How does it make your melanated son feel when you give him that Buzz Lightyear Toy, Mario Brother’s game, etc?

​If s/he has been fed a steady diet of mainstream media (cartoons, clothes, books, toys), s/he will be excited. In fact, any child may be excited because the mainstream media are exciting, colorful, fun, and it connects one to a group experience. After all, these companies spend loads on marketing to children and parents. However, what is the subconscious message and what is it doing to your child? 

​Play at the expensive of my child’s self-esteem—no thanks. “Hispanic and Black girls who watch more Black-oriented television have higher body satisfaction,” (nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-body-image-and-eating-disorders). Negative media stereotypes (thugs, criminals, fools, and the disadvantaged) are demoralizing and reduce self-esteem and expectations. Dealing with negative expectations may also create stress and drain cognitive resources in some contexts — leading to the lowered performance. Not to mention these negative media stereotypes feed white fear/imagination. Lack of diversity in children’s literature is a blockage to melanated children becoming motivated, engaged, and proficient readers. And even when they do become proficient readers, despite the lack of positive representation, guess what that teaches them? Don’t be yourself and you will be successful. Serve those not like you and you will be successful. 

Here is a list of Black-owned businesses that create children's toys, books, etc with equity and positive representation. Go shopping:
​
https://edanimeproductions.com/shop/dvd-meltrek/
http://www.blackbeautydolls.com/
http://www.misszee.net/
http://www.myakids.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
http://www.bbe4.com/vandora.html
http://www.martidumasbooks.com/books
http://babysparkles.biz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=259
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1530439191/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
https://www.icecreamtoysandbooks.com/
http://www.pattycakedoll.com/black_dolls
http://www.sugarfoots.com/
http://shawncrealcreations.com/
http://yeslioness.bigcartel.com/category/coloring-books
https://www.etsy.com/shop/OffDHookCreations
https://sites.google.com/site/buymoorish/place-your-order
http://www.funrise.com/positively-perfect/#/store/collection/zair
http://www.itsbathtimebaby.com/order.html
http://www.taylormadenc.com/new-products/
http://www.kujichaguliapress.com/
​Swift Walker Books
Fred Crump Jr Fairy Tale Books
Children's Backpacks, clothes, shoes:
https://www.facebook.com/AyAnnAsArt/
ayannasartfashion@gmail.com
Islamic Children's Books:
Reading Books
Fairy Tales 
*The Prophet 
*not Black-Owned, but positive representation.

Here I am divulging all my Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free secrets, and you guys aren't sharing with me! "Tell me who I have to be, to get some reciprocity." (Lauryn Hill, Ex-Factor) Far real, why didn't anybody tell me about the gluten-free ice cream cones?! 

See the problem is, you guys take ice cream cones for granted. However, my children have gone all these years without experiencing an ice cream cone. Imagine listening to Wu Tang's Ice Cream; all those flavors, sans cones. Sure we have coconut or almond ice cream in a bowl. Now, we can have it on a cone. This is whole nother level type stuff.

So now that we can have ice cream on ice cream cones, we are dedicating one day a week to learning how to properly eat and hold ice cream cones without letting it drip all over your hands and clothes. Oh! Or without letting the entire ball of icecream fall completely off one's cone.  

My children may have gotten a late start, but I'll have them caught up in no time, for the next ice cream social!

And if I'm looking extra plump in my burkini, you'll know why! 

The Rites of Passage Learning Center style of education is best described as wholistic educultural academics. Right now you are making that "huh?" face. So here, I thought I would put it into pictures with these examples from past classes.

Do I spend loads of money on curriculums? No. Do I enroll in online programs that will track and monitor each neuron we develop? No. Do we sit at the desk doing page after page of worksheets day after day? No. I'm not knocking these things. But as a homeschooler and ROP teacher I have to accomdate a lot of intelligences, levels, domains, subjects, learning styles, special abilities, and make it all cuturally relavent. The easiest way to do that is to do a project.

I love projects! Projects demonstrate how everything is connected. Projects bring real life into the classroom. And it is easy to adapt a project to many different age levels. And projects are hands on kinesthetic, which = FUN!

​Here are some of my greatest education hacks/projects:

Every concept I teach has to be a Visual Tactile Audio experience. Here's what we did:

• Represent place value on the abacus (if you haven't bought and abacus or signed up for my abacus math classes, you are missing all the fun!!)
• Watch a youtube playlist about How to build a speedometer and Place Value 

How to Build Speedometer
Place Value Song
Place Value Story
Place Value Cartoon

• Build a "speedometer" (place value cups)
• Inspect the spedometer in a car
• Use the speedometer they built along with worksheets & Starfall place value games. Starfall has like 5 different place value games.

Here's what we did:

• We learned about cells on my youtube playlist:

​Cell Rap
Cell Song
​Animal Cells
Plant Cells

• The students colored and labeled plant and animal cell worksheets
• We laid out a buffet of ingredients. The students decided which food represented the different parts of the cell.
• Each student built an animal cell sushi & plant jello cell (all gluten-free, dairy-free, and halal).
• Each student presented and ate their cells

Here's what we did.

• I told the class a Zulu story about owls
• I explained the digestion of bird using posters
• I distributed the owl pellets and dissecting kits
• Each student dissected an owl pellet, organized and labeled bones by gluing them to a vole skeleton sheet.
• identified the animal skulls found in the pellet
• Created a food web with the barn owl at the highest trophic level.
• Watched the animated movie Legend of the Guardians 
• Went to an animal sanctuary and zoo to visit owls

Topics Discussed:
The digestive system, skeletal system, food chain, owl legends
Other resources

• http://kidwings.com/

• Wild Kratts Cartoon: Episode 140: Raptor Roundup

• And you know I love youtube

Projects are an easy inexpensive way to cover a lot of subjects, material, learning styles etc. It's the perfect education hack for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to supplement their child's education. We hope to see you for the next Rites of Passage Learning Center class!!! Better yet, I can help you tackle your specific homeschooling challenges through the 1st Teacher Video Series or as your Education Consultant.

Subscribe to Rites of Passage Learning Center on YouTube to see all of my education playlists!!

See our classes on www.moorishrites.com or Facebook

Six years ago, my husband and I decided to go gluten-free, diary-free as a family to help our son overcome his autistic symptoms. Through this journey we found a healthier lifestyle and I wrote a gfdf cookbook, The Rites of Passage Meal Treasury.  At first, we didn't eat out at all, but little by little we started to venture out. The cook has to have a break some time! So here are some tips:

 

1. Go Ethnic!! Most indigenous cultures originally did not include wheat or dairy in their diets. Therefore, most ethnic restaurants (be it Asian, Indian, African, Greek, Caribbean, or South/Central American) have gfdf dishes on their menus. Welcome to the world of corn tortillas, tamales, shish-kabobs, rice noodles, potato noodles, rice, beans, chilled soups, sour/spicy soups, fou fou, yame, jerk chicken, curry, coconut, hummos, falafel, and roasted, grilled, and stewed meats.
2. Soup or Salad? These are usually safe, but watch the salad dressing, noodles, cheeses, and heavy creams. Our favorite soups are fire roasted tortilla soup, wild rice & chicken soup, lentil soup, egg drop soup, shrimp cocktail soup, pho with rice noodles.
3. What did sushi A say to sushi B? Wassup B!? Get it? Wasabi! Sushi is so much fun. Ask for gluten-free soy sauce because most soy sauces are brewed from fermented wheat. Avoid the cream cheese, and be careful of tempera/battered.
4. Chewing is over-rated: Smoothies. There are lots of options that don't include yogurt, whey, or ice-cream.
5. Veggies with an Attitude: Raw Foods. There are many raw food restaurants and the majority of the menu items are vegan and (drum roll please) gfdf. And they have the best gfdf desserts! Avocado pudding, macaroons, apple crisp, tarts stuffed with cashew cheese--I'll be back.
6. Ice Cream, You scream!! Okay, I am one of those people who never buy ice-cream to keep in the house, so going out for ice-cream was a big deal for us. Well, the gfdf put a stop to that..... for a minute.  We usually go out for slushies or snow cones instead of ice-cream. But then we discovered a major ice cream chain in our neighborhood that carries two diary-free options. They call them ices.
   

If you can handle a little preplanning, you can try this too: When we go to the self-serve yogurt places with all those fruit and nut toppings. We get all the gfdf toppings we want. Weigh and pay. Then I will pull the tub of coconut vanilla ice-cream from my purse and scoop it into the dishes. I've never gotten the stank-eye from the cashier and my children don't know the difference.
 
Then there's the Mexican ice-cream shop (Paleteria/ La Michoacana). They carry all kinds of gfdf frozen desserts (helados). They even have, my son's favorite, mango-on-a-stick (it's really just a peeled mango on a stick). Steer towards the water based paletas.

 
7.   It's always tea time! My children love mint tea with honey, warm apple cider, or an almond milk steamer.  Going out for tea is relaxing and a great opportunity for me to teach my children about manners.

8.   Get sauced. Oklahoma is home to the best (yes, I went there) barbecue and smoked meats. Usually the sauce does not have gluten or dairy, but check to be sure. Baked beans, smoked potatoes, roasted corn, and green beans on the side please.

​9.  Omega 3 Heaven: Seafood. Fish is broiled, grilled, or fried in cornmeal. Just be sure the cornmeal batter isn't mixed with wheat flour! Who can resist crab steam pots with an ear of corn and new potatoes?! Avoid the bread baskets and hush puppies.
​You do have to be a lot more meticulous about gluten or diary contamination if you have a severe sensitivity/allergy to gluten or diary (i.e. celiac). For example, are the cooks using separate utensils and prep surfaces? They usually say so on the menu (at the bottom with the asterisk). Now go out and eat something (gfdf of course)!!

Our Family Favorite GFDF Dining Spots
in Tulsa, OK

1. Elote Cafe:  514 S Boston Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103, http://elotetulsa.com/
2. Zoes Kitchen: 3629 S Peoria Ave  Tulsa, OK 74105, http://zoeskitchen.com/
3. My Fit Foods: 1601 East 15th Street, Tula, OK 74120, www.myfitfoods.com
4. Himalayas: 4844 S. Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74145, www.himalayasok.com
5. The Flame Broiler: 5355 E. 41st St, Tulsa, OK 74135, www.flamebroilerusa.com
6. Shogun Steak House of Japan: 6808 S. Memorial, Tulsa, OK 74133
7. Fu Thai: 5646 S Mingo Rd, Tulsa, OK 74146
8. Genghis Grill: 1619 East 15th Street, Tulsa, OK 74120
9. Raw Intentions: 848 E. Aspen Ave, Broken Arrow, OK, http://www.rawintentions.com/
10. Blue Moon Cafe: 3512 S Peoria Ave, Tulsa, OK 74105, http://www.bluemoonbakerycafe.com/
11. Baskin Robbins: 6808 S Memorial Dr, there is also one in Woodland Hills Mall, http://www.baskinrobbins.com/content/baskinrobbins/en.html
12. Which Wich Superior Sandwichs: 6028 S Memorial Dr, http://www.whichwich.com/
13. Jasons Deli: 8321 E 61st St,Tulsa,Ok or 1330 E 15th St,Tulsa, Ok, http://www.jasonsdeli.com/
14. Chipotle Mexican Grill: 10902 E 71st St, Tulsa, OK or 1623 E 15th St
    Tulsa, http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/Default.aspx?type=default
15. Joes Crab Shack: 7646 E 61st St, Tulsa, OK 74133, http://www.joescrabshack.com/
16. 17. La Michoacana (Ice Cream Parlor): 9467 E. 31st St. (31st St & Mingo) & 2138 S Garnett Rd, Tulsa, OK 74129
17. Laffa Medi-Eastern Restaurant & Bar: 111 N Main St, Tulsa, OK 74103 http://www.laffatulsa.com/
18. Smash Burger: 10830 E 71ST ST, TULSA, OK 74133, http://smashburger.com/
19. Evolve Paleo Chef & Juice Bar:  3023 S Harvard Ave a, Tulsa, OK 74114, https://evolvepaleochef.com/location/tulsa/

 
Oh, and if you find a good gfdf pizza place, let a sista know!
Coming Soon!!! New updated edition of The Rites of Passage Meal Treasury Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cookbook! The same recipes you love and new recipes to explore.