Lesson #2

Today we had lesson #2 for our Ethiopia 101. We tackled learning about clothing, housing, family life, and common professions. First off, we all sat around the computer and watched a couple of videos on YouTube - one was called "Faces of Ethiopia" and the other, "My house in Ethiopia." It was cool to see the beautiful diversity of people and to see first-hand where one family lives. Then we read a few excerpts from these books we found at our local library:

Continent in the Balance: Africa/Ethiopia, by Jim Corrigan
Modern World Nations: Ethiopia, by Carol Ann Gillespie
Enchantment of the World: Ethiopia, by Dennis Brindell Fradin
Cultures of the World: Ethiopia, by Steven Gish

This time around, I wanted the kids to tell one thing they learned from our little class:

Ellie: "I learned that there's also mansions in Ethiopia!"
We learned about the variety of Ethiopian houses, ranging from one-room houses, stone houses, apartment buildings, and luxurious villas.

Josie: "I learned that the fireplaces in their homes are kind of shaped like rainbows!"
We learned that although housing styles vary greatly by region and ethic group, in the countryside, cooking is done in a fireplace in the middle of the house. (And it does kind of look like a rainbow from a certain angle!)

Maggie: "I learned that they make lots of clothes in the city."
We learned that about 90% of Ethiopians make their living from the land (farming crops and raising livestock), but in the city manufacturing textiles is also one of Ethiopia's most important industries.

Miles: "Some kids' parents died in Ethiopia..." (OK, we didn't talk about this today, but it must've been something that stuck with him when talking about orphans. His favorite part today hands down was sticking sticks and coffee beans in the playdough we used to make the fireplace.) :)

Me: I think one of the things that stuck out most to me is the importance of family in Ethiopia. Sometimes families are nuclear - dad, mom, and kids, and sometimes they're multi-generational. The families tend to be patriarchal, elders are shown great respect, and children are given small responsibilities and chores at about age 5.

So today the kids made a little diorama (I think that's the right word.) They were able to incorporate what they learned about traditional Ethiopian dress (and made their own with Ross' old T-shirt), farming, and the look of some homes in the countryside. (There's just typically not two Barbie-ish moms making injera at the same time.) ha ha Here's what they came up with: