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Preparing for Newrooz? ( a madar)

salaam, It is that exciting (and exhausting:) time of the year that we prepare for norooz. Some of us have had conversations about how to help our children's community (school, friends,...) learn about our most important cultural celebration. I know that Americans like Iranians love celebrations and appreciate cultural sharings. but what are the easy ways to share it with them?

Ther is a page that you can print off the web and copy for your children's teachers and classmates' parents at

http://www-path.eecs.berkeley.edu/~soheila/newrooz.html

and I made sure that the print out is only one page. I appreciate your comments on the context, grammar, etc.

The following are suggestions for activities that I have gathered from some of you in this alias, and hope to receive more suggesions and comments about how you help your child learn more about norooz, and share it with his/her friends:

1) growing lentil sprouts: it is a very fun science projects that teachers usually appreciate, and children like to have their own little Sabzeh grow. you provide the lentil.

1) giving each classmate a card with his/her name written in both English and Farsi

2) egg painting at school where you provide hard boiled eggs: very fun for young children

3) have a sketch of Haft-Seen and copy it for young children to paint. It would be fun, but we still need a sketch of haft-seen, please!

4)take a little haft-seen to the classroom and talk about it.

5) share Iranian pastries

6)...??? (brainstorms needed badly!)

and one parents has asked me about the story of Amu-Norooz that comes every year and that old woman who sweeps her house and cleans up and makes the tea and waits for Amu-Norooz. but she has worked so hard cleaning her house that she falls asleep when Amu-Norooz comes and does not wake up when he kisses her and leaves, and this repeats every year. Does anybody know the details of the story, Please?

- (a madar)

Please send your replies and/or opinions regarding this subject to madar-pedar@surya.eecs.berkeley.edu.

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