Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2016 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

When most people think of Kenya, they picture majestic elephants and fierce lions roaming the savannas. But Kenya is so much more than its animals. Kenya is a land as complex and diverse as its people, who represent 70 different ethnic groups. Here are five facts about this diverse and beautiful African country. 1. Is Kenya the birthplace of humankind? Fossilized hominid remains found in what are now Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania lead many to believe that East Africa is where humankind originated. 2. Many of the world’s top runners come from Kenya. Sports scientists have studied Kenyan runners to find out what makes them the best in the world. Although the question seems simple, finding the answer has proven to be difficult and controversial. 3. Environmentalist Wangari Maathai was…

The Swahili word “harambee” (hah-RABM-bay, which means “pull together”) fittingly describes the diverse East African nation of Kenya. About 70 distinct African ethnic groups, in addition to Europeans, Asians, and Arabs, live together in this country. In Kenya, you can stand on the equator and yet play in the snow. Lions and giraffes thrive only minutes from the bustling capital of Nairobi. Four land regions in Kenya fit together like puzzle pieces to create one unique landscape. The tropical coastline in the southeast stretches for 300 miles along the Indian Ocean. Kenyans enjoy the white sandy beaches of the ancient port city of Mombasa. They use the Indian Ocean as a highway for trade and for fishing. Northern savannas cover almost three-fourths of the country. Nearly all farming occurs in…

The food of Kenya is a kaleidoscope reflection of the cultural diversity, foreign influences, and different lifestyles of the country’s ethnic groups. Kenyans eat few processed foods. Each of the geographic regions has food specialties based on the locally grown produce, herded cattle and goats, and lake or coastal fish. Some of the most fertile land in Africa is in Kenya. Kenya produces staple crops such as wheat, corn, potatoes, green vegetables, sweet potatoes and many varieties of fruit. About 80 percent of Kenyans work at least part-time in agriculture, livestock, and ‘pastoralism’ activities. Three-fourths of Kenya’s population live in rural areas and are poor. The vast majority are farmers who rely on local markets, or a small plot of land for their limited income and food. The World Bank…

The Animal Stars of Kenya Kenya is famous for its wildlife. Today, most wild animals are seen only in parks or zoos. Like most cats, the leopard generally hunts at night and rests during the day. A pride of lions usually consists of one to three males and up to 20 females. Some crocodiles can grow to be 16 feet in length. Rhinos can live anywhere they can find leaves and branches to eat. A group of baboons is called a troop. A zebra’s stripes act as camouflage. Guereza colobus, a species of monkey, rarely leaves the trees in which they live. They feast on leaves, fruits, and arthropods. The secretion an African civet uses to mark its territory is sometimes used in perfume.…

Women in Kenya and throughout eastern Africa wear a colorful garment called a kanga. These cloths often have proverbs on them and are worn as dresses or as head wraps. Create a kanga that fits your style. Send your creations to FACES Kangas, Cricket Media, 70 E Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601 by April 4, 2016. Your artwork could appear in an upcoming issue of FACES. *All submissions become property of Cricket Media and will not be returned.…

Official Name: Republic of Kenya Area: 225,000 square miles (582,646 square kilometers) Population: 45.9 million (July 2015 estimate) Capital: Nairobi Location: Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa. It has a coastline on the Indian Ocean and straddles the equator. The countries of Ethiopia and Sudan border Kenya on the north, Somalia on the east, Tanzania on the south, and Uganda on the west. Climate: tropical along the coast and arid inland Highest Point: Mount Kenya (17,058 feet or 5,199 meters) People: There are more than 70 different ethnic groups in Kenya. Each has its own language and culture. The three largest ethnic groups are the Gikuyu (Kikuyu), Luo, and the Luhya. Languages: Swahili is the national language and English is the official language. Most people speak their…

Although its name comes from the Maasai word enairobe, which means “stream of cold water,” Nairobi is often called the Green City in the Sun. It’s not often that a city that is both the capital and the largest city in a country has a green nickname! But thanks to its swamps, ponds, and streams, the city has green grasslands and hills to go with the African warmth and sunshine. Nairobi started out as nothing more than a stop on the railroad that ran between Mombasa, India, and Uganda. It was used as a storage depot and a place to shift trains from one track to another. Because of its high elevation, people did not often get sick from malaria there. The city grew, and by 1907, British colonizers in…

Lake Nakuru (a Maasai word meaning “dusty place”) National Park is sometimes called a bird watcher’s paradise. It was once known for its flocks of millions of pink flamingoes, and there are more than 300 other species of birds, such as pelicans, kingfishers, eagles, and herons, as well as other animals, for visitors to see at the park. And as it is just a two-hour drive from Nairobi, in the Rift Valley, it is a favorite attraction for tourists. Lake Nakuru is a small, shallow lake, about 70 square miles in size, surrounded by steep, rocky slopes and ridges, forests, and the Makalia waterfall. It is an attractive habitat for many types of animals, such as white and black rhinos, hippos, and baboons, as well as zebras, monkeys, and giraffes.…

CHARACTERS: Narrator 1, Narrator 2, Simba the Lion, Sungura the Rabbit, Tumbili the Monkey, Mamba the Crocodile, Chui the Leopard, Kuro the Waterbuck, Ngiri the Warthog, Chura the Frog, Kaa the Crab Narrator 1: Long ago, there was a time of no rain. Rivers, lakes, and mud holes were all dry and the ground was cracked with lines of death. The animals knew they would soon die, so they all came together in peace to talk about maji, water. Simba the Lion asked each animal where the water had gone. Mamba: There is none to be found. I no longer swim, but crawl on the earth, like Mjusi the lizard. Chui: There is none to be found. I no longer drink, but eat dust like Muhanga the Aardvark at the…

The giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world. It is well known for its long neck and legs, and its distinctive spotted patterns. In fact, the first people to see giraffes believed they were a cross between a leopard and a camel. Thus, the scientific name – Giraffa camelopardalis. The following are some of the characteristics and behaviors that make giraffes stand head and shoulders above the rest of the animal kingdom. Giraffes’ 1.5 to 1.8 meter-long necks allow them to eat leaves that are much higher and out of reach of other animals, and help them to keep a sharp lookout for predators across the savanna (grasslands). Surprisingly, a giraffe’s neck contains the same number of cervical vertebrae as a human neck — seven. The giraffe’s vertebrae…

Kenya, like most African nations, is male-dominated. Men run the government, own the land, livestock, and businesses, but this is changing. Kenya made the most improvements in gender equality laws for improvement of the women’s situation between the years of 2009 and 2011 than any country in the world. While the role of Kenyan women varies by ethnicity and by rural and urban areas, women suffer economically, physically, socially, and politically from gender inequality. The new 2010 constitution specifically gave women the same legal rights as men to land, court access, inheritance, nationality, and freedom of movement. Cultural change is exceedingly slow and many women and judicial officials are unaware of the new laws. The family is the centerpiece of Kenyan culture and the traditional role of women is to…

If you understand and you are disturbed, then you are moved to action.”— Wangari Maathai It is unlikely that Wangari Maathai ever complained about going to school. She was born in 1940 at a time when few Kenyan girls were fortunate enough to receive an education. Her parents were poor farmers in a small village in a rural Kenya. After realizing how intelligent Wangari was, they decided to enroll her in school. Wangari excelled academically and was awarded a college scholarship to study in the United States. After receiving her undergraduate and Master’s degrees, she returned home and earned a PhD from the University of Nairobi. She was the first woman in all of Eastern and Central Africa to earn a doctorate, and she was hired by the university to…

It’s the second highest mountain peak in Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rising 5,250 feet (1,600 meters) above a protected forest, about 100 miles north of Nairobi, Mount Kenya is also an extinct volcano. It last erupted 3 million years ago, creating the peaks and valleys that are a familiar site to those who live at its base. The mountain was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years, which eroded and softened its sharp peaks. Today it is one of the largest sources of water for much of Kenya, as well as one of its biggest attractions. Mount Kenya hosts an amazing array of habitats, environments, and experiences. Surrounding its base and on its lower slopes, there are dense forests, grasslands, tarns (small mountain lakes), and…

Kenyan jewelry is known for its unique beauty. Designs are inspired by anything from animal prints to sunset skies. In the past, jewelry makers used locally found materials such as shells, bones, clay, or wood. They made so many of them that for a time, beads became a way of trading, and were called trade beads. Today, Kenyan jewelers also use modern materials such as glass and man-made clays. You can order beautiful Kenyan jewelry online and have it delivered to your door. However, wouldn’t it be amazing to create your own beads, with your own designs, colors, and ideas? Materials • A ceramic tile to work on• Polymer clay in desired colors• Craft knife• Egg slicer• Toothpicks, tapestry needles and/or knitting needles• Leather string, hemp, embroidery thread and/ or silk cords• Polymer clay glaze in either…