EXPLORE SPEECH & LANGUAGE AT....
The Smithsonian
Folklife Festival
June 24-28 and July 1-5 on the National Mall
Your kids will love this year's featured country for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Peru! Practice speech and language skills while exploring Peruvian food, crafts, music, and traditions.
TALKING
EXPLORE: Sequencing Steps
ENRICH: Narrative Abilities
ENGAGE: The ability to retell task steps in order
PARENT PROMPT:
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Artisans at the festival will be demonstrating traditional Peruvian crafts such as weaving, gourd carving, and ceramics. Pick a demonstration and help your child learn how the artisan creates the craft by watching the artisan and reading the plaques.
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After learning about the craft, ask your child to tell you the steps in the creation process. Remind him/her to:
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Use complete sentences
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Use sequential vocabulary: first, next, then, last
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Tell at least three steps
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EXPLORE: Understanding Wh- Questions
ENRICH: Oral Comprehension of Grammatical Forms
ENGAGE: The ability to understand & respond to who/what/where questions
PARENT PROMPT:
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At the Wawawasi Kids Corner, kids can attend educational workshops on Peruvian history, dance, language, food, and storytelling. Pick one of the workshops to attend with your child. Remind him/her to use active listening skills: eyes are watching, ears are listening, lips are closed, hands and feet are still.
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After the workshop, ask your child to answer comprehension questions about what he/she learned:
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What . . . (e.g. What languages do they speak in Peru?)
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Who . . . (e.g. Who learns traditional Peruvian dances?)
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Where . . . (e.g. Where is the capital of Peru?)
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LISTENING
WORD PLAY
EXPLORE: Multisyllabic Words
ENRICH: Phonemic Skills
ENGAGE: Increase awareness and production of syllables in words.
PARENT PROMPT:
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Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a title full of 2-4 syllable words - as you explore the festival, have your child make a list of other multisyllabic words he/she encounters. For example,
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At the end of the day ask your child to pronounce each word slowly, clapping or holding up a finger for each syllable to help him/her remember to say each part of the word. Challenge your child to say each word:
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In isolation
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In a phrase
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In a complete sentence
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EXPLORE: Giving Compliments
ENRICH: Polite Social Interactions
ENGAGE: The ability to compliment someone on their craft
PARENT PROMPT:
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After a day of exploring the festival, ask your child what he/she enjoyed watching or learning about the most. Then, ask your child to think of a compliment he/she can give to the presenter or artisan. Depending on your child's language level, the compliment can be simple or more detailed. For example, to a weaver, "This rug is pretty," or "I like the colors you used in this rug."
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Remind your child to use polite social conventions while giving the compliment:
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Make eye contact
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Use an appropriate volume
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Use a complete sentence
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