Sellwood’s ‘Oodles 4 Kids’ celebrates Diversity Day

Published 12:00 am Friday, March 31, 2017

February’s Black History Month arrived on the heels of Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27; Chinese New Year on January 28; and Japanese-American New Year “Mochitsuki” on January 29. Sellwood children’s store Oodles 4 Kids promoted cultural awareness with a “Diversity Day” on January 28th.

The shop’s owner Carolyn Miye told THE BEE that the celebration focused on a dozen different activities from around the world. “We need to expose kids to the many colorful cultures in this country. By doing so, we honor diversity, so kids won’t be fearful of immigrants. A toy store is a fun way to introduce them to different traditions.”

Activities of the day ranged from sampling Scottish shortbread and playing Pick-Up Sticks with Mary Morrison, to trying a taste of Lebanese hummus, and practicing hijab tying with Alexis and Armani Kahoury. Cleveland High School student Jimmy Tang helped kids make Chinese New Year “Rooster” hats, and gave out red Zhong Guo envelopes containing “lucky money”.

Sellwood’s “3 Sisters Nixtamal” demonstrated how to make Mexican corn tortillas, while Bobbi Settje offered Danish heart-shaped waffles with lingonberry jam. She also showed how to make Danish woven paper hearts. “These were first made by Hans Christian Anderson, in 1860, as affordable Christmas decorations,” she explained.

Staff from the Portland Puppet Museum were on hand to show how to make a Chinese dragon, and then presented a puppet show featuring Ping-Pong the Panda to delighted children. Shopkeeper Miye observed, “Many local people wanted to donate their time and talents here today. Zoha and Afshan Ahmad, from Sellwood’s UPS Store, demonstrated Pakistani henna hand tattoos, which bring joy to celebrations.”

Sellwood pet artist Tamar Hammer featured Israeli Hamsa cards, while Tara Fox demonstrated Native American Indian rock art. Rebekka Purcell displayed mocha and arare rice foods, and showed how to create Japanese origami. Senegalese bean games were introduced by Sellwood resident Abbasse.

A small tree decorated with hearts at the store’s entrance encouraged visitors to show their appreciation for different cultures. Many books, toys and coloring sheets at Oodles also featured traditions from around the world. The six-hour event at the S.E. 13th Avenue store drew many smiles, and informed visitors on a slew of international traditions.