerful connection to another culture. Understanding a foreign language helps foster a deeper connection to another culture's art, music, literature, and lifestyle. And when you can communicate with another person in their native tongue, you improve social connections and enrich relationships with others.

In addition, learning a foreign language sets your children up for future educational opportunity, internships, jobs, or initiatives that involve speaking a different language. If they want to make a global difference as adult citizens, a bilingual background will help them reach their goals.

4. Set Goals to Travel as Often as Possible

Of course, almost nothing can beat travel as a way to support your children on their way to becoming global citizens. Not only is travel a fun and enriching experience for the entire family, it offers children a way to immerse themselves in another culture. Make sure you get creative while traveling:

• Visit playgrounds and parks so your child can play with other children

• Go to museums and events that highlight culture

• Engage openly and respectfully with the people that you meet, encouraging your kids to do the same

• Enjoy local cuisine, art, and music 

More than anything, it's important to bring your curiosity with you when you travel. Encourage your children to remain open to learning about a culture from the individuals who live in that culture daily. Often, the most important traveling experiences won't take place in a museum — they'll happen in a local marketplace or on line at a cafe.

5. Explore Your Community: Art, Music, and Volunteerism

If international travel isn't necessarily in your budget — or you simply want to take advantage of opportunities close to your home, then you might find that your community is a surprisingly rich place to teach your kids about the world at large. To get started:

• Check with your local library to see if they have any upcoming classes, workshops, or events celebrating diversity or world culture

• Scan your local news outlets for any parades or events that highlight a particular culture in your area

• Many universities have multicultural events and resources; check out the schedule of events at your nearest institute of higher education

• Keep an eye out for the arts: any upcoming international musical festivals or art exhibits upcoming in your area?

• Celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity every May 21st with your family

Volunteer. Celebrating art, music, and dance is an incredible way to connect with your larger community. However, one of the best ways to explore your community while strengthening the key values of global citizenry is to volunteer with your children. Even elementary-age children are mature enough to visit a local nursing home, clean up your local community, or participate in a food drive. Volunteering helps them understand how their individual actions can make a difference in the world at large — and helps them see the value in global citizenry.

Get Started Today

Children have a unique and incredible ability to absorb new information, develop their neural pathways, and strengthen their compassion and empathy. By exposing your children to other cultures, teaching them to learn a new language, and celebrating multiculturalism in your community — you can help raise your child as a true global citizen. 

The Edge of Extinction

What do snow leopards, African wild dogs, black rhinos, and the Arikara language of the North Dakotan indigenous people have in common? They are all endangered. Just as species’ extinctions threaten the food chain and thereby the ecosystem, language extinctions hurt cultural diversity and thereby our society. To best understand the harsh reality of language extinction, we should investigate some statistics. While differentiating between unique languages and dialects, or just variations of the same language, is very difficult, researchers agree there are between 5,000-7,000+ languages alive today. Studies project that up to 50% of these languages will die out by the end of the century. Some even say the figure is higher at 80%, That is one language dying every few months! This slow and steady leak of linguistic and cultural diversity must be plugged for the sake of our children gaining the exposure to different thoughts and ways of life- exposure that stimulates appreciation and innovation. Admittedly, we, here at Little Pim, do not teach endangered languages, nor have we discussed them in prior blogs. We do, however, always hope to impart that a language is:

• Powerful in the classroom, in the workplace, and on the street
• Empowering in its ability to help cultivate creativity, cultural awareness, problem-solving skills, and pride in one’s roots
• Effectively important to personal and societal growth

In spreading this message in the past (as we will continue to do in the future), we hopefully indirectly made the case for the preservation of dying languages. Additionally, in teaching what are currently actively used languages, we aim to prevent their downfall into the endangered category one day. Yet, today, in this article, we will take a firmer stand for endangered languages, giving them a voice that might otherwise soon be taken away. It is with this voice that endangered languages might return from the edge of extinction.

It is with power in numbers that we can spread the word and reach someone in a position to change an endangered language’s course, so share this if you like the rest of the article. I will explain how we classify levels of endangerment, expound on why you and your family should care, and share what YOU can do to create a better future in which we maintain cultural diversity and awareness.

How do we know when a language is dead?

There are two main measurements of a language’s vitality, the number of speakers and the number of avenues of use.

Number of Speakers

Many languages can be said to have few speakers, but the word “few” is loose and open to interpretation. Determining the exact number of speakers of a language, however, allows linguists to be specific in distinguishing between levels of endangerment. Arikara, which you may recall is in our backyard in North Dakota, is a critically endangered language, with only 3 speakers still alive while the Cherokee language spoken in Oklahoma is classified as a vulnerable language, with only 1,000 speakers.

Number of Functions

The number of functions a language takes on, whether that be in prayer, in scripture, in school, in ceremonies, etc. can quantitatively represent a language’s vitality, because the more sectors of life the language is involved in, the more spoken it must be, and the more it veers away from the edge of extinction.

Some other factors linguists consider with regards to a language’s vitality are the age range of speakers, the number of speakers adopting a second language, the population size of the ethnic group the language is connected to, and the rate of migration into and out of the epicenter of the language.

Why do we care?

In history, conquered civilizations have had to adopt the language of their conqueror in order to fit into their social structure and economy. This is the case because language is so integral to a culture. From writing literature, carrying out rituals and practicing religion to voting in elections, all the human interactions associated with a culture involve written or spoken word. Effectively when a language dies, the culture associated with it dwindles away as well. If 50%-90% of languages die within the century, 50%-90% of existing cultures will likely die as well.

Many of these cultures that will die out only possess oral histories, so we will lose out on the knowledge they have gained from years and years of experience. Even if some of the cultures whose languages die have been documented, without active speakers, their thoughts and practices will likely be left behind in favor of the ones possessed by the dominant cultures and languages. Accordingly, our future society will lack in a diversity of thought and practice due to a lack of cultural diversity. Not only do we lose diversity of culture and thereby thought when languages die, but also when people conform to speaking one language, as is the case with English in the business world. If we continue along this path, we will become a monolingual, culturally homogenous society. In such a society, people might communicate efficiently because they speak the same language, but creativity would be strangled and progress slowed.

What can we do about it?

To prevent the fate of becoming a uniform society, we must recognize that cultural exchange is a two-way street. People speaking endangered languages are learning other languages to be able to interact with members of their extended community. While it may be hard for us to learn endangered languages, we can educate ourselves on which ones are endangered and why, learn about the cultures the endangered languages are from, and encourage their preservation. For example, the Arikara people were originally a semi-nomadic community that expertly harvested corn and tobacco. This mastery of the land gave way to power over other groups living in the plains until smallpox hit. Would this knowledge of the land past on from generation to generation in their language be lost in translation if the language died? Time will unfortunately tell.

Moreover, to avoid one major language from pushing out the others in the future, English-speaking people could learn other languages to communicate with non-English-speaking people, tapping into a whole wealth of knowledge they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. We cannot become complacent just because English is the “language of business.” Little Pim can open your child’s eyes to these other languages and vibrant cultures in the click of a button… literally. Check out our new iOS app!

Live in a Spanish-speaking community? Try our Spanish for Kids program.

Want to know more than the words for French foods on the bistro menu? Try our French for Kids program.

Works Cited:

https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/what-endangered-language

https://www.ethnologue.com/endangered-languages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_endangered_languages_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arikara

Featured Photo by Mark Rasmuson on Unsplash

10 Words English Speakers Are Missing Out On

Uh um eh. We often find ourselves tripping on our words. This inability to articulate our thoughts can be the unfortunate side effect of nerves when addressing a crowd, discomfort talking to a stranger, or tiredness after a late night. However, it’s not always our fault at all. In fact, the English language is missing some words to succinctly describe a situation or feeling. Below is a list of just 10 of these words in foreign languages that efficiently express sentence-long concepts in English. Fun fact: the concepts that the English language doesn’t have words to describe are often unpopular, unaccepted or previously non-existent in our culture, which reveals how critical a role culture plays in language evolution. You may not want to integrate these words into your daily English conversation, but they are perfect for trivia or an icebreaker and they shed light on the power of language to provide speakers with the agency to voice thoughts.

1. German: kummerspeck

Ever drown your sorrows in chocolates after a heartbreak or dive into a pint of ice cream after a cruel day at the office? If you have fallen victim to the emotion-induced indulgence and seen progress in your cookie pack instead of six-pack, you can probably relate to this word, which directly translates to mean “grief bacon.”

2. Japanese: wabi sabi

In English, we sometimes call things “perfectly imperfect.” The Japanese have eloquently expounded on this oxymoron by giving a name to the ability to find the beauty in flaws and to accept life’s cyclic nature of growth and decay. American singer Lana Del Ray’s “Young and Beautiful” asks “Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?” and is therefore somewhat of an ode to this this subject matter.

3. French: seigneur-terraces

In Starbucks, you can always spot the people who haven’t bought a lot but are really just there to hang out, read a book, research for a paper, answer emails, or just kinda people watch. You know who you are. Well, the French have ingeniously come up with a word to describe these individuals who should owe rent to the coffee shop.

4. Italian: slampadato

The girl or guy at the party who is just a little bit too orange for comfort and definitely owns a membership to the tanning salon is perfectly described by this one word.

5. Mexican Spanish: pena ajena

Overhearing the silence after a colleague makes a bad joke to a group of coworkers or watching on as a woman in heels trips down the steps to the subway can cause you to cringe yourself. This discomfort born of others’ actions and the natural human urge to sympathize is described by this Spanish expression. While there was never a way to describe this feeling in English, kids today have come up with the phrase “second-hand embarrassment.” This goes to show how our language is evolving to fill holes that other languages filled long ago.

6. Russian: toska

Friend: “Are you okay?”

You: “Not really.”

Friend: “What’s wrong?”

You: “I don’t know.”

Such a conversation might ensue when you feel an emptiness or lack of fulfillment that can’t be attached to anything specifically. You might desire something without knowing what that something is.  We have all experienced it, but most of us bottle it up or sweep it under the rug, because it’s hard to communicate to those we trust and/or love. The Russians have crated a solution to this problem by having a word to describe this feeling.

7. Arabic: ya’aburnee

If you were assigned the task to write a paper analyzing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this Arabic word, meaning the desire to die before someone else, because life without him or her would be too difficult, could prove useful.

8. Portuguese: saudade

When your child loses his or her favorite stuffed animal to the devastating toilet plunge, he or she is suffering from this feeling: a yearning for something or someone that has been lost.

9. Chinese: yuan bei

The deal you have been staffed to at your job, the deal whose pitch you spent sleepless nights writing, you ran by seventeen different superiors, you revised thousands of times, and you cried about more than you would like to admit, just closed. That inexplicable sense of pride in yourself and the perfection of your work is no longer inexplicable thanks to this Chinese word.

10. Korean: dapjeongneo

When you ask your significant other, “Does this piece of clothing make me look fat?” or “Do you even think I’m pretty/handsome?” There is only one acceptable answer. If you have ever been on the receiving end of those questions, you know that. This concept of there being a “correct” answer that a person has no choice but to give has its own recently added word in Korean but no English counterpart as of yet.

Works Cited:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/more-languages-better-brain/381193/

http://mentalfloss.com/article/50698/38-wonderful-foreign-words-we-could-use-english

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-01/emotions-which-there-are-no-english-words-infographic

https://www.google.com/amp/s/matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesomely-untranslatable-words-from-around-the-world/amp/

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170126-the-untranslatable-emotions-you-never-knew-you-had

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lingholic.com/15-untranslatable-words-wish-existed-english/amp/

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Happy Russian Language Day!

Russian Language Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 2010, is observed annually on June 6th. It also coincides with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin (6 June 1799 – 10 February 1837), a Russian poet who is considered the father of modern Russian literature. Celebrate today by introducing your child to the Russian language with the help of Little Pim! Watch Little Pim, the Panda say the Russian words for all sorts of foods!

Did you know that Russian is spoken by almost 280 million people worldwide? It is the 5th most frequently spoken language in the world! The official language of the former Soviet Union, it is still spoken in 15 European and Asian countries. International political developments and growing business opportunities with multinational companies have led to increased demand for Russian speaking employees and experts, and thus, increased opportunities for Russian speakers.

Little Pim Russian helps children develop the unique speaking and listening skills necessary for learning the language.

Interested in more Russian Language Videos for Kids? Shop now and save 30% with code DISCOVERY on our website: www.littlepim.com

Girls' Day Festival in Japan

Strawberry Daifuku Mochi recipe from Just One Cookbook

Girls' Day or "Hinamatsuri" in Japan is celebrated annually on March 3rd for the health and wellbeing of young girls. This special day is also known as "Doll's Day" as families who have girls display ornate dolls (hina dolls or hina-ningyō) atop a 7-tiered platform covered with red carpet starting in February until March 3rd. Each step represents a layer of society from the Heian period in Japan. The dolls are traditionally dressed in court attire according to the period and represent the Japanese Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians. In many cases, these dolls are passed down for generations from a grandmother to mother to daughter.  The origin of this festival dates back to over 1,000 years ago during the Heian period (794-1192).

In addition to displaying the dolls, the Japanese also celebrate by preparing and eating foods of the Spring season and of

pink color. For fun recipes to celebrate Girls' Day at home, check out this post from Just One Cookbook. The website features recipes for the special foods prepared for the festival, such as chirashi sushi, clam soup, and strawberry daifuku.

The strawberry daifuku sounds delicious, especially for those with a sweet-tooth and a perfect recipe to celebrate springtime!

Other fun activities to do with your kids to celebrate and learn about Girls' Day are origami crafts. Follow the steps on this website to create your own Origami Kusudama Flower or watch this YouTube video below to create your own Girls' Day origami dolls!

Have fun introducing your little ones to world cultures and celebrations! If you're celebrating today, share your creations with us using the hashtag #littlepim on Instagram, Twitter or tag us on Facebook. Thanks for reading!

Teaching your child Japanese? Little Pim's Japanese Complete Set opens the door to over 180 basic words and phrases.

The Benefits of Starting Early: Why Your Kids Need to Learn Another Language Now

Our world is no longer constrained by the borders on a map. It has become increasingly global in every realm from business to social relationships. For a child to flourish in this new and diverse climate, it's important that they get multilingual exposure and begin learning a foreign language before age 6 to experience the most benefits. In most non-English-speaking nations, particularly in Europe; instruction in another language is mandatory. Not only are children taught a second language, but they are often are raised in an environment where they are exposed to multiple languages; necessitating the acquisition of multiple tongues.

In places such as Switzerland and Belgium, there are many recognized languages and dialects, and therefore it is not uncommon for someone to speak three or four different languages. Meanwhile, the vast majority of English-speaking countries have no national mandate for teaching children a second language.

In the United States, foreign language instruction is lacking. According to an article in The Atlantic, only 1% of American adults were proficient in a foreign language. Many aren't exposed to a foreign language until their college years.

The United States isn't the only nation that fails to expose students to foreign languages at a critical age. According to Arlene Harris in her article, Learning the Lingo: Taking up a Foreign Language Before We're 3?; Ireland "lags behind the rest of Europe and should be starting kids off before they're 3."

It is a predominately western problem, perhaps because we are leaving an era dominated by English-speaking business and culture. With the advent of the Internet, success has spread in every direction; including eastward, with the future of industry looking strongly toward Asia and the Pacific. Children must learn languages early to stay ahead of the competition.

Most countries in Europe begin language instruction around the age of seven or earlier. It's not only possible, but beneficial for the budding mind. According to Dr. David Carey, "“All The children can learn another language at an early age [...] [The] young brain, before the age of 5, is able to learn to speak another language without developing an accent — to speak it like a native."

Starting language learning early has documented benefits. The childhood brain is elastic and able to learn and retain a multitude of information that someone in their early 20's would struggle with. It's been documented that it's easier for children to learn a second language than adults, so why wait until college to begin learning such an important skill? Exposing your children early is critical, and Little Pim has the resources you need to get them going!