(This fifth article in the seven part series continues our discussion on how to set up your own Family Adventure Nights. To learn more about what FANS are and their back story, read our Introduction to the series here: Family Adventure Nights – Introduction)
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Chances are you will transport your family to a country where they speak a different language. Don’t neglect this aspect of the FAN. Another language accentuates the atmosphere for the night. It helps you feel like you are someplace else. When we visit another country WE are the guest and learning the language is part of the whole experience. Having a foreign language activity for the night, however small, will lead your family to learn to respect other languages and cultures more. Remember, this isn’t about learning a new language (at least that’s not the focus of a FAN.) The goal, as pertaining to languages, is to expose your family to other ways people communicate up close and personal. By participating in the actual language they are doing more than being exposed, they get to see what it’s like to communicate the way others do. It’s an eye opener for them…and maybe for many adults, as well.
There are several ways to incorporate a foreign language into your fan:
Menu — Type out your menu and include the pronunciation. Place menus on each plate so that your family can read them for themselves. They may not be able to translate the dish, but they’ll understand that every foreign item has an established name. Additionally, encourage them to USE those words during the meal, such as when they are asking for more of a certain dish. You’ll find that they will enjoy using another language!
Writings on the Walls — depending on your location, it can be fun to put different words on the walls of your location, especially if they are written in different alphabets than ours (such as the Russian Cyrillic alphabet or Japanese Kanji.) This idea is best used in commercial locations like a Parisian cafe or a restaurant in China. Provide ‘decoders’ for your children to translate the different words and phrases while they eat.
Speaking limitations — This part is particularly fun for everyone while being one of the easiest to implement. Look up a few translations for common words that you might use during the FAN. Write these translations down, giving everyone a copy and explain that if they want to use any of those words, they’ll have to use the translated versions instead. For example, try “Yes”, “No”, “Mom”, “Thanks” and “You’re welcome.” Also, especially for tweens and teens something like “Darn” works great (making sure that the direct translation isn’t vulgar.) It will easily be the most popular and fastest memorized word on the list. Limit your word list to four or five. Any more than that and it’s difficult to remember (which is why you want the most used words while you eat.) You want to have fun, not give a school assignment.
There are numerous online resources and free translators at your disposal to translate anything and everything that you need (I.e. Google Translate, etc.) If possible, find a youtube video that shows how to speak in that language to get an idea for how to pronounce the words.
CLOTHING
This is an interesting inclusion but one that I have rarely used. Still, it’s worth mentioning. Some cultures may dress very differently than you. Providing one item of clothing for each family member to wear as part of your FAN can add to the experience. There are simple solutions like Hawaiian shirts for a Tahitian luau. But for more exotic locations, the appropriate clothing may be unavailable. Consider simple accessories like scarves or hats. They require little fabric and simple sewing. Allow your kids to choose which item to wear and make sure everyone wears one. You may need to remind your kids that you are traveling if you start to hear complaining.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
FANs can help our kids live healthier lives. Although there are more opportunities for physical activity if your FAN is an outdoor experience, you can plan indoor physical activities, also. Endurance, strength and coordination are great focuses for active or inactive kids. Be sure to provide good reasons for completing the activity. For example, place some bananas high in a climbable tree for your kids to climb to help provide for dinner.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
This element can be a lot of fun, but it can quickly get expensive. Be cautious and don’t get carried away with them, unless you have the resources. If your kids don’t normally enjoy arts and crafts, be sure not to call it that. Come up with a practical reason for making the items. For example, maybe the island tribe makes necklaces to ward off evil spirits and now they need to make necklaces. For the same reason, provide the needed supplies and go for it. Typically symbolic images or signs can be incorporated into any craft or art piece, no matter what culture. Keep this portion ‘light’ unless you have a house of creative folks who enjoy personalizing their items. When choosing an item to make, choose items either used in the FAN or to keep as a souvenir of the experience. If you’ll use the items, I suggest making them earlier in the evening so they can enjoy them more. Try making them in the atmosphere space, maybe while waiting for dinner to cook.
Movies and Outside Entertainment
Ok, this element seems to go against what we’ve said a FAN is…but I’m including it to show you even rules sometimes can be broken. Planning a unique meal and some atmosphere elements might be all you have time to prepare for. During these times, you might include a prepackaged fun activity like eating Egyptian food while sitting on the floor watching The Mummy. Maybe some Parisian food with some Parisian atmosphere, then go to a local Modern Art museum and look at French paintings. Is this breaking the rules? Yes. Sometimes it’s all you have and is better than skipping the activity completely.
A word about ages, especially the ‘tween’ years. That is a time when a sad or annoyed look becomes a regular fixture on their faces. It’s when everything is stupid and every adult is wrong. Every child experiences it differently and your best bet is to be positive and try not to put them in a position where they will look or feel silly, especially if their friends are there. Focus on exciting elements and some ‘rule breaking.’ Not breaking laws, but breaking some house rules like eating in the living room, staying up late or eating dessert before dinner. These ideas can help gain positive participation from this age group.
Teens can have a great time getting into a well thought out FAN. Give them \problem solving puzzles as part of the experience and they will find it more rewarding. Include a scary element and they’ll love you for it!
As a final note, let’s talk about the ‘scary element’ of a FAN. Adding something that will challenge your kids’ courage is a great way to make your FAN an exciting adventure (and memory.) In every FAN I planned, I tried to incorporate one activity, however small, that involved walking or crawling in dark spaces or exploring someplace a little spooky. Although they often take more work and planning, they are typically one of the most memorable parts of the evening and are usually placed last in the order of events as a climax to the FAN.
To read the next article in the series, FAMILY ADVENTURE NIGHTS – ADVENTURES PART I, click HERE
To read the previous article in the series, FAMILY ADVENTURE NIGHTS – ACTIVITIES PART I, click HERE.