With the number of languages being spoken at home exceeding 400, it’s no surprise that Australia is a country thriving with cultural diversity. Children are naturally curious and begin to notice different races, ethnicities, and languages from as young as six months of age. With so many cultures making up our beautiful country, where do you even start in terms of introducing your children to them?
Cultural diversity is defined as people who identify with particular groups based on their place of birth, ethnicity, beliefs, or country of origin. Introducing kids to different countries and cultures from a young age and explaining the way things work in different parts of the world can help them better understand and celebrate different cultures and people, and any similarities that may be shared. Exposing your kids to different cultures may sound tricky, but it can be worked into your daily routine by incorporating simple and fun activities that you can do together.
Incorporating Cultural Diversity
• Reading stories together – Reading together with your children has a huge range of benefits and helps with the development of literacy and language skills. Pick a book with a topic about a culture different to your own.
• World map – If you don’t already have a map of the world, now’s the time to buy one and hang it on the wall! Use it to explore the countries together with your child. Explain to them what the climate is like there, what people eat there, and what animals live there – your little ones will have many questions and this map will help put the world and its cultures into perspective.
• Cook authentic recipes – Teriyaki chicken, beef tacos and butter chicken curry are just a few authentic recipes that are both easy to prepare and loved by kids. As a plus for you, you can find easy-to-prepare simmer sauces and seasonings for many of these recipes in most supermarkets.
• Learn cultural etiquettes – This one is more suitable for older children. Cultural etiquettes are interesting to learn even if you don’t plan to travel to the country in question, and it may take you by surprise how different table manners or gestures can be in other cultures.
• Money – If you’ve done some travelling in the past yourself and collected foreign money over the years, invite your kids to count or play with it. Don’t have any foreign money? Play-money works, too.
• Observe holidays – Many countries and cultures observe different holidays than Australia. Why not do a little bit of research and discover the holidays celebrated in other countries?
• Learn the language – Of course, you don’t have to learn the entire language, but learning simple phrases like “I love you” in another language can be educational and fun to learn.
Discovering Culture in Townsville
Museum of Tropical Queensland
One fantastic way to introduce older children to other cultures is to bring them to the museum. The Museum of Tropical Queensland showcases a State Cultures and Histories collection which is comprised of objects which are significant to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including masks, jewellery, musical instruments, and more. As you pass by the exhibits, take some time to stop and read the stories attached to these historic items.
Townsville Cultural Festival
Hosted by the Townsville Intercultural Centre, this event takes place in year in August at James Cook University, featuring rides, on-stage entertainment, traditional food stalls, and much more for the whole family to enjoy.
The event is child-friendly and an ideal way to discover the cultures of the world in a fun way, with family entertainment being provided all day long.
Townsville’s Street Art Walking Trail
One fantastic way to introduce your kids to culture is taking them for a stroll around the city to marvel at the beautiful artworks that paint the walls all around. Many of these works were completed by artists from all over Australia and even the world. Pieces such as Girroogul and the Soap Tree and Wulgurukaba and Bindal can be found in Townsville’s CBD, and tell a story as well as taking your breath away.
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
If your family enjoys art, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery makes a fantastic outing. The City of Townsville Art Collection showcases a range of views, narratives, and ideas from national and international artists. The multicultural collection features work from Australian Indigenous, European, Melanesian and other worldwide cultures. One of the main aims of this collection is to educate, enrich, and
Mungalla Aboriginal Tours
Learn about the rich Nywaigi Aboriginal culture at Mungalla station. This is an educational and informative day out, though it would be more suitable for families with older children. Examine artefacts, try your hand at throwing a boomerang, and visit the homestead. Hear stories from the traditional owners of the land and enjoy a tour of the region and its rich historical and cultural history.
Townsville has a number of multicultural organisations and clubs to bring people together and celebrate their culture.
Townsville also has a huge range of restaurants offering cuisines from all around the world. Why not step out of your comfort zone and try something new? Some options around Townsville include Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Italian, French, Pakistani, Greek, and more. If your kids are picky or reluctant to try something new, start off with dishes that are kid-friendly such as ramen, spring rolls, quesadillas, or spaghetti, to name a few. You may be delighted to discover something new that your child loves.
Next time you’re not sure what to cook, read, or where to take the family this weekend – consider exploring a different culture and opening the minds of your kids to the many wonderful and diverse communities of the world!
Kwa kuwa kuna lugha zaidi ya 400 zinazozungumzwa nchini Australia, haishangazi kwamba nchi hiyo ina utamaduni mbalimbali. Watoto ni wenye udadisi wa asili na huanza kuona jamii, makabila, na lugha tofauti-tofauti kuanzia umri wa miezi sita. Kwa kuwa kuna tamaduni nyingi katika nchi yetu, ni wapi pa kuanza kuwajulisha watoto wako? Utofauti wa kitamaduni hufafanuliwa kama watu ambao hujitambulisha na vikundi fulani kulingana na mahali pao pa kuzaliwa, kabila, imani, au nchi ya asili. Kuwajulisha watoto nchi na tamaduni tofauti tangu utotoni na kuwaeleza jinsi mambo yanavyofanya kazi katika sehemu tofauti za ulimwengu kunaweza kuwasaidia kuelewa na kusherehekea tamaduni na watu tofauti, na kufanana yoyote ambayo inaweza kugawanywa. Kuwajulisha watoto wako utamaduni tofauti kunaweza kuonekana kuwa jambo gumu, lakini unaweza kufanya hivyo kwa kutumia shughuli rahisi na zenye kufurahisha ambazo mnaweza kufanya pamoja. Kuingiza utofauti wa kitamaduni • Kusoma hadithi pamoja <unk> Kusoma pamoja na watoto wako ina faida nyingi na husaidia katika maendeleo ya ujuzi wa kusoma na kuandika na ujuzi wa lugha. Chagua kitabu kinachohusu utamaduni tofauti na wako. • Ramani ya ulimwengu <unk> Kama bado huna ramani ya dunia, sasa ni wakati wa kununua moja na kushikilia juu ya ukuta! Tumia programu hii kugundua nchi na watoto wako. Waeleze hali ya hewa huko, watu hula nini, na wanyama wanaishi wapi - watoto wako watakuwa na maswali mengi na ramani hii itasaidia kuweka ulimwengu na tamaduni zake katika mtazamo. • Kupika mapishi halisi <unk> Teriyaki kuku, nyama ya ng'ombe tacos na siagi ya kuku siagi ni mapishi machache halisi ambayo ni rahisi kutayarisha na kupendwa na watoto. Kwa upande mwingine, unaweza kupata mchuzi na viungo vya kupikia rahisi kwa mapishi haya katika maduka makubwa. • Jifunze adabu za kitamaduni <unk> Hii inafaa zaidi kwa watoto wakubwa. Tabia za kitamaduni ni za kuvutia kujifunza hata kama huna mpango wa kusafiri kwenda nchi inayohusika, na inaweza kukushangaza jinsi tabia tofauti za meza au ishara zinaweza kuwa katika tamaduni zingine. • Pesa <unk> Kama umefanya baadhi ya kusafiri katika siku za nyuma mwenyewe na kukusanya fedha za kigeni kwa miaka, kuwakaribisha watoto wako kuhesabu au kucheza na hayo. Je, huna fedha za kigeni? Pesa za kuigiza hufanya kazi pia. • Kushika sikukuu <unk> Nchi nyingi na tamaduni hushika sikukuu tofauti na Australia. Kwa nini usichunguze kidogo na kugundua sikukuu zinazosherehekewa katika nchi nyingine? • Jifunze lugha <unk> Bila shaka, huna kujifunza lugha nzima, lakini kujifunza misemo rahisi kama <unk>Ninakupenda<unk> katika lugha nyingine inaweza kuwa ya elimu na furaha kujifunza. Jumba la Makumbusho la Townsville la Queensland ya Tropical ni moja ya makumbusho ya kihistoria ya Australia. Jumba la Makumbusho la Tropical Queensland linaonyesha Mkusanyiko wa Utamaduni na Historia ya Jimbo, ambayo inajumuisha vitu ambavyo ni muhimu kwa watu wa asili na Torres Strait Islander, pamoja na vinyago, vito vya muziki, na zaidi. Unapopita karibu na vitu vilivyoonyeshwa, chukua wakati wa kusikiliza na kusoma hadithi zinazohusiana na vitu hivyo vya kihistoria. Tamasha la Utamaduni la Townsville, linaloandaliwa na Kituo cha Utamaduni cha Townsville, hufanyika kila mwaka mnamo Agosti katika Chuo Kikuu cha James Cook, na ina matembezi, burudani kwenye jukwaa, vibanda vya chakula cha jadi, na mengi zaidi kwa familia nzima kufurahia. Tukio hilo ni la kirafiki kwa watoto na njia bora ya kugundua tamaduni za ulimwengu kwa njia ya kufurahisha, na burudani ya familia itatolewa siku nzima. Njia ya kutembea ya sanaa ya mitaani ya Townsville Njia moja nzuri ya kuwajulisha watoto wako utamaduni ni kuwapeleka kutembea kuzunguka jiji ili kushangazwa na kazi nzuri za sanaa ambazo huchora kuta zote. Kazi nyingi kati ya hizo zilikamilishwa na wasanii kutoka Australia yote na hata ulimwenguni pote. Sehemu kama vile Girroogul na Mti wa Sabuni na Wulgurukaba na Bindal zinaweza kupatikana katika CBD ya Townsville, na kusimulia hadithi na kuchukua pumzi yako. Perc Tucker Regional Gallery Ikiwa familia yako inafurahia sanaa, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery hufanya safari ya ajabu. Mkusanyiko wa Sanaa wa Jiji la Townsville unaonyesha maoni mbalimbali, hadithi, na mawazo kutoka kwa wasanii wa kitaifa na kimataifa. Mkusanyiko wa kitamaduni una kazi kutoka Australia Asili, Ulaya, Melanesian na tamaduni nyingine duniani kote. Moja ya malengo makuu ya mkusanyiko huu ni kuelimisha, kutajirisha, na Mungalla Aboriginal Tours Jifunze juu ya utamaduni tajiri wa Nywaigi Aboriginal katika kituo cha Mungalla. Hii ni siku ya elimu na habari nje, ingawa ingekuwa bora zaidi kwa familia na watoto wakubwa. Chunguza vitu vya kale, jaribu kutupa boomerang, na utembelee shamba hilo. Sikiliza hadithi kutoka kwa wamiliki wa jadi wa ardhi na ufurahie ziara ya mkoa na historia yake tajiri ya kihistoria na kitamaduni. Townsville ina idadi ya mashirika ya kitamaduni na vilabu kuleta watu pamoja na kusherehekea utamaduni wao. Townsville pia ina aina kubwa ya migahawa inayotoa vyakula kutoka duniani kote. Kwa nini usiondoke katika eneo lako la starehe na kujaribu jambo jipya? Baadhi ya chaguzi karibu Townsville ni pamoja na Kichina, Kijapani, Kihindi, Thai, Kiitaliano, Kifaransa, Pakistani, Kigiriki, na zaidi. Ikiwa watoto wako ni wenye kuchagua au hawapendi kujaribu kitu kipya, anza na sahani zinazofaa watoto kama vile ramen, rolls za majira ya kuchipua, quesadillas, au spaghetti, kwa majina machache. Unaweza kufurahi kujua jambo jipya ambalo mtoto wako anapenda. Wakati mwingine wewe si uhakika nini kupika, kusoma, au ambapo kuchukua familia hii mwishoni mwa wiki <unk> kufikiria kuchunguza utamaduni tofauti na kufungua akili ya watoto wako kwa jamii nyingi ya ajabu na mbalimbali ya dunia!