Kids take holiday spin around globe
Kids in Spokane didn’t have far to go to get a taste of the world Saturday.
From Japanese origami to Russian piroshki, they found it all in town at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
For three hours, more than 200 kids gathered at the museum for a celebration of world cultures – an opportunity to see, hear, touch and even taste the numerous ways people observe the holidays around the globe.
Children of all ages along with their parents were able to jump from one continent to another simply by taking part in hands-on activities put together by museum volunteers and people from Spokane’s various ethnic communities.
While checking out the toys, holiday decorations and bunads – traditional costumes – from Norway, kids also got a bite of lefse, a soft Scandinavian flatbread made of potatoes, cream and lots of butter. Esther Anderson and Arley-Ann Hodneland, local members of the Sons of Norway, put the display together by gathering some of their own family heirlooms and other items they’ve brought back from trips to Scandinavia.
Just a few feet away, Japanese students from Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute showed the children the art of origami. Together, they folded colorful square pieces of paper into birds, frogs, Christmas stockings and other shapes.
More arts and crafts were offered downstairs on the museum’s education level as kids learned how to make paper lotus flowers from China, gift tags with a Kwanzaa theme and Hanukkah menorahs made out of felt. Heather Meng and other members of the Spokane Chinese Association created more than 150 intricate lotus flowers for the celebration. Each bore a tag that explained the flower’s significance: “In Chinese culture, lotus flowers are symbols of highly virtuous individuals …”
There was also more food – candy and treats from China, as well as cranberry-stuffed piroshkis – deep-fried pastries cooked on the spot by Tatyana Bistrevsky. She and others from Spokane’s large Slavic-speaking community also handed out fliers explaining how New Year and Christmas are celebrated in Ukraine and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
“My kids are having a ball,” said Doug Johnson of Spokane, who watched as his two children – 5-year-old Willow and 7-year-old Cannon – learned how to make origami figures. “I love the way it’s so hands-on.”
Christie Ingersoll, who has traveled all over the world, appreciated the way the event honored global traditions. “It’s great to expose kids to different cultures,” she said.
Known as MACFest, the museum offers these gatherings each month for families with young children. While Saturday’s event focused on world cultures, previous MACFests this year featured activities based on the fur trade era, as well as on the animals and geysers of Yellowstone National Park. Future events will explore American Indian basket weaving, papier mache artwork and Spokane history.
People sometimes think that museums are designed strictly for adults, but that’s not true at the MAC, said Kris Major, the museum’s curator of education.
“This is certainly a place to bring children,” she said. “We want it to be both fun and educational for them.”