2006 Multicultural Fair: An International Exploration for Kids

Thursday, October 5, 2006

More than 500 Oklahoma fourth-graders are expected to gather at the Wes Watkins Center in Stillwater on Friday, Oct. 13, for the second annual Oklahoma State University “Multicultural Fair: An International Exploration for Kids.”

Sponsored by the OSU College of Education and the School of International Studies, the event allows Oklahoma children to participate in learning activities presented by international students, faculty and community volunteers.

Presenters from 19 countries will describe and demonstrate significant practices and art representative of their cultures, help students learn a few words in their languages, teach dances or sports skills, and inform students about their homelands' geography, climate, foods, pastimes, music and crafts.

Classroom teachers will receive teaching materials designed to help them develop additional units of instruction during the school year.

The Multicultural Fair is designed to support teachers in addressing the Oklahoma curriculum requirement that students must learn about cultures and environments — their own and those of others with whom they share the Earth.

Students, as well as their teachers, benefit from the fair by broadening their exposure to other points of view and different ways of doing things. OSU student volunteers in language and education fields gain the opportunity to work with children in a setting that brings them “out of the classroom.” They practice management skills, communication skills, language skills and learn along with the children about the cultural practices and products of others with whom they may not have interacted before. In doing so, they benefit from the university’s commitment to providing diverse experiences for the student body.

For more information on the 2006 Multicultural Fair, contact RuthAnn McCarthy Sirbaugh at 405-744-6254.