It's a world of laughter, a world of tears.
It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fears.
There’s so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
it's a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world.
There is just one moon and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to everyone.
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small, small world
(chorus)
My
introduction to the song "It's A Small World" was not through a visit
to Disneyland or Disney World. I first saw the song published in the
Instructor magazine, notes, lyrics and piano accompaniment. I played it
and liked it. I taught it to my class of 3-6 year olds. To my
surprise, they already knew the song from watching "The Wonderful World of
Disney." From that point on I just followed the child sense in me.
When I visited Disneyland, I was so happy to see a
long-play record. The music shows how the same melody can be made into
variations to reflect different lands, countries or cultures. From that
point on I was hooked on the theme of multicultural education.
I wrote a proposal for a summer camp for
preschoolers with cultural enrichment as its main activity. It was
approved and 20 children enrolled. Parents usually send their
children to other camps to give them other types of experiences during the
summer before starting school again in the fall. The interest for this topic
was obviously high to choose this over outdoor activities. The summer camp was
for six weeks.
In the classroom I set up corners of the room to
reflect a cultural setting mostly suggested by pictures and zig-saw puzzles.
For Japan, a poster showing cherry blossoms decorates the wall. I
collected names of boys and girls from friends so children can pin them on as
their identity for the day. I placed some bamboo poles with leaves on one
corner. A mat to represent tatami covers the area and a low tea table sits on
top of the tatami. On the table sits a vase with a twig with cherry
blossom we made. Activities in the corner include wearing a kimono,
bowing to one's partner before drinking "tea." After the
tea ceremony, the pair bow to each other, hung the kimonos and leave the area
so others may have their turn.
Several individual activities can be pursued in the
main classroom: origami, flower arrangement, making tissue cherry
blossoms on a twig, fit together a 30-piece zig-saw puzzle, coloring a Japanese
flag, coloring the map of Japan, color a Japanese scene, looking at story
books, playing "Sakura" with the bells, dressing up a cardboard doll
with fabric and/or tissue paper. During group activity time, we walk on
the line to the music of "Sakura," take turns at twirling the
umbrella in different positions while the music plays, listen to a story and
dramatize it where possible. At the end of the week we cook tempura and
eat.
The same formula was followed for the other countries chosen. Whatever has
been introduced stays for the remaining time of the camp. Children are free to
revisit each area and repeat activities learned the week before. Parents
brought artifacts to share - dolls, costumes, fan. At the end of the
camp, everyone came in international costume and we all had a feast with the
parents who brought in ethnic food.
Several years later, I suggested to the Board of Directors as a fund-raising
project, to sponsor a Children's International Festival. We would invite past
students as well as current ones. The response was overwhelming. Tickets
were sold to the guests. The auditorium was decked up with flags hung from
the ceiling, food brought in by parents was served. Each class performed
one folk dance of a country of their choice and guest entertainers danced or
sang. It was so successful that it became a school annual event. Once I
left the school and founded my own, I started the tradition of celebrating Children's
International Festival. The Festival was an avenue to bring the community
together, to showcase each class, to learn more about another country and just
to have fun as a school.
Going beyond the song
and dance routine, the festival conveys a deeper meaning to me. Let's go
back to the song, let's read the first verse:
It's a world of laughter, a world of tears.
It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fear.
There’s so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
it's a small world after all
Turn to your neighbor and ask:
What makes you happy? Sad? Afraid? Hopeful?
Let's compare notes. We are happy about the
same things, sad about the same things, concerned, fearful about the same
things and hopeful about the same things. People all over the world are
just like us. We have the same basic needs:
Physical needs - food, clothing, shelter, warmth,
health,
light, safety
Emotional/Social needs - to be accepted, to feel
kinship or
sense of belonging, to
see beauty
Mental Needs - need to know, understand,
communicate,
to be challenged
Spiritual needs - to believe in something greater
than
oneself, self
realization, to lead a significant life.
Let's read the second verse:
There is just one moon
and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to
everyone.
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all.
It is quite meaningful to realize that the moon I
see while I'm in Miami is the same moon I saw while I was in Fatima. We
belong to the same solar system, see the same sun and the same moon. Although
we are one planet, the geography is such that we are separated by mountains and
rivers and oceans. These natural barriers isolated us from one another so
that we developed our own language and unique ways of living, our culture. From
unity we have diversity. We may differ in the way we look, the color of our
skin, the way we eat, dress, worship, - we bear in mind that not one color is
superior to the other, not one religion is truer than the other. We are
all one, it's a small world after all.
Let's go over the fundamental needs of people and
how we meet them:
Food - book, "Bread, Bread, Bread" by
Ann Morris.
Clothes - book, "Hat, Hat, Hat," by
Ann Morris.
Spiritual need - book, "The Kids Book of World
Religions,"
by Jennifer Glossop
Art - book, "International Folk Crafts,"
by Ginger Scribner
The social unit whether it is the family, community
or culture seeks ways to form a cohesive group. It is for this reason
that festivals are celebrated to remind us of important events in our culture -
Independence Day, Passover, fiestas. Songs, stories, proverbs, poems, dances,
jokes - shared by the community strengthen group identity and succinctly
state the culture's values.
The path of an individual in one's culture is in
stages: In the first stage, one is a learner, an apprentice. During the
second stage, one is an active participant, a contributor to the welfare of the
community. During the third stage, one is a teacher whose duty is to pass
on values, attitudes and skills to the next generation.
Though the mountains divide and our oceans
are wide, we have bridged across these barriers. We now have a greater
opportunity to be aware of other people's culture. Our awareness of the Native
American Culture awakens in us the feeling that the earth is our mother, what
happens to the earth, affects us all. From our American culture, we understand
that indeed this is the land of opportunity but we need to work hard to
benefit. Our value of industry and work ethic are our core values. Thriftiness
is quite obvious with the Chinese culture. Respect for elders is found in
most Asian cultures. The sacredness of things is practiced in India. Show
of affection, love of family, beauty of form, cleanliness, politeness - all
these are emphasized in one culture or another. It's not that we do not
practice these values but these values are more clearly seen in some cultures.
What values and skills are we passing on? How
do we accomplish this task? Is it difficult to do? Why or why not?
What values should we stop passing on? Please
write two values you are passing on and two you are not passing down the next
generation on the card provided.
What does the phrase "It's a small world after
all" mean to you?
As the world gets smaller, yes, we need more food,
water, clean air, space, but what the world needs more than anything is love.
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