Kwanzaa Celebration
Recommended for Grades: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Explore a holiday that focuses on unity, community, creativity, and faith—Kwanzaa! Learn about Kwanzaa’s origins and meanings in this hands-on workshop.
Iowa Core | Pre-visit Materials | Vocabulary | Post-visit Activity | Resources
Iowa Core Essential Concepts
- Reading: Read for a variety of purposes and across content areas.
- Reading: Use a variety of strategies and skills to comprehend and interpret fiction.
- Reading: Use a variety of strategies to develop and expand reading vocabulary.
- Listening: Listen for information and understanding
- Listening: Listen for interpretation, analysis, and evaluation
- Behavioral Sciences: Understand all people have individual traits.
- Behavioral Sciences: Understand the relationship of the individual to the components of society and culture
- Geography: Understand how geographic and human characteristics create culture and define regions
- History: Understand individuals and groups within a society my promote change of the status quo
Pre-visit Materials.
- What does your family celebrate? Make a chart showing different yearly celebrations and poll the class to see how many students celebrate each holiday. Some students may even have celebrations unique to their own family.
- Where is Africa? Using a globe or map, show students where Africa is located compared to the United States.
Vocabulary
- Swahili
- Celebration
- Unity
- Candelabra
- Faith
- Community
- Culture
- Africa
Post-visit Activities
- Borrow the museum’s free “Kwanzaa” Traveling Trunk
- Borrow the museum’s free “Africa” Traveling Trunk
- Play African children’s games.
- Weave a placemat (mkeka) using different colored paper strips.
Suggested Resources
Books
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
Holidays Around the Word by Carolyn Otto
Masai and I by Virginal Kroll
Internet
Kwanzaa Pintables and Activities: http://holidays.kaboose.com/kwanzaa-index.html
African Children’s Games: http://www.ibike.org/library/africakids.htm
