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This is the final week of first grade's "trip around the world"! It was been a really interesting experience, and I can tell the kids have learned a lot. They have been so excited to pretend to visit each new place! This week's focus was Jamaica. I did not know much about the culture of Jamaica before I began researching for this lesson. One of the things I found was that Jamaican culture is a combination of all the people groups that made up the island's population, and much of their traditions, food, language, and even artwork is a blend of these influences. This video gave us a good overview of what daily life might be like in Jamaica, and how their culture is both alike and different from America! One of the interesting things I learned about Jamaica was that back in the British Colonial times, in the time of new settlements and developing trade routes, Jamaica was a source of beautifully hand-crafted wooden furniture. Jamaica had an abundance of rich forests- the country was called "the land of wood and water". Jamaican people were able to harvest the wood and use it to create furniture, which became highly desired by British traders. Much of this furniture was carved, like this example of a Jamaican-made bed from the 1800's. Other types of furniture were made in the caned style. Caning is a type of weaving which involves lacing reeds or thin strips of wood to a frame. It was common to see caned chairs, sofas, or tables. It is a very intricate and time-consuming process! Caning furniture is a traditional craft that is still evident in modern-day Jamaica. First graders experienced a little bit of the weaving process by creating paper-weavings. We used the colors of the Jamaican flag, which are black, yellow, and green. The black in the flag symbolizes the strength of the people, the yellow represents sunlight, and the green is a symbol for the natural resources.
1 Comment
Zonya Johnson
3/21/2017 09:22:59 am
You're AMAZING!!! Love...Love!!
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