World Crafts: How Ethiopia Forever Changed our Lives

World crafts can connect us to far away places and remind us of far away people.   Kids Activities Blog is so excited for Rachel to share part of her story today and how world crafts are helping connect her sons with a the country of their birth which was prompted by WorldFest.

If you are studying the world and came across this information in that search, you might love the globe crafts we found over at DIY Candy!

Our lives were forever changed last January.   We fell in love with another country., with the smells, the colors, the vibrant personalities and two pairs of trusting eyes.   By choice and through adoption, we became a multiracial and multicultural family.   This past summer we brought home two of our boys.

Cultural Appreciation

One of my favorite memories from that trip was the generosity of the people that hosted us while we were in-country.   In one trip we got a flat tire on the top of a mountain overlooking the city of Addis, where we were staying.   A group of guys, including a couple of young teenagers, helped us literally lift our vehicle to change the tire.   I’ve had flat tires here in the States, and did not experience the same warmth and assistance.   Afterwards, the older sister of one of the boys who had helped us, hosted a coffee ceremony for us.   She roasted the grounds of coffee in a pan, hand ground them and then steeped the grounds with water over a fire of eucalyptus coals until the coffee is dark and heavy.   While we waited we learned that the boys and their family made hats from wool, monkey tails and bits of yarn.   We were so impressed with the industrious spirits of the people we met, we brought one home for our son to remember our travels.

World Crafts

Now that we are home, I am teaching my son how to weave.   We aren't making hats, just practicing with bits of yarn, maybe the finished product can become a coaster for our Ethiopian coffee pot.  To make our loom, we used a plastic storage bin, wrapped yarn around it until the section was as wide as we were going to work with.   Then we taped the back to keep the strings secure.   With bits of yarn, we threaded them through the loom.   This is a great activity to help your kids practice fine motor skills, or work on recognizing patterns.

Thank you Ethiopia, for changing our lives forever!   You have helped us value the little things, to remember to take time to enjoy those around us, to work hard and to enjoy the little lives you have entrusted to our care.   If you are looking for other weaving posts, check out our DIY friendship bracelet loom, it’s a favorite around here – and for the younger preschoolers, try weaving with paper.

To see more about our trip to Ethiopia, we have a set of photos of Ethiopia and a video about our adoption story.