Today I would like to share another fun book with you! This book is called Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain and was written by Verna Aardema. Although the Kapiti Plain is located in Kenya, since Kenya and Uganda are neighbors, the beautiful illustrations of this book can give you and your kids an idea of what Uganda's plains might look like!
The book is an adaptation of a Kenyan folktale. The beautiful illustrations, rhyming and This is the House that Jack Built style of repetition entertains both my toddlers!
Older kids will enjoy the book also, as I thoroughly enjoy reading and re-reading it, and can provide a springboard for studying more about Eastern African culture and climate. There are even some fun teaching plans available for helping kids explore more after reading Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain:
About Hannah Hinojosa...Hannah is a long time Compassion sponsor (she was Sherinah's sponsor) and writes about her sponsorship journey at Because of Shamim. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a part-time math professor and loves to read.
Today I would like to share the recipe of Mugoyo with you! Mugoyo is described by the author in this way:
Since sweet potatoes and beans are inexpensive and store well, Mugoyo is usually prepared during winter months when food is not being harvested and is less available. When Ugandans travel, they often pack food for their journey. Mugoyo is one of their traveling foods.
If you would like to make your own Mugoyo, here is the recipe, per the book Extending the Table:
Soak overnight: 1 lb. dried white beans (500 g) 2 qt. water (2 L)
Before cooking add: 1-2 t. salt (5-10 ml)
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender.
In a saucepan, cook until tender: 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (500 g)
While still hot, drain excess water from beans and sweet potatoes. Combine beans and potatoes and mash until smooth. Consistency will be stiff and dry; flavor mild. Form into loaf and slice. Ugandans serve as main dish with cooked greens and beverage.
About Hannah Hinojosa...Hannah is a long time Compassion sponsor (she was Sherinah's sponsor) and writes about her sponsorship journey at Because of Shamim. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a part-time math professor and loves to read.
There are many different tribes in Uganda and these tribes enjoy passing down their music and dancing to the younger generation! Ugandan children enjoy singing at home, at school and at church. Did you know that Sherinah, the director of SNH, danced as a child! I have this beautiful photo to prove it:
Drums are a big part of Ugandan music and can be made from cow hide and wood! Check out the photo of these traditional drums from Learning from Uganda. (If you would like to learn more about traditional Ugandan instruments, click here.)
Here is a fun video of Ugandan children singing and dancing!
Do you enjoy singing and dancing? What about playing music? Do you play an instrument?
If you would like to create your own simple musical instruments, check out these instructions from UK Ugandan Network:
"1. Make Your Own Drum:
You will need a catering size tin with the top and bottom removed or the thick cardboard tubes that are used in carpet shops, heavy duty polythene sheet or inner tubing, reinforcement rings, cord and scissors. In Uganda zebra skin in often used to cover the drums.
Make a water drum using a metal bucket a quarter filled with water. Stretch some thick plastic over the top and tie firmly in place.
2. A rattle.
This is another type of instrument that is very popular. Use squashed bottle tops on a wire frame and wrap the handle with insulating tape.
3. Shakers.
Collect together dried peas, rice, macaroni and so on and place varying amounts into yoghurt cartoons before covering with colourful paper."
About Hannah Hinojosa...Hannah is a long time Compassion sponsor (she was Sherinah's sponsor) and writes about her sponsorship journey at Because of Shamim. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a part-time math professor and loves to read.
My son Juanito is 3 and he loves to listen to stories. I wanted to share a simple story book called A Country Far Away by Nigel Grey!
This story parallels the lives of a boy in the USA with a boy in Africa. In the story, both boys do the same things: help at home, go to school, go shopping with their families, play with friend, and other activities of daily life. The illustrations do a wonderful job of showing the differences in the cultures!
If you have a young child and want to help your child see the differences and similarities between their lives and a child in Africa, I would encourage you to read this book. I also think older children would enjoy it as it could be a great springboard into further research about the Ugandan culture.
About Hannah Hinojosa...Hannah is a long time Compassion sponsor (she was Sherinah's sponsor) and writes about her sponsorship journey at Because of Shamim. In addition to being a wife and mother, she is a part-time math professor and loves to read.
