Susan Carpenter's 1st and 2nd Grade Classroom : What's in a Name? Celebrating Diversity and Deliciousness

This morning, I greeted the children with two stories about names. The first is a classic that many children knew - Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes. This is a picture book about a little mouse who LOVES her name, because her parents tell her, "It's perfect, just like you are". But upon starting school, other children tease her because her name is so long, and she's named after a flower.

The other story was less known. This is a new one to me also - a book called The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. This story was similar in that it was about a little child who loved her given name - Unhei - which means "grace". But the children at her new American school have trouble pronouncing her name, and although her classmates are kind, she still feels embarrassed, and even wants a new name.

We talked about how it feels when you have an unusual name, or one that other children can tease you about because it rhymes with something. And how important it is for everyone to accept every one else's name, and to treat each other with respect. Children shared stories of their own names, and what they many mean. Here is a list of what we found out:

Susan - means "Lily"
Leland - means "Fallow Land" and is English in origin
Mia - means "Beloved"
Mila - means "Gracious, Dear" and is Polish in origin
Isaya - means "God has saved" and is Kenyan in origin
Obafemi - means "The King loves me" and is Nigerian in origin
Andrew - means "Manly"
August - means "Majestic dignity" or "Great"
Dillon - means "Faithful, loyal"
Lexi - means "To help and defend"

After story and discussion, we found Korea on the world map, and then tried our hand at making one of Unhei's favorite delicacies - Kimchi! Here is the recipe we used:

1) One napa cabbage, in 1/4 inch slice
2) Two teaspoons sea salt
3) 5 small carrots, grated
4) 1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
5) 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced

We massaged the cabbage with sea salt for several minutes, then added and mixed in the rest of the ingredients. We packed it into a very clean jar, and will store until it is ready to eat - about 7 days of fermentation should do it!