Activities

Congolese flag. Linked here below are two files: a full-color picture of the flag of the DR Congo and a line drawing of it in PDF format. For younger children, you can make copies of the line drawing and let them color it. You might project the color picture on a screen so they can follow the colors. Older kids might like to transfer the design from the line drawing to a larger paper or even a large piece of cloth, to make a larger flag. A larger paper flag can be colored in with crayons, markers, or paints, a fabric flag with fabric paints. (Click on the flag here for a larger version.)

Line drawing of the flag (PDF)

Congolese fruit salad. Find as many as you can of the fruits listed in the Food section under What Is Your Roof Made Of. Have the children wash their hands well. Then, depending on the size of the group, have two or more children cooperate on cutting each of the fruits, with a table knife, into pieces of about 1 inch. For fruits that need a sharp knife, have a leader or helper work with those pairs of kids. Lead group conversation during the preparation, along lines like "Have you ever eaten this fruit (fresh) before?" "Is it hard or easy to cut?" "Is the taste more sweet or sour?" "Does it remind you of any other fruit?"

When all the fruits have been cut, have the kids dump them into a large bowl and let a couple of them mix the fruits with large spoons. Pass out paper bowls and let the kids help themselves to the salad. You'll probably want to have drinks of water on hand, and you can pass crackers and cheese or another compatible snack if you want.

If there are health concerns about having the kids participate in preparing the fruits, you or another leader can do it. In that event, it may be wise to do much of the preparation ahead of time. With the group, make a point of introducing each fruit to them and having some conversation about it.

To make the process more interesting, you may want to check online for photos of how each fruit grows, printing out some to show the kids what the plants look like and how they grow.

More activities are on the way, so check back here again!