World Cultures Club by Abby Neuens
One of the many clubs in Saugatuck is World Cultures Club, run by Lilliana Aumaugher and Layla Vinten-Johansen, but supervised by Mrs. Bauer. The club meets twice a month, every other Monday, to discuss different cultural topics and have feasts based on the monthly culture. The most recent meeting was a feast made up of traditional Indian foods. Some of the dishes brought in were butter chicken, pita chips with an Indian dip, and shikanji, a type of Indian lemonade. The prompt was Diwali, so members had to research some Diwali customs and food to go along with them.
There is an upcoming field trip for the club next week. They’ll be going to a few Asian food markets for half of the school day in order to experience some traditional Asian food and culture. There is also another feast happening on Monday, December 18. This feast will be focusing on traditional Christmas foods that families eat. A few examples of food that could be brought in are pies, homemade cookies, honeyed ham, gingerbread, non-alcoholic eggnog, or roasted chestnuts.
The club is an easy way for students to learn about world cultures without having to spend much money or join an out of school program. Every month, with every new culture being researched, there is a Kahoot for all club members in order to test their knowledge on the subject. It isn’t a high-stakes game, but it’s a fun way to keep people engaged in the club. The club is also an easy way to gain motivation if someone is interested in learning any new language, not just Spanish. Every meeting members’ Duolingo streaks are checked, with the person keeping up the most with their learning getting a small prize, such as exotic candy. It is a relatively low commitment club, but still requires some level of involvement. The few things asked of members are easily accomplished tasks, such as cooking a few treats or paying a $5.00 travel fee.
In short, World Cultures Club is a fun, easy way to learn both about other cultures and new languages while having fun with both familiar peers, and new friends.
There is an upcoming field trip for the club next week. They’ll be going to a few Asian food markets for half of the school day in order to experience some traditional Asian food and culture. There is also another feast happening on Monday, December 18. This feast will be focusing on traditional Christmas foods that families eat. A few examples of food that could be brought in are pies, homemade cookies, honeyed ham, gingerbread, non-alcoholic eggnog, or roasted chestnuts.
The club is an easy way for students to learn about world cultures without having to spend much money or join an out of school program. Every month, with every new culture being researched, there is a Kahoot for all club members in order to test their knowledge on the subject. It isn’t a high-stakes game, but it’s a fun way to keep people engaged in the club. The club is also an easy way to gain motivation if someone is interested in learning any new language, not just Spanish. Every meeting members’ Duolingo streaks are checked, with the person keeping up the most with their learning getting a small prize, such as exotic candy. It is a relatively low commitment club, but still requires some level of involvement. The few things asked of members are easily accomplished tasks, such as cooking a few treats or paying a $5.00 travel fee.
In short, World Cultures Club is a fun, easy way to learn both about other cultures and new languages while having fun with both familiar peers, and new friends.