Volunteer Tip #16

Take your family (or the children of the family) to the Garland Theater tomorrow, Wednesday March 10th for $1.00 Wednesdays! The Princess and the Frog is playing, which, although intended for children, may be enjoyable for the whole family, as there is lots of singing. A sure culture experience! The Princess and the Frog plays at 7:00 p.m. There are other movies coming soon!

Volunteer Tip #15

Bring some photos of you when you were a small child, or when you were younger to the refugee's house. Spend time telling stories of when you were younger, and ask your family about stories of their childhood. 

Volunteer Tip #14

Many refugee families cannot afford to get pictures taken of their family to send to their relatives in other states or countries. Schedule a time this next week with your refugee family to take some portrait shots of their family. You don't need a professional camera to do this. If you are able and/or wanting, offer to print a few copies of these photos for them.

Volunteer Tip #13

Volunteer Tip #12

Every Thursday, the Inlander hosts a skate night at the Spokane Ice Palace. This allows for free admission, and a $3.00 skate rental. Pick up a few Inlanders to get the coupon, and bring your family and coupons to the Ice Palace from 7-8:30 p.m. any Thursday night. Many refugee families come from warm climates, so ice skating will be a new and exciting experience for most! Remember to check with the family to see if $3.00 per person is an OK cost for them. Have fun!

Volunteer Tip #11

Many refugee children become overwhelmed with the transition into the U.S. and have a little trouble understanding everything in the classroom. Starting this Monday, all refugee children who are attending school will be required to participate in a 3-week long English Language Proficiency exam. Some children will score high, but will not "exit" the ESL programs. This week, spend some time investing in helping the children of your refugee family practice their English. Contact the ELD teaching (ESL teaching in laymen's terms) of the children of the refugee family you help. You can go on the school or district's website to find this information. Introduce yourself, and ask them for any materials or resources that you can use to help the kids (and family) with their English at home. I have included a Global Neighborhood brochure if you would like to tell them about the organization.

Tip #10

Research one current event in your refugee family's country of origin. Come with questions about the event to your next visit. People are usually very honored to know that you care about what is happening in their country.

Tip #9

Bring over the ingredients to make a traditional American meal- pancakes, casserole, pie, or something else- and teach them how to make it. Learning measurements and how to follow a recipe is a great way to teach English!

Tip #8

The Christmas story is one that some refugees are not familiar with or have never heard before. This week, spend some time explaining the Christmas story to your family. Perhaps bring a nativity scene to their house to act it out! If your family knows the Christmas story and/or is a Christian, spend some time reflecting with them on the story. You could even teach the family a few simple Christmas carols to go along with the Christmas story.

Tip #7

Many people from other countries do not celebrate Christmas the same way that we do in the U.S. (if they celebrate it at all). Sometime this week or next, take your family to go look at the Christmas lights around Spokane. Feel free to share about your family Christmas traditions, what Christmas is, who that man with the red suit is, and the Christ story. Check out the Spokesman-Review Holiday Light Map at http://www.spokesmanreview.com/holidaylights/ for a map of all the holiday lights in Spokane.