Explore a Culture Through Its Traditional Ways of Living: Inside a Malaysian Village

Every culture has its own unique ways of living that are informed by climate, events of the past, stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, natural resources, education, political and religious influences. This month I am inviting the children to go back in time and explore life in a traditional Malaysian Village or "Kampung" (as it's called in Malay). The kampung lifestyle is often referred to nostalgically as a place of freedom, simplicity and proximity to nature, a place where relational ties are strong between family and friends.  With modernisation and the technological boom in recent decades, the kampungs have largely been deserted and the younger generations have migrated to the cities or modern housing estates. I put together these activities in the hope that the children will develop an appreciation for their Malaysian heritage and (having a grandmother who grew up in a kampung) learn a bit of family history along the way.

My main resource for exploring the traditional Malaysian kampung life has not been a textbook or a series of websites, but a couple of books by the renowned Malay cartoonist, Mohammed Nor Khalid (commonly known as "Lat"). The Kampung Boy, is a humorous recollection of his early childhood experience of living in a kampung: bathing and fishing in the river, being circumcised on a log(!), learning about the life of trees and plants from his father, receiving instruction on the reading of the Koran and attending a traditional Malay wedding.

The activities below are aimed at preschool aged children, but could be adapted for an older child and/or a different culture:

Kampung Small World

Our small world is an introduction to the setting of traditional village life.  At the centre is the classic wooden kampung house with a sloped roof (to drain off the rain) and set on stilts (to protect its inhabitants from predators).  I made the kampung house out of a bird box, craft sticks and various wooden shapes that can be purchased from a craft store.  (Once I've furnished its interior I will share in detail how I made it).  The peg dolls are clothed in tops and sarongs, with the women wearing their hair back in a bun (as was the custom).  I combined this activity with a language game where I taught Wugs the Malay words for the different objects he pointed out.

Making Batik
Batik is a traditional textile craft of Malaysia that goes back to (at least) the 17th Century according to the Malay Annals.  Batik involves creating patterns (usually flower or leaf motifs or geometic designs) on cloth from hot wax. The cloth is then washed in a dye and the wax is scraped off to reveal an intricate pattern.  My sister-in-law purchased these batik-making kits from Malaysia which have the wax design already on the cloth and a dye palette for the children to brush the colours on to the design.  Batik designs can also be created using glue and acrylic paint.  Check out these colourful designs from All Our Days.

Batik Matching Cards
When we were living in Singapore, I bought a variety of cheap batik material from a Malay market.  I decided to create batik patterned cards from it.  I placed the cards randomly on the table for the children to match them up according to colour and design.  Given how intricate the patterns are, this proved a bit challenging for my three year old.

A Kampung Meal
In Kampung Boy, Yesterday and Today, cartoonist Lat describes a typical kampung meal of boiled tapioca with grated coconut and sugar.  I decided we would dine kampung-style this evening and the sweet, creamy mix was met with approval from my boys.

Counting Sugarcanes 
One of Malaysia's natural resources is sugarcane.  Sugarcane is a stout grass stalk which can grow up to 6 metres high.  It is harvested for its sucrose, but can also be consumed in drinks (sugar cane juice) or (as Lat recollects) the sugarcane stick was chewed.  I created a simple counting activity using green painted cake sticks (for sugarcane) and a congkak board (congkak is a traditional childhood game in Malaysia, but a little too advanced for Wugs so we used it as a simple counting board).

Fishing in the Kampung
One of Lat's first skills as a young boy was learning how to fish in the local river.  Wugs had a taster of longkang (meaning "drain fishing") at a kampong in Singapore.  After heavy rainfall the drains would often be overflowing with fish and children would bring empty jam jars or tins to scoop up the fish.  For this activity, I printed off images of fish that would typically be found in a local Malaysian river, laminated them and put them in a tub of water between stones and plants for Wugs and Dooey to catch using tea strainers.  The children then needed to match the fish they caught with the images of fish on a reference sheet (with the name of the fish written underneath it).

Kampung Sensory Bin
The sensory bin was made up of things that are naturally produced in Malaysia (often in the kampungs).  Our bin contained rice, dried banana, sugar cubes, tin and rubber (gloves).  I added in some tongs for the children to use to pick up medium-sized objects and help strengthen those fine motor skills.

Rice Weighing
For this activity I borrowed a set of old weighing scales from my mum and instead of using the small metal weights (which are too heavy for the children), I measured out separate quantities of rice into bags.  On one side of the scales sit the bags (1 cup, 3/4 cup, 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup of rice) and on the other side, the children can add the loose rice into a bowl and experiment with weight and balance.

Traditional Childhood Games
Lat devotes a large part of his book , Kampung Boy, Yesterday and Today to the childhood games that were played in a kampung.  My husband also remembers playing these at school with his friends. In our basket is
- a shuttlecock-like object that is made of rubber and (traditionally) the feathers of a local bird.  It is tossed in the air and tapped or kicked.  The idea is for the object not to fall on the ground.
- a spinning top (traditionally made from guava bark with a nail pushed through it).  The string is wrapped around the top and then pulled away quickly.  Competitions were held over the distance covered by the spinning top, the speed of it etc.
- the ornate-looking catapult was traditionally made from guava bark and an elastic band.  This has proved to be a very popular toy in our house!
- the triangular bean bags are used in a game called batu seremban that involves throwing the bags on the ground and picking one up at a time, tossing it in the air and picking up another before the bag that is thrown in the air falls to the ground.

Whilst living in Singapore, I discovered a shop at One North MRT station (next to the Malaysian restaurant, "Penang Place") that sells the objects that are used in these traditional Malaysian games. Some of them can also be purchased at Kampong Glam (Muscat Street).

Chinese New Year Lion Sock Puppets

A couple of weeks ago I had the idea to create some sock puppets for the boys for Chinese New Year. As with most of my ideas that involve sewing, I design the project and pass it into the capable hands of my mum.  These adorable lions were based on the fluffy lion costume that is worn by dancers who act out the lion dance – a dance that is performed throughout Singapore and Malaysia at this time of year. We have been playing with them alongside reading this book about the lion dance.  You can read a review of this book from my post on South-East Asian Children's Picture Books:

I drew out the shapes on an A4 sheet of paper and used the shapes as templates for the different features of the lion.  The top three images are the parts of the eyes, the fourth image is the teeth and tongue and the fifth image is the ears.  For the ears, I doubled over the felt to make them stronger so they would stand up.  The nose was a yellow pom pom securely sewn on.  We had a few limitations in putting the sock puppets together as Dooey puts everything in his mouth (so googly eyes, glue or small parts of any kind couldn’t be used). 

All the felt pieces were sewn onto the sock and then strips of the yellow fluffy material were sewn around the edges of the eyes, ears and upper part of the mouth.  The material was very fluffy so I trimmed it down so it different overwhelm the lion's other facial features.  We also added 3 strips of braid that hung down under the mouth of the lions for a mane.  (In the lion dance costume, the mane is very subtle and strands of wool may have been closer to the original design.  We didn't use wool as they could easily become tangled in the hands of my young boys). 

What we used:

A pair of red socks

Black, white, red, orange and green felt

Yellow fluffy material (bought from Hobbycraft, 1 metre for two socks was just enough)

Different-coloured cotton (to match the colours of the felt)

Yellow pom pom

Golden braid

South-East Asian Children's Picture Books and the Importance of Local Children's Literature

SOUTH-EAST ASIAN CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

and the Importance of Local Children’s Literature

Whilst we were living in Singapore I was always searching for children’s picture books that told their stories within a Singaporean or South-East Asian context, with illustrations and phrases that my children could identify with. The more I searched, the more I realised the extent to which British and American authors dominate the literary landscape.  This is not entirely a problem for us, being a part-British family, but my sons were not born in Britain; they were born in Singapore and are part-Malaysian.  I remember one evening being struck by the absurdity of reading a book about the four seasons to my (then) two year old son who had never seen bare trees, snow, a sledge, an open fire, squirrels or foxes; he had only ever known a climate of humid heat and monsoon rain, a world of spectacular shopping malls, hawker centres, beaches, geckoes, mosquitoes, rice cookers and “aunties” handing out little red packets.  It's not that I'm opposed to reading books outside our own culture (we read stories from other cultures all the time), but that reading a story was always like peering through a window into another world; it never really reflected back and affirmed the world that my sons were born into and the culture they had inherited.  I made it my mission to specifically search for South-East Asian children’s picture books.  

Listed below are a collection of South-East Asian picture books (from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia) that I discovered during our stay in Singapore:

My Mother’s Garden, by Emilia Yusof (author and illustrator)

This picture book is a window into the world of a young girl enjoying the sights, sounds and feel of her mother’s garden.  She dances with the insects and dreams of being a flower and then the rain pours down and she must stay inside until the sun comes up again.  Whilst the story itself is very simple, each page depicts flowers and plants that you would find in a typical South-East Asian garden.  At the end of the book there is a glossary of the plants featured in the story.  It was fun reading this to my son and pointing out the frangipani, the jungle geranium, the “Mother-in-law’s tongue” and the heliconia that grew in the grounds of our condo.  The book is written by an author living in Malaysia, who has also published a second book in the same series called My Mother’s Kitchen. (Purchased from: Woods in the Books, Tiong Bahru, Singapore)

Grandma Lim’s Persimmons, by Sunita Lad Bhamray (author) and Marjorie van Heerden (illustrator)

This is an outstandingly beautiful picture book about a grandma and the award-winning persimmons that she grows in her garden.  She is saving a ripe and juicy persimmon to give to her granddaughter, who would be visiting her later that day.  Whilst the grandma is out, a wind sweeps through her garden, causing all the persimmons to fall from the tree, but with the help of her garden friends (a centipede, a spider and a cat), the ripe and juicy persimmon is delivered safely into her granddaughter’s hands.  The story is written by an author living in Singapore, whose inspiration came from watching her elderly neighbour lovingly tend to her garden.  The warm and whimsical illustrations capture the love and dedication that the grandma feels towards her granddaughter and her garden. (Purchased from: Kinokuniya, Liang Court, Singapore)

Asian Spice Kids, Star Anise Superstar!, by Linn Shekinah (author) and Ong, Sheng Hua (illustrator)

The Asian Spice Kids books tell their stories through six characters that are based on six ingredients found in typical South-East Asian meals: Star Anise, Cinnamon, Chilli, Ginger, Shallot and Clove).  In the story of Star Anise Superstar, each spice character is depicted as having something special to add to the chef’s dishes to make them taste delicious.   The chef encourages the spice kids to form a band to help them work together, but one spice, Star Anise, begins to doubt her contribution.  Overcome by feelings of inadequacy she tries to outshine her fellow spices in a performance, which angers the other spices.  Star Anise runs away and falls into a pit where she overhears a plot by some bugs to destroy the Spice Kids.  Star Anise is given the opportunity to redeem herself by rescuing her friends and by working together to destroy the bugs.  The story is interwoven with a moral that true stardom is not about competitiveness, but collaboration.  I love the way the book uses food (something at the very heart of South-East Asian culture) and the mysterious blending of spices to illustrate a moral.  The book also critiques an attitude (the “kiasu” attitude) that has been identified as a social malaise of Singapore.  The book is colourfully illustrated and the text is written in two languages, English and Mandarin (sponsored by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism).  The author Linn Shekinah is Singaporean and has written four other stories in the Asian Spice Kids series. (Purchased from: Woods in the Books, Tiong Bahru, Singapore)

Ayu and the Perfect Moon, by David Cox (author and illustrator)

The story is set in a Balinese village where girls from the age of 5 are trained to perform the “legong”, a traditional Indonesian dance that used to be performed in the palaces of the rajas.  The story opens with an old lady recounting her younger days when she would dance the legong and was invited at the prince’s request, to perform the dance during the full moon in front of her whole village.  There are some wonderful sketches in the book of Ayu (the young girl) being dressed in elaborate outfits and being accompanied by the playing of music from traditional Indonesian instruments like the gamelan.  Although the author, David Cox, is not Indonesian, the story is based on a girl he met in Bali.  He and his wife have also written a musical drama called The Raja who Married an Angel.  (Purchased from: Motherworks, Great World City, Singapore)

There Was a Peranakan Woman who Lived in a Shoe, by Gwen Lee (author) and Cheryl Kook (illustrator)

This book is a hilarious collection of traditional nursery rhymes whose words have been altered to reflect a Singaporean context.  For instance, in Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse that runs up the clock is replaced by a gecko that lives in the block.  This Little Piggy is not about a pig venturing into market or staying at home, but about a pig that goes to certain towns in Singapore, eats “chye tau kway” (a local dish) and drinks “Teh Tarik” (a local beverage) before he “makan, makan, makan” (“makan” (Malay) meaning “to eat”) all the way home.  Through the illustrations and the text the book cleverly reflects Singapore’s different ethnic identities (Chinese, Malay and Indian) and the festivities that are generally associated with them.  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, for instance, becomes a rhyme about the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi driving out the darkness.  The image on the front cover depicts a beaded slipper (a “kasut manek”) which is part of a traditional Peranakan woman’s attire.  As my mother-in-law is Peranakan, this is part of our family/cultural heritage and probably the reason I was drawn to the book.  (Purchased from: Kinokuniya, Liang Court, Singapore)

Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di, The Lion Dance, by David Seow (author) and Soefara Jafney (illustrator)

The Lion Dance is part of a series of picture books that depict the adventures of a Singaporean family visiting one of the country’s landmarks or celebrating one of its national events.  The story of The Lion Dance begins at the family breakfast table as the children Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di excitedly talk about going to see the Lion Dance (a dance that is performed during Chinese New Year).  The children together with their parents head out to see the performance, at first watching the band and then discovering the lion costume behind a curtain, which they promptly dive into and unexpectedly become the stars of the show. 

The rhyming verses and the details of the music that accompanies the lion dance make for a noisy, but enjoyable bedtime read.  The book’s appeal is in the detailed illustrations: The traditional Nyonya teapot and wedding basket (“bakul sia”) on the kitchen shelf, the peach blossom branch decoration (that is used to decorate Singaporean homes at this time of year), the Chinese drum held by one of the children, the variety of lanterns in the market place and the traditional Chinese costumes worn by the parents, the red curtains with the “lucky” embroidered phoenix and fish symbols and the drummers with synchronised raised arms are a realistic depiction of Singapore during Chinese New Year.  My favourite illustration has to be the lion costume itself which looks as fluffy and soft as it does in real life.   (Purchased from: Woods in the Books, Tiong Bahru, Singapore)

Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di At The S.E.A Aquarium, by David Seow (author) and Soefara Jafney (illustrator)

At the SEA Aquarium is another local story by Singaporean author, David Seow.  This time the story is set in one of Singapore’s tourist landmarks, The SEA Aquarium at Sentosa where the youngest, son Di-Di-Di goes missing.  As the other two siblings search for him, the story showcases all the sea-life found in the aquarium – seahorses, crabs and manta rays.  They discover Di-Di-Di wearing a mask and oxygen tank and swimming with the manta ray, who has become estranged from his other aquarium friends.  Sam and Sebbie jump in and help the manta ray show his friends that he can be a fun fish to play with too.  The discovery of Di-Di-Di in the aquarium is not as far-fetched as it sounds, as it is quite normal to see a diver or two swimming with the fish in the huge tanks at the aquarium in Sentosa.  (Purchased from: Woods in the Books, Tiong Bahru, Singapore)

David Seow has written other books in this series which include:  Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di At the Night Safari, Sebbie’s First Day of School and A Day with the Duchess.

Mid-Autumn Festival Lanterns

Last month Singapore celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival or "New Moon Festival" as it is sometimes called.  This festival celebrates the harvest and takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar (on the night of the full moon).  It is a time of thanksgiving and prayer for prosperity and is visually represented in Singapore by the making and carrying of lanterns through the streets of Chinese neighbourhoods, such as Chinatown.

We decided to make lanterns of our own by recycling some artwork the boys produced a few weeks ago and which I blogged about here.   I took down the food colouring paintings from our balcony doors and asked the boys to tear the paper into shreds - an activity that delighted Dooey as he loves tearing things apart and an activity that delighted Wugs because he loves cutting everything up using his new safety scissors.  I blew up two balloons and put together a mixture of white glue and water. Then I asked Wugs to stick the shreds of paper to the balloon using the diluted glue mixture (I had to do this part of the activity for Dooey).  Once the balloons were completely covered with the paper, we applied another layer of glue and let them dry overnight.

              

        

The next morning, we popped our balloons and I cut a hole in the top of each that was big enough to place a small LED light inside.  The paper crinkles a little as the air goes out of the balloon, but it is easy to push back into shape by sliding a hand into the hole at the top and pushing out the sides.  I made a handle for the boys to carry their lanterns by making two holes in the opposite sides of the top part of each lantern and threading a rod through them and then tying a loop of wool to the rod.   Although we didn't join any of the lantern walks that were taking place around Singapore, the boys were thrilled with their little creations and carried them around the condo in the early evening just as it became dark.

What we used:
Balloons
Elmer's glue
Greaseproof paper dyed with food colouring
Rod
Wool
LED lights

Singaporean Shop Tiles: Exploring Patterns, Colour and Symmetry

A stunning decorative feature that you cannot miss in Singapore is the beautiful tiles that adorn the traditional Singaporean shophouse.  My parents bought me a book called "Singapore Shophouse", by Julian Davison and Luca Invernizzi Tettoni.  The book is full of the history and images of the shophouse and Wugs loves to flick through it pointing out the pretty designs. Following on from our coloured "glass" tile craft yesterday (that I've featured in the picture on the bottom left), I painted some more tiles in traditional shophouse colours for Wugs to decorate.

The craft yesterday made me realise that Wugs' interest would only last long enough to decorate possibly two tiles, so I decorated the tan-coloured tile using a black marker pen to show what an older child could be capable of.

What we used:
Egg cartons
1 Packet of Heinz Baby Pasta Stars (which looked like miniature flowers)
Le Fantasie flower-shaped pasta
White, red, green, tan-coloured paint
Yellow, red, blue food colouring
White Distilled vinegar
Ziploc/freezer bags
Black Marker pen
Fake flowers
Cornstarch/Corn flour Glue

Yesterday I coloured the pasta by placing it in Ziploc bags, adding the food colouring and a teaspoon of Distilled white vinegar and squishing it around until the pasta had soaked up the colour. Then I left it to dry overnight.

This morning I laid out the materials including the cornstarch glue we prepared for our tile yesterday.  (This was made from 30g of cornstarch/corn flour mixed with 150ml of water.  I mixed just a little of the water and cornstarch to remove any lumps and then I added the rest of the water gradually to the mixture in the saucepan over a low heat).  We covered the egg carton with glue first and then Wugs added the decoration.  The egg carton was a good material to use for creating tiles because it encourages a certain amount of balance not only because of its shape but also because Wugs has used one for counting and sorting before.  It also enabled him to explore the materials and colours without them sticking firmly to the tile.  In fact all day he has returned to the red and green tiles and added bits to them from around the house such as real flowers, pennies etc. I like the fact that the patterns are not permanent, so we might leave them that way, but if we want to display them on the wall, we can easily tap out the pasta that didn't directly stick to the glue and then add another layer of glue to seal them down.

This tile craft was easier (so definitely appropriate for a 2.5 year old) than the glass tile craft we attempted yesterday as it wasn't necessary for Wugs to cover the whole tile and the pasta shapes formed the intricate details and gave a sense of balance to the tile.

Exploring Colour, Symmetry and Light with "Glass" Tiles

Today's craft was inspired by my love of a place in Singapore called Kampong Glam, a neighbourhood with Malay and Middle Eastern influence.  Along its streets are rows and rows of shops selling jewellery, rugs, lamps, fabrics and coloured glass tiles - all with intricate patterns, bright colours and a variety of textures.  I wondered how we could re-create some of this beauty through our crafts and a craft that a 2.5 year old could do.

I managed to get hold of an egg carton that carries 30 eggs and I cut it into squares (so that there are 9 egg holders to every tile).  I will use the other 3 tiles for a Singaporean Shophouse tile project that I have planned tomorrow.  I coloured this tile in white paint so that the tissue paper would easily shine through.  Meanwhile I cut out squares of blue and red coloured transparent paper and squares of tin foil (the tiles I've seen have a combination of coloured glass and mirrors in them) and I thought it would be nice for Wugs to handle a different material other than the coloured paper.  As Wugs would also be sticking the paper to the carton, I made some child-friendly glue using 30g of cornstarch and 150ml of water.  I added some of the water to the cornstarch and stirred it around to remove all of the lumps.  Then I placed it into a saucepan on a low heat and kept stirring the mixture until it boiled.  Once that had cooled down we started to add the glue to the egg carton with a brush.  I found it easier to cover the egg carton with glue before adding the paper as the paper tends to get stuck to the brush and hands and can be frustrating and distracting.

What we used:

Egg carton 

White paint

Blue and red coloured transparent "sweet wrapper" paper

Tin foil

Cornstarch Glue

I found this craft a little challenging for a 2.5 year old as it involves creating symmetry and balance.  Wugs did so in terms of adding the tin foil squares, but I think a child of 4 years or older would appreciate it better.  Having said that, Wugs enjoyed sticking and using the brush to spread the glue and appreciated the reflectiveness of the tin foil.

Hari Raya: Weaving Rice Dumpling Cases - "Ketupat"

The "Ketupat" decorations are very popular at this time of year in Singapore as they have become associated with the end of the Muslim fasting month.  The weaving of rice dumpling cases is a traditional craft of this region and one that children as young as seven have mastered. I decided to give it a try with a lot of help from this video.

"Ketupat" refers to a rice dumpling that is packed and cooked in palm leaves and can be found in South East Asia and the Philippines.  As the rice cooks, it expands to fill the casing and becomes compressed creating the dumpling-like texture. Although the Ketupat's significance is not necessarily religious, it is often connected to the end of the Muslim fasting festival Ramadhan and the beginning of Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Eid ul-Fitr.  According to Javanese tradition, the criss-cross pattern of the woven palm leaves is believed to symbolise sins for which fasting and deliverance is required.  The white rice dumpling is meant to symbolise purity and forgiveness after the fast.

We are hanging our decorations in Wugs' and Dooey's room to remind us to pray for the children who are living in conflict in the Middle East.

What we used:
Balloon ribbons (15mm width and 1m in length for each colour)

Using "Wayang" (Javanese-style Shadow Puppets) to Depict Bible Stories

"Wayang" is the Javanese word for "shadow", but it is commonly used to refer to the shadow puppet shows that are famous across Indonesia. Although Wayang is commonly used to depict the Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, I decided to use the beautiful form of "Wayang" and apply it to the Christian love story of Isaac and Rebekah. Wugs and Dooey love standing up in their cots and playing with their shadows so I thought it would be a fun way for them to interact with the story.

I created the templates of Isaac, Rebekah, the camel and the jug on card and then cut them out.  Although Abraham's servant plays a big role in the story, I decided to use the camel to fill his part - knowing that Wugs would enjoy holding the camel.  For the arms, I followed the template on this website.  The arms are in two sections and are held together with brass fasteners which enables them to move.  Before connecting the arms to the main body of the puppets, I gave Wugs the pottu ("bindis"). They were a little difficult for him to handle, as they are very small and delicate, but he did manage to add some to Rebekah's dress. I used black and gold pens to draw some basic features on the puppets.  Although the decoration cannot be seen on the shadow, the puppets are an art form in themselves and this was a nice way to get Wugs involved in the making of the puppets.  I added some decoration that would show up in the shadows such as the doily (on Isaac) and the cup cake border (on Rebekah).  Finally I fixed coffee stirrers (from Costa!) onto the hands of the puppets and a chopstick to the back of the puppets so I could hold the puppet whilst manipulating its arms.

I placed a lamp on a stand by the boys' beds and narrated the story with them both standing up in a cot and Wugs holding the camel puppet.

What we used:
A4 Card sheets
Pottu ("bindis")
4 Coffee stirrers
3 Chopsticks
8 Brass fasteners
Black marker
Gold marker
Doily paper
Acrylic gold paint
Cup cake decorative border
Masking tape
Glue

Note: If I carried out this activity again, I would have doubled up on the card that I used for the puppets' bodies and limbs as they seemed a bit fragile in action.  I would have also experimented with narrating the story by projecting a light behind a white sheet as the shadows may have been clearer than they were on the wall.