Released: November 2, 2010
Run Time: 25-30 Minutes
ABOUT:
The series – 25 titles and growing – enables future travelers to reach across the globe and visit other people and cultures, all from a child’s point of view. Always focusing on two children from differing households, one urban, one rural, and narrated by children themselves, Families of the World DVDs invites viewers along through their daily routines, introducing both the similarities and differences that exist – despite living in the same country – within their individual lives.
In Families of Kenya we meet 11-year-old Prince, a sixth grader who lives in the city of Nairobi with his mother, who owns a preschool; father, a purchasing agent; and older siblings Ian and Shelby. After waking to the sound of barking dogs from next door, Prince helps with morning chores before heading off to school, where we sit in on a science class. After school, he rides bikes with a buddy, making sure to clean off all the dust from the road, caused by the area’s years-long drought. Homework follows dinner, then it’s video games before bed. During the weekend, Prince helps with the shopping, attends church with his family, and enjoys a local festival featuring tribal dances. Later he visits relatives at the seaside city of Mombasa.
Eleven-year-old John starts his day on his family’s farm at five a.m., helping his parents and brother, Jeffrey, with household chores like tending to their many animals. Then it’s an hour-long walk to school where he attends the seventh grade six days a week. He tells us that education is deemed very important so villages work hard to come up with the money to help the schools. He has midday dinner with his family, who close their shop at noon along with the rest of the local businesses. We are also taken on a safari tour run by John’s cousin and shown the wondrous wildlife of Africa, including lions, elephants, zebras and hyenas. At night, John helps bring in the furniture from outdoors and feeds and waters the cows before heading off to bed.
Families of Afghanistan was one of the most difficult films to produce as the crew was not able to film outdoor scenes freely. It took the help of many Afghans to document how the families live. Despite the country’s hardships and turmoil, this film – as with all the titles in the series – was not done to elicit pity or even sympathy in viewers, but rather understanding and respect. Setting it apart, however, was the priority given to maintaining the anonymity of many participants in the film.
In Families of Afghanistan, meet Zamora, 13, who lives in the country with her parents, three sisters, two brothers and two uncles. An early riser, Zamora has chores to complete before breakfast, including tending to the cows and chickens. She shows us how the homes in her village are built around a common courtyard to help protect them and their vegetable gardens from the elements. At meals, she often helps feed her uncle, who lost his arms and eyesight to a land mine. She attends religion class, where she studies the Koran, and performs her daily prayers (five times a day).
Twelve-year-old Madina lives in Kabul with her parents, two sisters, uncle and cousin. Unlike Zamora, who attends school in the afternoon, Madina’s classes are in the morning and include studies in math, science, language, history and sports. She also tutors another student twice a week in computers. After school and the midday meal she shares with her family, Madina helps with household chores like vacuuming and ironing, then enjoys an afternoon snowball fight before doing her homework, eating supper and playing games.
The series, which has garnered repeated acclaim and awards from Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Parents’ Choice and NAPPA (National Parenting Publications of America) as well as endorsements from KIDS FIRST! and recommendations from Dr. Toy’s Children’s Products, is used in classrooms around the country as a valuable tool for social studies, English language learners and cultural studies.
The series features families in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico (includes Spanish and English soundtrack) and More Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, the USA, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Each DVD includes a free PDF Teacher’s Guide, which features the script, copy-ready maps, discussion and activity guides, recipes, glossaries and more.
MY THOUGHTS:
I think the Families of the World Series is very interesting and educational. I watched both of these DVDs by myself, since my boys are still young and don’t understand them yet, and I think they were shot perfectly for a child audience. I could definitely see a teacher showing these DVDs or a homeschooled mom, or really any mom for that matter. They are great examples to show your children about other cultures and how kids live in other countries. The DVDs show how a typical day in a child’s life is in Kenya and Afghanistan, showing school, work, and play. It was interesting to see how much these children have to do each day to help their parents, which I hope when my boys do watch this they maybe appreciate how easy they have it here in the US.
BUY IT: Families of the World is recommended for ages 5-11 and retails for $29.95 each. To order Families of the World DVDs, call 1-800-765-5885 or visit www.familiesoftheworld.com. You can also find the series on Amazon
Mama’s Money Savers Disclosure: I received these DVDs to review but the opinion is my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
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