A World Different From Our Own

India has provided the children in Youth Group with many learning opportunities this week. They seem to find it intriguing to experience a part of our world that is so very different from our own.

The kids created Rangolia designs on Monday by gluing colored rice onto geometric shapes. They learned that single women in India create these designs to increase their potential for good fortune.

On Wednesday we made Indian Tigers. We painted paper plates orange and glued on ears, eyes, and black stripes. We learned that 60% of the world’s tigers can be found in the jungles of India.

To begin our day today we learned that because of the dry climate in India the people are unable to produce crops. To supplement this disadvantage they collect water from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal and allow the water to evaporate; leaving behind salt. We conducted our own salt experiment by making salt water and setting it outside in the sun. The kids took turns during the day observing the water level and updating their friends on the process. By the end of the day they were able to see that once the water evaporated there was, indeed, only salt left behind. Later in the day we spent our group time making a batch of Kheer (sweet rice pudding) which is an Indian dish. The children took turns adding ingredients and again, observing the changes. We were able to eat the final product for our afternoon snack. "Mmm… it’s really good," Jack said as he tasted the mixture of milk, rice, raisins, sugar, and sliced almonds and listened to five mealtime customs, for example, Indians eat several small meals a day.

Overall, this week was a week full of learning, experimenting, and, as always, having fun!

Make Kheer at home. Here's how:

Kheer (Sweet Rice Pudding)
Ingredients
½ cup basmati or long-grain rice
4 cups milk
¼ cup raisins
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
¼ cup almonds, slivered
Procedure
1.Wash the rice and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain well.
2.Boil the milk in a large pan. Lower the heat and add the rice and cardamom seeds.
3.Simmer on low heat until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 1½ to 2 hours.
4.Stir every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent mixture from sticking to sides and bottom.
5.When the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat. Let cool about 25 minutes, and then add the sugar and stir well.
6.Add the raisins and almonds. Serve hot or cold.
Serves 4 to 6.