Lebanese craft/game for elementary school

[nmosur]

DD's school is celebrating World Fest and I am in charge of Lebanon. I need a craft or game that the kids do/play that is related to Lebanon. I can't seem to find anything on the internet. Any ideas?? TIA!

[nmosur]

Anyone?? Help please!

[pinkmomagain]

Don't know anything about Lebanon, but what about a craft relating to it's flag? Color it in, or assemble cut outs pre-cut from construction paper?

[rin]

What ages is this for?

Depending on the ages/your dancing skills, you could find some Lebanese music (I bet Amazon would have some) and lead the kids in some basic dabke moves (those line dances where the dancers link arms and do various kinds of footwork). You could find some videos on Youtube if you're not familiar with it.

Also, don't know if this would be quite right, but belly dancing is quite popular there! :rotflmao: If it were a bunch of, say, teenaged girls they might have fun making belly dancing earrings or something like that.

For younger kids, there's an Easter-y game where you decorate eggs and then have little play "battles" where you thwack the end of your egg into the end of someone else's, and the winner is the one whose egg doesn't crack. I think it's kind of associated with Easter, though, so don't know if that would be appropriate for your group.

[kristenk]

For younger kids, there's an Easter-y game where you decorate eggs and then have little play "battles" where you thwack the end of your egg into the end of someone else's, and the winner is the one whose egg doesn't crack. I think it's kind of associated with Easter, though, so don't know if that would be appropriate for your group.

How funny! My (Lebanese) extended family always did that growing up, but I didn't realize it had any sort of Lebanese connection. That's great to know. Thanks for sharing!

[MamaKath]

How funny! My (Lebanese) extended family always did that growing up, but I didn't realize it had any sort of Lebanese connection. That's great to know. Thanks for sharing!
Lol! My German family (with no Lebanese connection) has done this for two generations. Egg wars are the favorite part of Easter dinner, lol!!!

[rin]

Lol! My German family (with no Lebanese connection) has done this for two generations. Egg wars are the favorite part of Easter dinner, lol!!!

Hmmm, maybe this isn't so Lebanese then? I had a Lebanese friend when I was younger whose family did this (I'd never heard of it before, my family's from northern Germany), and they always said it was a Lebanese tradition.

[MamaKath]

Hmmm, maybe this isn't so Lebanese then? I had a Lebanese friend when I was younger whose family did this (I'd never heard of it before, my family's from northern Germany), and they always said it was a Lebanese tradition.
I honestly don't know. No one in the family knows why we do this except that my grandfather's side did it. They were from a part of Germany that bordered Poland and Russia. His only sibling died young and his mother passed when he was a young teen. So no idea how it started. Could be Lebanese! :D

[kristenk]

I found a link on egg cracking games! It mentions Lebanon among other places.

http://www.easterbunnys.net/eggcrackinggames.htm

[MamaKath]

Hmmm, maybe this isn't so Lebanese then? I had a Lebanese friend when I was younger whose family did this (I'd never heard of it before, my family's from northern Germany), and they always said it was a Lebanese tradition.
Found a fun link where Germany claims it... http://mygermantravels.com/2011/04/german-easter-egg-battles/
I have friends who are Lebanese Catholics, I'll have to ask them about it.

[nmosur]

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for your responses! I am in a very tight spot here and this gives me a starting point. Considering the number of Lebanese immigrants in the US, I am so surprised at the lack of information.

I have three grades that will come to the Lebanese table - 2nd, 3rd and 5th. The craft/game needs to completed in 10 minutes. My first instinct was to hire a belly dancer who could show the kids the moves but it was vetoed down by the other moms :-(

I am loving the egg battle idea! The flag idea is the fall back but I have a feeling it won't be that interesting for the kids. I really want the kids to walk away with an interest in the culture and traditions of Lebanon - wonder if I can do that in 20 minutes?? I do feel belly dancing can make the biggest impact!

Please post more ideas.

[Trigglet]

Could you do something food related? Like get them to stuff some dates with marzipan - then they'd have something to eat too? And you could have a little game about where the dates grow - or something like that? I'm only just having my first cup of coffee of the morning, so I'll have to think a bit harder :D

ETA: Obviously, stuffed dates are quite popular all over the Middle East, so that might not be specifically Lebanese enough - but you could serve it with some Lebanese 'white tea', which is just warm water with a dash of orange blossom water (which you can find quite easily in most ethnic supermarkets and grocery stores, or in somewhere like World Market).