CELEBRATING CULTURE
Norwalk Museum, school doll project teaches history
Isaac, a fourth-grader at Tracey Magnet School, made a wish that resonates: “My wish is for no more COVID, no more masks, no more hurting. The world should be healthy.”
Isaac’s heartfelt words are displayed beneath two colorful handmade dolls wrapped in African fabric — one in turquoise, silver and green, and the other in orange with swirls and spiral designs. The dolls, made by the fourth-graders at Tracey, are part of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum’s “Christmas Playtime at the Museum,” the result of a unique collaboration between the museum and the
school.
Iliana Begetis, education program director at the museum, and Kristen Penta, character education theme coach at Tracey, knew that toys could be a connecting point.
“The stress right now is overwhelming,” said Begetis. “We wanted a project that would be lighthearted, fun and inspiring. And we wanted them to learn about history, their own cultures and other cultures.”
Dolls became the catalyst.
Connecting to history and culture
The first step was to learn about the past. The children were treated to a virtual tour of the museum, given by former Tracey teacher Midge Lopat who was dressed in Victorian garb.
They saw porcelain dolls having a tea party in the conservatory, dolls with large ribbons in long curled hair seated around a toy piano, a tall doll clasping a baby carriage with metal wheels. They saw Christmas trees decorated in 1860s style with candles for lights, and a water bucket nearby to put out fires. They learned about typical presents of nuts and fruits.
“They loved it. They talked about each of the rooms, how the toys and decorations were different,” said fourth-grade teacher Kimberly Bonaddio. “But the presents. Fruits and nuts? Those were the presents?”
Next, Penta led the children on an exploration of other traditions and other cultures — Ramadan, Tet, Day of the Dead, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year.
“It was such a rich discussion,” she said. “They loved the excitement of learning something new, the foods, the colors, the rituals.” The children concluded that all the holidays celebrate community and family.
Then each class studied one specific kind of doll and its culture: Russian nesting dolls, African village dolls, Ghana wish dolls, and Guatemalan and Mayan worry dolls.
“Ms. Penta went on a shopping frenzy online and bought fabric, pipe-cleaners, yarn, plain wooden Russian dolls, paints, buttons, and cardboard,” said Bonaddio. And the children created hand-made dolls.
When Penta showed the dolls to Begetis, they agreed that the dolls must be in the museum’s exhibit, part of Tracey’s emphasis on service-learning and giving back to the community.
Connecting to school values
But this project was about more than a fun activity. Tracey’s theme is PRINT (problem-solving, respect to self and others, integrity even when no one is watching neighborly in and out of our community, and taking responsibility for words and action).
“Tracey Cubs leave our PRINT, show our PRINT, and good character looks the same in all languages,” said Penta.
Students who made the Ghana dolls tucked their private wish into the doll itself and wrote a more universal wish for all to see.
“We talked about wishing for things other than material goods. You can see how COVID is affecting our lives and our world,” said Bonaddio
Valeria wrote, “I wish COVID never existed. I wish the world was like the past.”
Claudia wrote, “Donate money to poor people who have no food or a house but just live on the street.”
Johanna wrote, “Help the world be a kinder place.”
Jose wrote, “I wish that the coronavirus was gone. I wish it was gone forever.”
One class created Russian nesting dolls. Each child painted three different sized dolls, connecting the dolls to their own lives and cultures.
“Maybe spending more time with family is the silver lining to COVID,” said Bonaddio. “Many kids made one doll that represented mom, dad and children. You really saw that togetherness in that blending.”
Dylan wrote, “My dolls are all about my family. So there is my mom, my dad, and me. They are decorated in the colors of the Ecuadorian flag.”
Rosario wrote, “The top half is me and the bottom half is my mom and dad. The little doll represents my first pet, a hamster. The dolls are next to each other because they represent our love.”
Nasif wrote, “I wanted to represent everything, my flag from the country of India, and the moon resembles my religion of Islam.”
Despite COVID, collaboration between community partners and the schools continue. It’s different: Virtual tours, no sharing of art materials, less time devoted to projects, service-learning from afar.
Still, the work of the children is inspiring. The fourth-grade teachers and administrators visited the display on Dec. 8 for an in-person guided tour.
“I got chills when I saw it,” said Bonaddio. “I was overwhelmed with emotion, pride in the kids’ work, sadness that they were not there to see it. It should have been the children there, seeing their work.”
The exhibit will be on display at the LockwoodMathews Mansion Museum until Jan. 3. Guided tours of five people or less are available twice a day, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations can be made at www.lockwoodmathews mansion.com and are required for entrance.