This is a sponsored post
As parents we have mixed feelings about holidays. On one hand, we know celebrations and family traditions create memories that last a lifetime but sometimes they feel like an overwhelming burden. This is the exact reason Priya Thatte created The Kulture Krate, a curated box to teach kids about Diwali and celebrate the biggest holiday in India.
Priya, an Indian American mom from Washington, DC, often found herself scrambling the night before holidays to put something together for her two children. Wishing there was a fun and easy option that made it effortless to celebrate and share important traditions, she created The Kulture Krate.
The Kulture Krate is a box filled with everything to teach kids about Diwali and other Indian holidays. It’s geared towards kids ages 3-10 but honestly, the crafts and learning can be enjoyed by all ages wanting to learn more about Indian holidays!
About Diwali
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
According to The Kulture Crate, Diwali (or Dipawali) is the biggest, and most important holiday, in India and celebrates good conquering evil and light over darkness. The festival gets its name from the row (avail) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness.
Diwali is celebrated by decorating homes with diyas, lights, colorful rangoli, and fresh flowers. During the five-day celebration, people share gifts and sweets with loved ones, and honor Lakshim, the Hindu goddess of wealth.
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
Diwali is a time that families gather to feast, exchange gifts, and spread brightness, joy and prosperity throughout the world. This year it will be celebrated on Monday, October 24.
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
Using The Kulture Krate to Teach Kids About Diwali
When you open The Kulture Krate, you’ll find all the items needed to teach kids about Diwali and celebrate each of the five days.
The included Book All About Diwali that features an explanation of the holiday, details about each of the 5 days, foods eaten during the celebration, and about the different symbols associated with Diwali.
Included is Meet Your Crate, a bookmark that provides information about the included items and what crafts they’re for. The Diwali crate includes materials to create:
- DIY Diyas
- Confetti poppers to mark the beginning of the Diwali celebrations
- A Kandil (lantern) kit
- Rangoli with stencils
There’s also a bar of Rose Pistachio Dark Chocolate from Madhu Chocolate in the crate.
“Teaching children about culture, language, and religion provides them with a sense of identity and helps them understand who they are. With ‘The Kulture Krate’, we help you do so in a way that’s relatable and exciting!” says Priya.
Celebrating 5 Days of Diwali with The Kulture Krate
Here’s a look at the 5 days of Diwali and how to use items in The Kulture Krate to teach kids about the traditions associated with this important holiday.
Day 1: Dhanteras
This day celebrates the birth of Lakshmi. It is also the day when most families clean their home. Teach your kids about Diwali by reading the included Book All About Diwali.
Understanding what Diwali is, the 5 days of Diwali, and traditional foods eaten during the celebration is a nice introduction to the holiday.
Since Diwali is the festival of lights, start by making your own diyas that symbolize goodness and purity. Use the two included tubs of organic playdough to make your own version of the traditional small earthen lamps by pinching the dough. Decorate them with rhinestones and use the flameless tealights from the crate to light them.
You can also make paper kandil, or lanterns. Sheets of tissue paper and tongue depressors come in your crate to make lanterns along with directions.
Day 2: Naraka Chaturdasi
On this day, people celebrate their homes with diyas and rangoli and begin preparing sweets.
Rangoli are bright, colorful designs that are often made on the floors of homes with colored rice, flowers, sand, or paint and serve as welcoming gestures. In The Kulture Krate were three containers of rangoli, a pipette, and two stencils for creating my own.
Instead of creating mine on the floor, The Kulture Krate advised using a plate or the empty Kulture Krate box for making my design. I made mine over a piece of paper on our kitchen island. The pipette was tricky to use with the rangoli powder because it tended to spray the powder across the design instead of in the space where I wanted it to go. I had trouble getting distinct colors in each of the spaces and found I kept bumping the stencil. Small pieces of tape to hold the stencil in place helped tremendously!
I could see this craft being tricky for younger kids. A good workaround would be to have them experiment using the pipette and power on a cookie sheet so they can explore the substance. Once they’re wanting to try making rangoli, rinse off the cookie sheet, dry it, and tape the stencil to a piece of paper in the cookie sheet before using the pipette with the powder. You can also always use the stencils with markers, colored pencils, or crayons to create designs.
Day 3: Lakshmi Puja
This is the main day of the festival. Families pray to the Goddess Lakshmi, light diyas, and enjoy fireworks. Windows and doors are left open so Lakshmi can enter people’s homes.
Today is a great day to light the diyas made the day before and make confetti poppers (as an alternative to fireworks) to mark the beginning of the Diwali celebrations.
Day 4: Bali Pratipada
This is the first day of the new year. Friends and family visit with gifts and sweets. Sample the Rose Pistachio Dark Chocolate from Madhu Chocolate.
The combination or rose and pistachio is a wonderful representation of the flavors found in Indian sweets. I liked savoring it while sipping a cup of homemade chai.
Day 5: Bhai Dooj
Traditionally, this day celebrates the bond between brother and sister, or siblings. Celebrate your family’s bond by working together to color the Diwali greeting cards. Write messages of joy and happiness on them before using them to decorate your home.
Get The Kulture Krate to Teach Kids About Diwali
Diwali Kulture Krate boxes are currently only sale for $39.99 on The Kulture Krate website. Use the code DIWALI15 to get 15% off to teach kids about Diwali.
Look for a new box for Holi, which will be celebrated on March 8, 2023, and a return of the Raksha Bandhan for August. The Kulture Krate plans on having a box for not only Indian holidays but many more including Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years.
Like the Diwali box, each box from The Kulture Krate will include:
- Festival-themed crafts designed to encourage self-expression, boost self-esteem, and create moments of bonding between grown-up and child
- Hand-drawn coloring and activity pages
- An artisanal treat that the entire family will enjoy
- Bookmark that teaches the history behind the festival
- Snack or dessert recipe your kids can help make
Boxes are recommended for ages 3-10 but all ages can enjoy them.
I received The Kulture Krate Diwali box for the purposes of this compensated review. All opinions are my own.
