What To Do This Weekend - Explore & Support Other Cultures

This weekend, there are two fabulous opportunities to explore & support other cultures and share the delights of the world with our children!

First of all, like many folks, I have been glued to the TV and its images of the devastation in Japan this past week. My heart aches for the people affected and for those who worry for friends and family in the region. When such disasters strike, we want to help and reach out, but don't always know how. Tomorrow, March 18th, from 9-4,the Japanese Student Society will be holding a fundraiser for Japan, hosted by three Japanese women living here in Newfoundland. They plan to  give out origami cranes or flowers to all who donate on-site, with funds going to the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts. There will also be a cloth decorated with a Canadian Maple leaf in the middle where people can write messages to the victims (it will be sent to Japan at the end of the month). Not only is this a wonderful initiative to help those affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami, it will  also help your children identify with the people and culture of Japan and connect in a concrete way with the donation they are making! For more information, check out this article from The Independent. 

On Sunday, from 2-4 PM, at various stations through out the public spaces in The Rooms, families can explore firsthand the games played all over the world! This is part of  Sharing Our Cultures, an educational and multicultural project The Rooms is participating in as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Through game-play, children will be able to learn about different cultures, what they eat, how they dress, and get a feel for customs and traditions. More information is available at http://www.sharingourcultures.ca/ or through the link to The Rooms in the sidebar.... check it out! I am sure you will be as excited as I am!

Also this weekend:

• Spring officially starts on Sunday, March 20th!
• Why not do some Spring Cleaning with the kids, then get a head start on Earth Hour (next week!!!) by dropping off your old books to be recycled at the Book Blitz stations at the Arts and Culture Centre & Pearltown Rd Lester’s Farms? And for extra Spring Celebration, use those old magazine you come across to make paper flowers with the kids! (Start with a square, fold in half 4 times until you have another square, cut semi-circle from one folded edge to another, open up for a petal shape.... string several together onto a pipe cleaner, arrange to look like flower. Done.)
• So you think you've got talent? is a free event featuring local kids at Holy Heart Theatre. Visit their website (sidebar) for details.
• Why not take in a movie with the family? There's lots to choose from this weekend: Rango, Gnomeo & Juliet, and Mars Needs Moms, or, if your DD has Bieber Fever, and hasn't seen it yet, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is still playing ;-)

Have a good one, People!

For details on events in & around town, check my calendar regularly! It is on the bottom of every page, or click Events Calendar in the navigation bar :-) The Tely Go Guide is also a good source.