The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

78 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / S E P T EMB E R 2 0 0 8 A F S A N E W S S ome of our kids only see our official “home” once every two or three years. Often, temporary repatriation toaplace that’s supposed to be familiar and comfort- able is just another international move, and sometimes even more difficult when the neighbors don’t understandwhywe’re sodif- ferent. Sowhat dowe do? Howdowe bring our Americanhistory andculture to the forefront so the Fourthof July gets equal face timewith DiwaliorEidal-Fitr? Howdowegetkidsexcit- ed about Thanksgiving when it’s not even a day off from regu- larly scheduled classes? Bringing kids to the United States for every home leave and R&Risoneoption. It’s expensiveand time-consuming, butworth it to see the kids watch Independence Day fireworks from the Capitol steps. Making kids understand their history, their her- itage and, indeed, their home, however, takesmore than that. It’s aneffort onourpart asparents that extendsbeyondsummer vaca- tions and Christmas holidays. Last year, the community liaisonofficer forConsulateGeneral Chennai instituted a “USA Fun Day” for consulate kids. Each monthwegather informallyat one family’shome andshare infor- mation about a specific topic. The kids do most of the research and presenting. This year we’ve covered black history, the RevolutionaryWar, Pilgrims,women’shistory and familygeneal- ogy, alongwithChristopherColumbus andother explorers. Last year, we did our home states, famous Americans and the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwe’re done, the posters and reports go toour playroom and bedroomwalls so the kids see them daily. Printedmaterialsareaninvaluablesourceforkeepingourhome and heritage alive overseas. Book series like American Girl put our children right in the thick of American history. There are anumberofmagazines available for all ages. One called American History is geared for high-school students and offers a thoroughoverviewoftopicalsubjects. Anissue with “Epidemic” blazoned on the cover con- nects influenzadeaths inWorldWar I toavian flu, an issuewithwhichwe are all familiar. For those with an evenmore specific interest, the same publisher offers specific titles such as America’s Civil War and WildWest . Forthemiddleschoolset, Cobblestone mag- azine brings American history to lifewith let- ters fromthepast and interviewswithhistorians, aswell as a touch on current events. A sistermagazine, Calliope , covers world his- tory in the same manner. For current events, Time for Kids is indispensable and has three subscription options: one for kindergarten and first grade, one for second and third grades, and one for fourth through sixth grade. TheWeb site (www.timeforkids.com) also includes teacher resources with worksheets andmini-lessons to accom- pany each issue. There is somuchmaterial available on theWeb. Often there are too many sites to wade through, but some of our favorites include thoseonColonialWilliamsburgandHistoric Jamestown, Alcatraz Island, the Smithsonian InstitutionandAcadiaNational Park. FindingWebsitesaboutplacesinyourhometownandabout famous landmarks is key to getting your kids interested in their American heritage. And if you’re likeme, summertime isn’t a timeoff for thekids’ learning. Flag Day falls on June 14, so we create a flag and recall its history and symbolism. One yearwemade a flag out of paper chains. Wealsopull out the CompleteBookofUnitedStatesHistory andthe CompleteBookofPresidentsandStates workbooksasrefresh- ers on subjects covered before. Our lifestyle demands flexibility and global awareness, but we also have a duty to provide a sense of belonging to something bigger than our mobile family and smaller than the world. America is the home country for our ForeignService. Weshouldprepareourchildrentoembrace all that our country is, and inturnensure that “home” leave is just that—aplaceour children feel theybelong. It’swell worth the effort. r Michele Hopper was raised overseas as an Army brat and contin- ues the overseas life as a Foreign Service spouse. Currently in India, she’s also lived in Togo, the Philippines, England, Niger, Algeria, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Belgium. After six years out, her four kids are asking for a tour back home. FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS n BY MICHELE HOPPER Keeping the Home Culture Alive A Selection from theWeb: AmericanHistory: www.historynet.com/magazines/american_history Cobblestone : www.cobblestonepub.com/magazine/COB/ Time for Kids : www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids Colonial Williamsburg: www.history.org/kids/games JamestownS ettlement:www.historyisfun.org/Jamestown-Settlement.htm Alcatraz Island: www.nps.gov/alca/historyculture/index.htm Smithsonian Institution: www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/ Acadia National Park: www.nps.gov/archive/acad/kids/main.htm We should prepare our children to embrace all that our country is, and in turn ensure that “home” leave is just that — a place our children feel they belong. It’s well worth the effort.