Cambodian Culture Corner
teaching materials and Children's activities on Cambodia
Throughout my daughters' early school years, they learned how to be good friends, how to follow directions, how to write their names, how to leave out a plate of cookies for Santa, and how to participate in the rituals of a Seder. I was thrilled that their young lives were open to such rich experiences already, but I also felt that I was being remiss about my parental responsibilities.
Like all their friends, my daughters were born in American hospitals. Unlike their friends, though, they were each born with a Cambodian story. It is the story of their parents and grandparents, and of a faraway country that is both rich in natural beauty and poor in development. I did not want to risk them forgetting their story. Equally, I did not want to risk them not celebrating their story with friends and classmates.
I have visited my daughters' schools to teach lessons on Cambodia. When I started this endeavor, locating creative resources about Cambodia for kids was nearly impossible. Fortunately, my teacher instincts kicked in. With my professional background and ideas I found online, I planned what I hoped to be intentional, informative, and interesting lessons.
I visit my daughters' classes during the week of the Khmer New Year. Their teachers have always been warm and welcoming of my visits. Over the years, I have taught preschool and elementary students about the similarity that Angkor Wat, the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty share. I have taught them about why blueberries and strawberries do not grow in Cambodia. And I have taught them about the high esteem that the artist Auguste Rodin had held for Apsara dancers so many years ago. It was only a few weeks ago, however, as I was designing Angkor Wat on my Cricut for a 3-D craft, that I realized that maybe I should share my lessons and activities online, in case they could be helpful to educators and parents who embark on a search like I once did. Thus, I created Cambodian Culture Corner.
If you have already discovered this website, I hope you will find an activity or two to complete with your children. Please note that this is not a scholarly website. The factual content of the lessons and activities is based only on my experience, my knowledge, and my research. The site will remain in renovation for a while as I continue to upload teaching materials that I have already created, and as I continue to tinker with the design of it all. One goal of mine is to add a page for children's books. I hope you found your time here useful, and I hope you will return often!
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