Jan. 24th L. Frances Smith Elementary School in Columbus, IN
On January 24th, IAUNRC GAs, Matt Hulstine and Lindsay Ruth, presented to students of all grade levels at L. Frances Smith Elementary School in Columbus, IN. Grades K-4 were read two Tibetan fairy tales, as well as taught about where Tibet is and some of its culture. Then, they were shown hats from all over Central Asia, parts of Russia, and Mongolia. They also saw a model of a yurt/ger. Meanwhile Grade 5 and some of grade 4 (there was one split grade class) were given a presentation on Central Asian architecture. They learned about traditional Central Asian cities, such as Bukhara, Samarkhand, and Shahrisabz. They learned the history of Timur's conquests and how he supported developments in architecture in the region. In addition, they saw slides on Soviet and Modern Central Asian architecture such as the architecture of Turkmenistan and the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. The GAs also taught them about yurts and gers by showing them the model of a traditional yurt/ger that the IAUNRC has.
Jan. 30th Sorrento Springs Elementary School in Ballwin, Missouri
On January 30th, IAUNRC GA, Lindsay Ruth, presented two stories to a class of third graders in Ballwin, Missouri over Zoom. They learned one Tibetan fairy tale and also a Mongolian fairy tale. Lindsay also taught them the geography of Tibet and Mongolia, as well as some cultural facts such as Tibetan dress and food and Mongolian yurts.
Jan. 31st Bloomington South High School in Bloomington, IN
On January 31st, IAUNRC GAs, Matt Hulstine and Lindsay Ruth, went to Bloomington South High School to present on the Space Race, with an emphasis on the Baikonur Space Launch site in Kazakhstan. Our audience was several classes of high school AP World History classes. The students learned about the Space Race, as seen from the perspective of the Soviet Union. We looked at both their successes and failures, as well as the modern reality of the Russian space program being located in the independent country of Kazakhstan.
Feb. 6th and 7th Edgewood Junior High School in Ellettsville, IN
On February 6th and 7th, IAUNRC GAs, Matt Hulstine, Vefa Avci, and Lindsay Ruth, along with FLAS recipients Elya Brown, Caroline Ringquist, and Erlan Benedis-Grab, presented to middle schoolers at Edgewood Junior High School about Central Eurasian clothing, hats, yurts and gers, artifacts, geography, and Matt’s travels to Uzbekistan. The students took part in constructing a model yurt/ger, tried on Central Eurasian hats and clothing, mapped out important geographical features in Central Asia, learned about traveling in Central Asia, handled Central Asian money and art pieces, and played a Mongolian game called Shagai, where they got their fortunes told. There were 60 students in each class, but they split into smaller groups of 10 to go from station to station.
February 13th University Elementary School in Bloomington, IN
On February 13th, IAUNRC GAs Lindsay Ruth and Matt Hulstine went to visit some of the kindergarten classes at University Elementary School in Bloomington. The Kindergarteners learned two or three Kurdish games, and then show them toys from all over Central Eurasia. The kids got to play Se-Risken, a Kurdish game similar to tik tak toe, Killawen, a Kurdish game where you hide a small token in hats and players must guess which one, and one class was able to a Kurdish game called "hey rewi rewi / hey fox fox" which is similar to duck duck goose. The kindergarteners also saw and passed around toys from Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. We also showed the children some maps, and pointed out where these different countries were on it, and where the US is on the map.
February 20th Academy of Science & Entrepreneurship in Bloomington, IN
On February 20th, IAUNRC GA Lindsay Ruth went to an English class at the Academy of Science in Entrepreneurship, part of Monroe County Community School Corporation, in Bloomington. She presented on the history of Afghanistan to the students who were reading Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. The students were seeking some context for the heart-wrenching story that is set in Afghanistan. They learned about how, in the 19th century, Afghanistan was caught in the middle between the British Empire and the Russian Empire, but managed to maintain its own independence, albeit with interference from the colonial powers. The students also were taught about Afghanistan after WWII, in its "Golden Age" under the king Mohammed Zahir Shah. In addition, they learned about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and how this greatly impacted future events such as 9/11 and the War on Terror. We also discussed the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, and the different perspectives on whether or not the US should have or could have stayed in Afghanistan.
April 1st International Night at The Project School in Bloomington, IN
On April 1st, IAUNRC GA Vefa Avci, and IAUNRC Assistant Director, Kasia Rydel-Johnston, ran a booth at The Project School’s International Night Festival. Since the festival was around Easter, Kasia and Vefa taught students and their families how to make a Finnish Easter branch craft. This craft is made by children in Finland to take with them on a “trick or treat” like activity on Easter, to trade in for treats! The children and their parents also learned about Finnish Easter celebrations and customs.
April 4th and 5th Lotus World Bazaar in Bloomington, IN
On the April 4th and 5th, the Inner Asian and Uralic Center held a booth where elementary school students (mostly 4th graders), their teachers, and their parents learned about Easter in Finland and the cultural norms and celebrations during that holiday. They made a Finnish Easter craft of a decorate Easter branch, which is something kids carry around with them on Easter where they dress up, and go "trick or treating", trading in these branches for candies. They learned where Finland is in Europe, and how to say "Happy Easter" in Finnish. Around 850 Monroe County fourth graders came to the booth on Friday, the 4th, while the whole community was invited to come on the 5th.