Deployment is tough. While it is hard on me, I think my kids get the worst of it because they don't truly understand why daddy is gone or have a concrete concept of where he has gone when isn't with us. That is why I jumped at the chance to read and review a copy of I See The Sun in Afghanistan written by Dedie King from Satya House Publications. Literature is a great way to increase understanding of a concept at any age!
The book I See The Sun in Afghanistan follows a day in the life of a young Afghan girl named Habiba. Habiba lives with her mother, father, older sister, and younger brother in in her hometown of Bamiyan which is known for being a safe region of Afghanistan. During the story, Habiba learns that her aunt. uncle, and cousins will be coming to live with her family in their home as the war has caused them to lose their home. You will also read about school, food, activities and more in the book.
My 3 year old twins were a little young for the story, but they enjoyed the pictures and actually sat still through the whole thing. My 5 year old daughter really got into the story and asked me lots of questions about the pictures. While we read I asked he some questions about the story we were reading to draw on the parts I wanted her to remember. She loved the clothing and animals the most. My oldest, who is 10, read the story on his own and enjoyed completing a short research project on the region.
Whether you are dealing with a deployment or not, I See the Sun in Afghanistan and other books in the I See the Sun series are a great way to introduce your children to other parts of the world and teach them that even though we live far apart in different cultures, in many ways we are the same. It can also help to build an appreciation for those differences.
To supplement the reading here are some activities I did or will do with my children:
1. We learned the words for mother, father, aunt, and uncle in Afghan Farsi. (These are listed in the book)
2. We compared some aspects of Habiba's life to ours:
- How are our families alike and different
- How is her house like/different from ours
- How is her daily routine different from yours
3. Bake Naan and Khjour (or find a local store that sells these products).
4. Locate Afghanistan and Bamiyan on a map. Look how far it is from where we live. Discuss ways you could travel there. How long would it take to get there?
5. Older children can be assigned a small research project like preparing a short report about Bamiyan to present to the rest of the family.
6. Make paper dolls with authentic clothing to show how what they wear is different from what your child wears.
Satya House Publications is offering Military families a $2 discount and FREE shipping on I See the Sun in Afghanistan when you visit their page here. Plus, one lucky My Military Mommy reader will also receive a FREE copy of "I See The Sun in Afghanistan" courtesy of Satya House Publications. To enter simply leave a comment on this post sharing how you might use this book. This giveaway will end on 4/30 at 11:59 pm CST.
I received a free copy of "I See The Sun in Afghanistan" to facilitate my review. All thought and opinions are my own.
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