The Community Read

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the countries of choice for Clara these days.  Iowa County is participating in a Community Read right now on the Stones Into Schools book.  Much of our community is actually reading this book and the other related books (3 Cups of Tea and Listen to the Wind).  Our library has lots of new books and videos related to the area, and they have also put together Discovery Boxes that include traditional clothing, shoes, jewelry, books, videos, descriptions, and other informative materials.  There is a huge list of events surrounding this Community Read, and Clara & I have gone to a couple of those events so far.  The first was a Children's Event at Shake Rag Alley where we listened to a reading of Listen to the Wind.  We then created a mural collage of scenes from the book.  It was wonderful and beautiful, and it really sparked Clara's interest in the culture.

The next event was a celebration of "The Afghan Nowruz Festival," which is the traditional New Year celebration.  This was led by Dr. Aaliya Bibi and included an awesome cooking demonstration, delicious traditional food, dancing, henna, costumes, and a educational presentation. 

Our Lenten gatherings for church are carrying the same Community Read theme, with a focus on the similarities between Dr. Greg's work in the book and the work of Jesus.  We've had one gathering, and we'll have 3 more that will also culminate in an art project.  The art projects will be displayed at the final Community Read event at Folklore Village in April.

We've read some wonderful related books, including Afghanistan:  The People and Nasreen's Secret School:  A True Story from Afghanistan.  Clara looks up books on "Afghanistan Culture" on the children's catalog at the library all on her own, and I've noticed her gazing at the large map of Afghanistan & Pakistan as she looks for Korphe.

This has been a good unit, completely inspired by our Community Read.  This is such a fun place to live.