Holiday Gift Guide For Children

HERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL GIFT IDEAS FOR CHILDREN THAT CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

We don’t let our four year old watch too much television.  When I heard about The Global Wonders DVD s, I was excited to let him watch these videos because they celebrate diversity and cultural awareness. The Global Wonders series currently features four DVD s that are aimed at children. They currently have “Around the World,” “Mexico,” “India,” and “African-American.” Created by the former Executive Producer for Disney’s “Baby Einstein”, the videos opens children s eyes and ears to the worlds of various cultures through food, playing games, vocabulary and traditions.

Global Wonders discs provide preschoolers with continuous music and colorful images, along with plenty of kid laughter and giggles. If you are looking for a fun and different Christmas gift for your children, Global Wonders will not only teach them about the beauty of different cultures in our world, but will engage them with the colorful animation and songs. They also include “real” footage of various places and things from each culture. My four year old was truly engaged throughout the thirty minute videos. I highly recommend them! You can find the videos at major retailers like Target, Toys ‘R’ Us and on Amazon.com. The videos cost around $18 each. You can view a preview of the videos here. They will have more DVD’s coming in 2009, so make sure you sign up for their newsletter for special promotions.   You can receive discounts on the videos by registering at www.GlobalWonders.com.

Now that 45 percent of U.S. children under age 5 are part of a minority group, and as Americans become more attuned to their heritage and less likely to speak only English, demand is increasing for culturally relevant ethnic dolls and products for Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and increasingly Central and Eastern European Americans, (CEEA).

JamboKids ethnic dolls and adventure storybook characters represent a range of cultures — Asian, African, African American, Hispanic, North American, and Russian — reflecting the growing cultural diversity of U.S. society. Through their adventures, JamboKids ethnic dolls inspire kids to appreciate differences in others. The dolls are absolutely darling. My four year old and I read the story about Luz, who was adopted from Guatemala. In the book, we learned about the culture where she was born. The story told us about the Mya civilization and the art of weaving, opening up a whole new world to my son. The pictures and the story in the book kept him entertained. JamboKids ethnic dolls and books give parents, grandparents, and caregivers an opportunity to cuddle up and bond with their kids and give them the attention they crave. They also help stimulate interest in reading, enhance language skills, promote one-on-one communication, build attention spans and listening skills, and encourage a child’s curiosity, creativity, and imagination. JamboKids would make a wonderful Christmas gift for any child. You can purchase them at www.jambokids.com. They are having a 10% off sale right now just in time for Christmas! They are also available at other retailers including Target.

Since 1946 Ten Thousand Villages has supported the work of literally tens of thousands of artisans in over 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, making them one the largest fair trade organizations in North America. The company has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car to over 145 retail stores where quality, eclectic personal accessories, gifts and home decor can be purchased. As a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association, Ten Thousand Villages continually strives to improve the lives of artisans in developing countries through the expansion of fair trade. Ten Thousand Villages encourages its artisan partners to use environmentally friendly processes, sustainable natural resources and recycled materials to ensure each product offered has been crafted responsibly. A Christmas gift purchased from Ten Thousand Villages would be a unique gift for someone on your list,  as well as a gift for the artisans.  For instance Jacaranda Workshop, a nonprofit organization located in Nairobi, Kenya, provides employment, training and other assistance to artisans with mental or physical disabilities. In addition to employment, Jacaranda provides artisans with financial assistance for housing and bus fare, lunch on site, salary supplements for artisans with severe disabilities, and medical assistance to those artisans from very poor backgrounds. Jacaranda encourages artisans to develop savings plans. You can read more about the artisans from all over the world here, they are truly inspiring stories. There are many beautiful gifts available, in all price ranges,  for anyone on your list.  You can purchase them at www.tenthousandvillages.com.  Some products available for purchase include:

Batiked Dakon Game

Dakon is a traditional game from Java similar to mancala, traditionally played with seeds, nuts, pebbles or shells. Here the game is tucked inside a batik-painted wooden fish. Metal-hinged fish opens to reveal dakon board with 12 holes. Shell playing pieces come in a small bag with instructions. Hand carved from Javanese pule wood by Indonesian Artisans.

Tic-Tac-Toe Dolls

Wooden tic-tac-toe game features 2 teams of richly colored dolls in a stick grid. Artisans turn these dolls and sticks on a lathe, then finish them with vegetable dye lacquers. The cooled lacquer is pulled like taffy into thin flat strips and applied to the item spinning on the lathe. They are made by Artisans in India.

Hand-painted Parrot Kite

Splash the sky with color when this hand-painted nylon parrot kite takes to the air. Created by artisans working with Jalak Bali workshop in Indonesia, named after an endangered indigenous bird in Bali. From the Balinese tradition of flying kites after the harvest.