(lively bright music) - Hello, little learners.

Welcome back to our PreK-TK classroom.

My name is Miss Lara.

Can you tell me your name?

Oh, I love hearing your name.

Thank you for sharing that with me.

Now, we have a lot to do today, but shall we start our day off with a song?

Miss Maria is busy delivering mail, so I have my book-buddy friend, Hedgie, with me.

He's over here.

There he is, hiding from me.

(laughs) If you have a book buddy friend with you, you can have him, or her, come along as we read books, and sing songs, and play.

Okay, let's sing our good morning song.

Here we go.

♪ Good morning, good morning ♪ ♪ It's a sunshine kind of day ♪ ♪ Come join Miss Lara ♪ ♪ For some learning and some play ♪ ♪ Will we sing a song ♪ ♪ Of course, we will ♪ ♪ Make our brains strong ♪ ♪ Like super-strong ♪ ♪ So come along ♪ ♪ Yes, come on friends ♪ ♪ For some learning and some play ♪ Alright, so let me explain what we're going to do.

It's day two of the five days that we'll be together, learning about culture and food.

So we're going to get a letter I think from Miss Maria.

She's always on time with that.

After we read our letter, we're going to try to guess what book Miss Maria left for us.

She gave us a lot of clues here.

There's even some green stuff in there that we might want to take a look at.

After we do that, we're going to watch a video story of our mystery book.

We're going to do some foundational skills.

Today it's rhyming.

And then, we're going to move on to our project place.

So, yesterday we made chango bars to go along with jalapeno bagels.

And today, we're going to move over to Pakistan, and we're going to work with some spices that are very fragrant, which is a very fancy word for smell.

We're going to do some finger painting with some spices, so if you want to join me, go raid your pantry and get some white paint, and we can get messy together.

Okay, so are you ready to get started?

Because I think I hear, is that Miss Maria?

(doorbell chimes) Ah, there she is!

See, she's always on time.

So let's see what our letter says today.

Now of course, one of the things that you will need as you learn to read is knowing where to start.

Do you start here?

No, that's the right, Silly.

We start on the left.

So let's sing our song.

♪ This is the left ♪ (snaps fingers) ♪ This is the right ♪ (snaps fingers) ♪ When we read we start at the left and fly to the right ♪ (snaps fingers) It says, "Dear Miss Lara, "Have I got a story for you!"

Yay I love stories!

(claps) "My name is Leila and in today's book, "I introduce you to my family and culture."

Oh I love learning about people around me that might be different than me, and I think, if I remember correctly, Leila is from Pakistan, which is very new to me, so I can't wait to read our book.

It says, "I hope you like curry!"

Ooh curry!

I know that's a little spicy.

Not in the way jalapenos are, but let's see.

We know that Leila's going to teach us about her family and culture.

We know she's from Pakistan, and it has something to do with curry.

Let's see what other clues Miss Maria left us that'll let us know what the book is about.

So first thing here is I have a map.

Now of course, I like to tell you this is a printed version.

Our map and our world is actually round.

This is a place in the world called Pakistan.

You see it right here, and I believe that's where this book is going to take place.

Hmm, Pakistan, let's see what else we have here.

Ooh, look at this!

It looks like a long piece of fabric.

Do you know what it's called?

You might have seen somebody wear it.

It's a shawl.

Women or men sometimes wear it, and they wrap it around themselves like this when they want to look extra fancy.

I wonder what a shawl has to do with our book and Leila.

Interesting.

Next here's that green stuff.

Do you like to eat green stuff?

I like this green stuff in salsa.

It's called cilantro.

It is used for cooking, so look it has lots of leaves, so I know it's going to be an ingredient in a food that maybe Leila's cooking.

Cilantro, okay.

So cilantro, a shawl, a map of Pakistan, starting to get an idea.

Let's keep looking.

Next we have an apron.

Look at this apron!

It's a flowery apron.

Oh, I definitely think there's going to be some cooking in this story of Leila's.

All right.

I wonder what she's going to make with the cilantro?

Hopefully not bagels.

I think I'm done with weird ingredients in bagels since reading our story yesterday.

And then there's the pot.

So I think she's going to cook something.

Maybe a soup, maybe a curry.

Oh, I can't wait to find out.

I wonder if the cover of the story is going to give us any clues about what the book is about as well?

Let's take a look.

Ooh, this is a very colorful cover.

Look, it says right here Leila in Saffron.

That's the title of the book.

That's usually on the front cover with the biggest letters.

And I see a little girl.

This must be Leila, and she's wearing an orange shawl right here.

And if I take a look, I see a chest and lots of fabric and different flowers spilling out.

Let's look at the back cover.

A lot more colors too.

I see orange, and pink, and green, and some flowers.

Oh, I can't wait to read this book together with you, boys and girls.

So I want you to take a moment and think.

Make a prediction what's going to happen to Leila?

What do you think she's going to cook?

We know it's going to have cilantro, and we know it's going to be in a pot.

Are you ready to find out?

Okay, let's watch our video story together of Leila in Saffron.

(mysterious music) Leila in Saffron by author Rukhsanna Guidroz, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova.

(music continues) Clink, clink.

The song of Nanni's glass bangles welcomes Mom, Dad, and me to her home.

The scent of sweet nutty ghee greets us as soon as the door swings open.

We share a family dinner at Nanni's every Friday.

Tonight she wears a pale blue silk scarf.

The saffron beads on my dress catch her eye.

"Saffron is a good color for you, Leila.

"It suits your dark eyes."

Nanni strokes my cheek and smiles.

Sometimes I'm not sure if I like being me.

When I look in a mirror, I see skinny arms and knobby knees, but my heart warms when I hear Nanni's words.

(bright music) Tonight I'm on the lookout for parts of me that I like.

I spy my cousins, uncles, and aunts.

They're sitting cross-legged on the living room floor.

"Assalamualaikum," they say.

"Waalaikumsalaam," we chorus back.

Being with my whole family makes me feel snug and happy inside.

My mother says I look just my aunt did when she was little.

I can see it when my aunt smiles.

We smile the same.

Pakistani ornaments fill the shelves.

My favorite is a herd of shiny brass camels.

They're all lined up as if ready for a trek over desert sand dunes.

I follow Nanni into the kitchen.

I love to help make the curry.

I spoon out a rainbow of spices, and Nanni slices onions, garlic, and ginger for the chicken.

They go in my rainbow.

Wait, we forgot cilantro!

But I know where we can find some.

"Hi, Miguel.

"Do you have any cilantro?"

"Of course," says Miguel.

We head over to his garden, which reminds me of my strawberry patch at home.

I see his garden has lots of weeds too.

Miguel pulls a bunch of fresh cilantro from his garden and hands it to me.

"I know your curry isn't the same without it, Leila."

"Thanks, Miguel."

I hurry back to the kitchen.

Everyone in my family (family cheering) enjoys our dinner of chicken curry and warm chapattis.

"Delicious!"

says Dad, "Leila, your curries are the best."

When everyone agrees, a wave of pride washes over me.

Soon Mom gets ready to leave.

"Chalo, bhetti," she says.

Time to go already?

But I'm still searching.

Before we go, Nanni invites me upstairs.

She points to a trunk with leather skin and wrinkled like a walnut shell.

When I lift the lid, it groans.

(lid groaning) Bundles of silk scarves shimmer before my eyes.

(scarves shimmering) I see the color of lentils, bright and orange, pomegranates, juicy and rosy, cucumber skin, dark and green, and threads of saffron, gold, and copper.

Can I try one on?

I spot my favorite one.

"Of course, Leila.

"Here, I'll help you."

In front of the mirror, I squeeze my eyes shut.

I like surprises.

Nanni stands back and says, "Are you ready to see?"

Wow!

My reflection surprises me.

"What do you see, Leila?"

I see a beautiful girl dressed in a sweet saffron scarf.

When I fix my eyes on my reflection, my words come spilling out.

"I see me!

"I see Leila!"

I slowly spin and notice how I sparkle and shine.

Each and every part of me comes together to make me who I am.

The end.

(bright music) So what did you think?

Did you like the story of Leila in Saffron?

Now remember, you can go to your local library and read all about Pakistani traditions and read about other cultures as well.

You might also try the Sora app for additional books about culture.

So I wanted to show you my favorite part of this story.

Did you have a favorite part?

So let me open it up.

Do you remember this part of the story?

It's where Leila brings the curry after she found the cilantro, and she feels so happy and her whole family cheers.

I love it when there's a happy ending.

Now I get to read stories to you, but my goal is for you to read stories to me, so another great way to squeeze out the most learning from a book is to pull out some foundational skills lessons and that's what we're going to work on today.

We're going to work on rhyming words.

Now you'll remember rhyming words sound the same at the end, so we're going to look.

Here's Leila's family, and they're enjoying a feast, but they only want to eat and include foods that rhyme with strawberry, right?

So we're going to go through different foods.

So here's the strawberry.

Think about the ending sound.

Cucumber.

Cucumber.

Do cucumber and strawberry rhyme?

No, they don't rhyme.

Cucumber sounds differently than strawberry at the end.

Let's see.

How about onion?

Will Leila's family get to feast on onions?

Do they rhyme with strawberry?

Onion, strawberry, no.

They're getting hungry!

Let's find something that rhymes.

What about curry?

Curry and strawberry?

Yeah, they do.

They kind of sound the same at the end, don't they?

So we're going to include that, and we know that they love curry, so we're going to put it right there.

And we know that Leila makes the best curry.

What about this?

Do you recognize what that is?

It's a spice, and I'll tell you it's very expensive.

I have some to show you a little later, but it's saffron.

Saffron.

This is what it looks like.

Does saffron rhyme with strawberry?

No, they don't sound the same.

How about this?

It is melted down butter.

It's called ghee, and it's used in a lot of Middle Eastern dishes.

Let's see if it rhymes.

Ghee, strawberry.

Yes, it does!

Ghee, strawberry.

They both say ee at the end.

Let's put that on there, so so far Leila's family is feasting on curry, ghee, and strawberry.

So let's see another one.

Do you recognize this green food?

It was one of our clues.

It's cilantro, and that's what Leila went to gather at the farm.

Does cilantro rhyme with strawberry?

No, they don't rhyme.

I'm going to leave that out.

One more.

Let's look at this ingredient, garlic.

Does garlic rhyme with strawberry?

No, they don't rhyme.

So it looks like Leila's family is going to feast on ghee, a strawberry, and some curry, because those are the words that sound the same at the end.

Now I always love to leave you with a little project or activity that you can try at home to bring the book to life.

And of course, because Leila was cooking with a rainbow of spices, do you remember when she was with Nanni?

We're going to use spices to create some art.

It's going to be art that's a little smelly, but in a good way.

So let's walk over to our project place.

Bring my book with me just in case.

All right, so for this activity, you're going to need a couple of things.

You're going to need some spices from your spice cabinet.

Now make sure that you ask an adult if it's safe to use the spices that you want to use for this activity.

You don't want to use things like cayenne, because those can get in your eyes and cause it to sting, but other ones like things you might find in an apple or pumpkin pie, those would be perfect for this activity.

So let me show you the ones that I pulled out.

So I have nutmeg.

I have some ginger.

I have some pumpkin pie spice.

Some turmeric.

I love the color of turmeric.

Look at this beautiful mustard color.

I have some paprika, which is a nice deep red color.

And some cinnamon.

You can tell I really like cinnamon, because it's almost gone.

You're also going to need some sort of mixing spoon, some white paint, and of course your fingers, because we like to get messy here, don't we?

Some paper plates would help too.

Now today I'm going to show you how to mix the paint with the spices and then I'm going to move them over, and we're going to use this table, this paper that I have on the table, to paint with.

But you might want to use maybe a little smaller piece of paper or use some newspaper to kind of spread it out.

It's all the way up to you and your imagination, so let's put some white paint on our paper plates here.

I have six.

One, two, three, four, five, and six.

And then I'm going to add my fragrant spices.

Fragrant is a word that means that it smells very delicious sometimes, or just very strongly.

So the first one I'm going to use is cinnamon.

So I'm actually going to pop the top off, get my measuring spoon here, and put quite a bit of cinnamon in my white paint.

I'm going to use another little spoon just to kind of mix it up, 'cause I don't want to get dirty yet.

Now the more spice that you use, the more fragrant or colorful it will be.

Now you'll remember in the story, Leila described her cooking as having a rainbow of spices.

Maybe with our finger paints, we will make a rainbow of spices.

Ooh, look at that!

Look at our paint.

Have you ever seen paint like this?

Look at the texture.

Now if you wanted to try this activity in a less messy way, you can also use glue and sprinkle on some of the spices, or you can use a paint brush to paint it on, but we're going to use our fingers.

Let me add a bit more paint.

Here we are.

All right, maybe I will do a few more here.

Let's try the turmeric, 'caus this one looks nice and brown.

The turmeric here.

I'm going to take the top off.

Add a teaspoon in there.

I'm going to see what color it becomes.

And I'm going to mix it up a little bit here.

Let me clean this off, so I can use the same mixer.

So I don't have to clean it before.

I do not like doing dishes.

Ooh, this is my favorite color.

Look at that!

It looks just like Leila's shawl in the story, a bright, beautiful orange.

Can't wait to paint with that.

All right, next let's do one more for today, 'cause I see that we're going to run out of time, and I need to show you.

This one's paprika.

So let's see.

(inhales) Ooh, it smells very strong.

It's a red.

So let's kind of mix that up there.

And I just poured it on, so I'm going to mix it up here.

There's paprika.

Now the beauty of working with something that activates our sensory, our brain, is that it encourages a lot of talk and vocabulary building.

You can talk about texture.

You can talk about how things smell, how they look.

You might not want to talk about how they taste with this one.

Paint, hmm, you don't want to eat that.

But it would make for great sensory conversation.

Okay, now it's time to get messy!

What should we make?

I kind of want to make what Leila had, which is a rainbow of spices, so I'm here on my table.

Of course, you're going to want to put a piece of paper down.

Whatever you want to use for your art.

That's what I did here.

I just made it a little larger, so you can see.

Now what does a rainbow look like?

It has an arch like this, doesn't it?

Ooh, as I'm putting it down, I can smell the turmeric.

Oh, I see what Leila was talking about.

It smells beautiful.

(sniffs) It smells kind of, a little bit nutty.

Mm, look at that beautiful color.

All right, what should we use next?

Should we try this one?

This one smells a little bit differently.

(sniffs) Mm, oh good.

It smells like Christmas, like pumpkin pie spice.

In this one, the color's a little softer.

You mix it up a little more.

Here we go.

Okay, so so far we have turmeric, and there goes that one.

The cinnamon kind of spice.

Together they are very strong smelling.

I will tell you.

Do you remember yesterday with our chango bars?

Well, we do have an oven here after all, and they're baking, so right now the studio smells like spicy chango bars.

(chuckles) Something I never thought I would say.

Oh, last one, last one!

Okay, here goes the paprika.

Now you might not like the smell of this one.

(sniffs) Ooh, this one's very strong, but look at that beautiful color.

It almost looks like terra cotta.

Look at that.

It's orange, but deeper than the turmeric.

Oh, there we go.

Look at all that, and you'll notice that the texture stays on there.

It's kind of thick, almost like a soup.

I imagine that when you cook with these, the thing that you're cooking thickens up too, like a very strong or potent curry.

What do you guys think?

Maybe I'll add a little more turmeric to the top to make our rainbow a little taller.

Let me do that really quickly.

I hope that you get to try this at home.

Painting with spices is such a fun sensory experience, especially when you're four, five years old, and you're just learning to talk.

You're just learning to talk with vocabulary words that these might insight, like texture and smell, and turmeric already is a very hard word to say.

All right, there's my rainbow of spices.

The smell in here is delicious, and of course, my fingers smell just like the spices too.

(sniffs) And they will smell like that all day, which is going to remind me of our book that we read, Leila in Saffron.

So again, I hope that you try this at home, and if you do, send me a little note or a picture to let me know that you enjoyed this activity.

It would be fun to make a little heart, or you can even draw a self portrait using spices, your favorites.

Looks like we have just enough time to sing our ABC song, and then I'll tell you what we're going to do for the rest of the week, so let me grab my letter cards.

Here we go.

♪ A, B, C you later ♪ ♪ D, E, F, G I'm going to miss you ♪ ♪ H, I have to go now ♪ ♪ J, K, bye-bye now ♪ ♪ L, M, N, O I had a good time ♪ ♪ P, Q, R you going to miss me ♪ ♪ S, T, U are my best friend ♪ ♪ V, W, X, Y, Z ♪ That's right.

It's the end of our alphabet, and almost the end of our time together, so I'll Z you tomorrow.

I'm going to tell you what we're going to do.

We're going to learn all about food and culture this whole week, so tomorrow we're going to read a story about dal.

Not the doll that you play with.

It's a Middle Eastern dish.

It uses a lot of these same spices.

We're also going to read a story about pancit.

If you don't know what that is, I can't wait for you to find out, so I hope that you join me then.

And until next time, boys and girls, a big smooch from Miss Lara!

(smooches) Good bye!

(bright upbeat music)