Italian for Kids: Easy Calzone Recipe and Italian Food Vocabulary

Italian food is a big part of Italian cultural heritage. At the same time, pizza must be one of the most popular foods and, for sure, it’s one of the most consumed and kids love it! Traveling around the world, you can find pizza almost everywhere, as well as buy a slice of pizza at a street corner and in a luxury restaurant. La cucina Italiana (Italian cuisine) is also famous for flavorful pasta, lasagna, risotto, ossobuco, tiramisu, etc. These delicious preparations are just the tip of an iceberg in terms of all that this cuisine offers. Followed by these, the calzone rank pretty high in the popularity chart worldwide.

It is much like the stuffed version of pizza, with similar taste, flavors, and flexibility to choose (vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or vegan) filling as per your preferences. Over the years, people have experimented generously to figure out which food combination works best in this addictive preparation.

Typically, the calzone is stuffed with ham, vegetables, salami, or egg, and any of the cheese that melts well upon heating, such as mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, etc. The most popular calzone filling comprises fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, differently colored bell peppers, fresh herbs, and shredded mozzarella. However, various regions might have a varying filling that is usually associated with the pizza toppings popular in that region. Like in the US, calzones are mostly stuffed with meats, a combination of cheeses- ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, provolone, etc., and a few vegetables. Have your kids tried a calzone before? You can make them as a hand-pie for little ones with simply tomato sauce and mozzarella. It’s also a good chance to add secret veggies and protein to the filling for a balanced meal.

Other popular calzone fillings can include the combination of artichoke hearts, asparagus, differently colored bell peppers, broccoli, capers, eggplant, mushrooms, olives, onion, tomato, zucchini, cheese (Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, gruyere, goat, blue, etc.), and herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.).

Use a wok for stir-frying the filling ingredient, as you need to keep the crunchiness of vegetables intact while preparing the calzone filling. This is because the filling ingredients will be cooked again in the oven when the bread dough bakes. Find the best wok buying options here; you will be amazed by the best reviews and purchase guide mentions on this page.

So, now that you are better aware of what all can be used as a calzone filling search for the ingredients of your interest to make one for yourself today!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)

Impasto per pizza

• 50g cottage cheese, small cubes

fiocchi di latte 

• 1 small red onion, chopped

Cipolla rossa

• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped

Peperone rosso

• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

Peperone giallo

• 1 small capsicum, chopped

Capsicum

• 1 small zucchini, chopped

Zucchine

• ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

Funghi

• 1 large red ripe tomato, chopped

Pomodoro rosso maturo

• ½ tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped

Basilico

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Oregano

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Olio extravergine d'oliva

• Salt, to taste

Sale

• ¾ cup mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1.      Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and grease a baking tray with a few drops of oil.

2.      Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion until it turns pink in color.

3.      Stir in red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

4.      Season the vegetable mixture with salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil.

5.      Stir in cottage cheese to the vegetable mixture and turn off the heat.

6.      Roll the pizza dough into ¼ inch thick circle and cut out 3-4 equal-sized circles from it.

7.      Equally divide and put the cooked filling at the center of each dough rounds.

8.      Top the filling with an equal quantity of mozzarella cheese.

9.      Now, pull half of the unfilled dough over the filled half and seal edges of each dough round to get half-moon shaped calzone pockets. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.

10.  Carefully transfer the calzones onto the prepared baking tray and bake them for about 15 minutes or until golden in color.

11.   Serve hot and enjoy!

Photo by Roberto Valdivia on Unsplash

9 Chinese New Year Activities for Kids

Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 

In China, the New Year is the most important holiday of the year. It's a time for families to come together and celebrate. People enjoy eating traditional foods, watching fireworks, and going to parades. 

When is the Chinese New Year? 

In 2020, the Chinese lunar year will start on January 25th and end on February 11th, 2021. The Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year because it is based on a lunar calendar.

• Each year starts on the new moon that occurs between the end of January and the end of February. 

• Celebrations run for approximately two weeks, from the first day of the year until the next full moon.

• New Year's festivities end with the Lantern Festival.

The Chinese lunar calendar has been in use since the Shang Dynasty during the 14th century B.C. Even though China adopted the Western calendar in 1912, the Chinese New Year is still observed as a cultural celebration. 

Chinese New Year's Activities for Kids

The New Year is the perfect opportunity to introduce Chinese culture and the Mandarin language to your kids. The great part about a celebration that lasts for two weeks is that you'll have the chance to do several activities.

Watch a Parade

Many larger cities hold Chinese New Year's celebrations. San Francisco and New York City are famous for their parades. If you can attend a parade, it will be an experience you and your child won't soon forget! If you can't be there in person, check your TV schedule or live stream a parade. 

If there aren't any Chinese New Year's celebrations near you, there are still plenty of ways you can celebrate right at home. 

Eat a Traditional Meal

Dumplings are a traditional Chinese New Year food. Making them from scratch requires a bit of prep work, but they are so tasty! Get the family together and make this kid-friendly Chinese dumpling recipe. Young children can help by mixing and rolling the dough. 

• If your family doesn't eat pork, you can substitute ground chicken or crumbled tofu.

• Serve with soy sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. 

• For extra fun, try eating with chopsticks. You might be surprised at how well your children do! If traditional chopsticks are intimidating, purchase a "beginner" pair. These chopsticks are made of plastic and are joined at one end.

Get Crafty

Preschoolers love making crafts. It allows them to be creative and spend time with their caregivers. Crafts are also beneficial because using scissors and coloring gives kids a chance to develop their fine motor skills.

• Lanterns are a traditional New Year's decoration. Using craft supplies you probably already have at home, you can help your child create this Chinese lantern. Children can make them in their favorite color, or go with the traditional red.

• Dragons are a symbol of good luck. Chinese New Year's parades feature dancing dragon puppets. The puppets are so large, they are operated by several people. Create your own good luck by making a smaller dragon puppet out of wooden spoons and ribbons. Your child can dance around the house with their new puppet. 

Give Gifts

A traditional New Year's gift for children is a red envelope containing money.

• You can surprise your children with this gift, or opt to have them decorate their own envelope.

• Depending on your child's age, you can give them real money and coins, or play money. 

Gifting red envelopes is an ancient tradition, but the origin is somewhat unknown. One legend states that an orphan defeated a demon that was terrorizing a village. As a show of thanks, the elders gave the child a red envelope full of money.

Learn about Chinese Zodiac Animals

Like the American zodiac, the Chinese zodiac has 12 signs. 

• However, the Chinese zodiac is based on a 12 year, and not a 12 month, cycle.

• The year your child was born determines their zodiac animal.

The rat is the zodiac animal for 2020. You can celebrate by making a cute rat finger puppet.

Read a Book

Visit your local library and check out books about China and Chinese culture. The author Grace Lin has several picture books that are appropriate for preschoolers:

• Dim Sum for Everyone

• Bringing in the New Year

• Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Ask your librarian if they have other book suggestions. 

Clean Your Home

Cleaning the home is a traditional way to prepare for the Chinese New Year's. While it is a chore, you can still make it fun. Young children love to mimic the activities they see you doing.

They can sweep with a small handheld broom and dustpan, or dust with a cloth lightly dampened with water.

Celebrate with Indoor "Fireworks"

Fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate, but there's a safer way to have noise and colors.

• Fill balloons with glitter or confetti before blowing them up. You or another adult can then pop them with a pin. If your child is adventurous, they can try to pop the balloons by sitting on them.

• If loud noises scare your child, make DIY confetti throwers.  

Learn Mandarin Words

The Chinese New Year is the perfect time to teach your kids some Mandarin words. You can use these words as a starting point:

Rat = Shǔ

Red = Hóngsè

Dragon = Lóng

Lantern = Dēnglóng

Are you and your child ready to learn more Mandarin?

The Little Pim Difference

Over a billion people speak Mandarin Chinese, more than any other language. It's a great choice for a foreign language for your child.

Children are never too young to learn a second, or even third, language. In fact, learning multiple languages is easiest and has the most benefits between birth and six years of age.

If don't you don't speak Mandarin, don't worry! Our program is designed so that parents don't have to already know the language in order to help their child learn it. You'll learn right along with your child. Our companion guides and scripts will make it easy.

Subscribe to Little Pim today and introduce your child to a new language!

Unlinked Sources:

https://www.littlepim.com/choose-a-language

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/chinese-new-year-2020-when-date-what-rats-meaning-zodiac/

https://www.rd.com/culture/history-chinese-new-year/

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year

How to Raise Your Kids as Global Citizens

"I am a citizen, not of Athens, or Greece, but of the world." — Socrates

As parents, it's our goal to raise children who feel a deep connection to their community — both locally and globally. By raising kids as global citizens, we're not only exposing them to fascinating world cultures, we're also teaching them to be kinder, more compassionate, and more inclusive individuals. Because that's what global citizenship is all about, isn't it? Embracing our part in communities and the wider world while working cooperatively to make this planet a better place for all. 

While these goals may seem lofty, they're certainly achievable — especially for children. In fact, you can easily nurture your kids' natural tendencies towards morality and empathy in a few simple and achievable ways.

What Makes Someone a Global Citizen? And Why Does it Matter?

You don't necessarily have to travel the world to be a global citizen. Rather, a global citizen is someone who recognizes that there are no boundaries to our shared humanity, and that human rights and civic responsibilities transcend our individual cultures, communities, and countries. Global citizens tend to stand behind common goals that benefit everyone, like greater ecological sustainability, human rights, and the end of world poverty.

Obviously, there are many benefits to raising children who think like global citizens. Firstly, kids raised like this will find it easier to be more open and inclusive in social situations. They'll understand that other members of the human community are just like them, which will deepen their empathy and compassion. And when you teach your kids about other cultures and ways of life, you'll help foster in them a lifelong love of learning, education, and curiosity.

Finally, it's more important than ever to prepare kids for a future in which they're comfortable interacting with people of different backgrounds. This sets them up for a lifetime of good citizenship, and even prepares them to pursue careers and educational opportunities in pursuit of the greater good.

5 Ways to Raise Your Kids as Global Citizens

Every family is different, but some of these tips might help your kid on their path to becoming a global citizen:

1. Teach the Core Values: Empathy & Curiosity

Global citizenship requires a person to look outside themselves and their own limited community in order to extend their energy and compassion outwards to others. This requires a healthy knowledge about other peoples and ways of life, which is something your child will naturally want to explore if you encourage them to remain open and curious.

Sometimes children ask questions about other people that they perceive to look or act different from themselves. Instead of shutting these questions down, work with your kid's curiosity by taking the time to explain people's differences — and underlying similarities.

Most importantly, encourage your children to think and act with empathy. Validate your child's emotions ("I see you are feeling frustrated/sad/excited") so that they can identify feelings in themselves. By teaching them the value of their own feelings and emotions, you're setting them up for the next step — extending that compassion and understanding to others. 

2. Read Books on Global Citizenry 

You don't have to go that far to teach your kids about different cultures around the world. In fact, incorporating children's books that celebrate other ways of life is an easy, inexpensive way to expand their horizons. Here are just a few to get started:

• What is Your Language? by Debra Leventhal. Geared for pre-K to second grade children, Leventhal's delightful children's book celebrates music, language, and communities the world over.

• What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers. It's so important to teach your young global citizen about what citizenship actually means, and Dave Eggers' book seeks to do exactly that.

• Babies Around the World by Puck. Looking for something for babies and toddlers? Babies Around the World is a simple and colorful celebration of the world's babies, suitable for little ones.

While books that teach children about diversity as a whole are great, it's also important to find children's books that celebrate specific cultures. If your child is bilingual or learning another language, consider foreign language versions of treasured classics. 

3. Teach Your Child A Foreign Language

"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where it’s people come from and where they are going." ‒Rita Mae Brown

Learning a second language can support your children's development in so many ways: it helps keep their brains active and sharp, boosts memory, and improves listening skills. 

When it comes to supporting young global citizens, learning a second language can also create a powerful connection to another culture. Understanding a foreign language helps foster a deeper connection to another culture's art, music, literature, and lifestyle. And when you can communicate with another person in their native tongue, you improve social connections and enrich relationships with others.

In addition, learning a foreign language sets your children up for future educational opportunity, internships, jobs, or initiatives that involve speaking a different language. If they want to make a global difference as adult citizens, a bilingual background will help them reach their goals.

4. Set Goals to Travel as Often as Possible

Of course, almost nothing can beat travel as a way to support your children on their way to becoming global citizens. Not only is travel a fun and enriching experience for the entire family, it offers children a way to immerse themselves in another culture. Make sure you get creative while traveling:

• Visit playgrounds and parks so your child can play with other children

• Go to museums and events that highlight culture

• Engage openly and respectfully with the people that you meet, encouraging your kids to do the same

• Enjoy local cuisine, art, and music 

More than anything, it's important to bring your curiosity with you when you travel. Encourage your children to remain open to learning about a culture from the individuals who live in that culture daily. Often, the most important traveling experiences won't take place in a museum — they'll happen in a local marketplace or on line at a cafe.

5. Explore Your Community: Art, Music, and Volunteerism

If international travel isn't necessarily in your budget — or you simply want to take advantage of opportunities close to your home, then you might find that your community is a surprisingly rich place to teach your kids about the world at large. To get started:

• Check with your local library to see if they have any upcoming classes, workshops, or events celebrating diversity or world culture

• Scan your local news outlets for any parades or events that highlight a particular culture in your area

• Many universities have multicultural events and resources; check out the schedule of events at your nearest institute of higher education

• Keep an eye out for the arts: any upcoming international musical festivals or art exhibits upcoming in your area?

• Celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity every May 21st with your family

Volunteer. Celebrating art, music, and dance is an incredible way to connect with your larger community. However, one of the best ways to explore your community while strengthening the key values of global citizenry is to volunteer with your children. Even elementary-age children are mature enough to visit a local nursing home, clean up your local community, or participate in a food drive. Volunteering helps them understand how their individual actions can make a difference in the world at large — and helps them see the value in global citizenry.

Get Started Today

Children have a unique and incredible ability to absorb new information, develop their neural pathways, and strengthen their compassion and empathy. By exposing your children to other cultures, teaching them to learn a new language, and celebrating multiculturalism in your community — you can help raise your child as a true global citizen. 

International Mother Language Day

Today is International Mother Language Day which is a day proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate the languages spoken around the world and to promote cultural diversity and multilingualism. IMLD honors the day in 1952 when “language martyr” students demonstrated for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of what is now Bangladesh.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

Mother languages in a multilingual approach are essential components of quality education, which is itself the foundation for empowering women and men and their societies.

-Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General

Celebrate this special day with your little ones by attending local multicultural festivals or by bringing language learning into your home with Little Pim. Now you can stream Little Pim on Hulu and Roku or you can instantly download your choice of our 12 languages for kids on our website.

At Little Pim, we believe that all children deserve to learn a second language. Our program makes learning a foreign language easy and accessible to all kids–at the age they learn best, from 0 to 6 years. Our videos, books, flashcards, and CDs keep kids entertained while inspiring in them a lifelong love of language learning.

We live in an increasingly global world – one where bilingualism carries many benefits. Research shows that bilinguals, especially those who have learned a second language before age six, demonstrate superior reading and writing skills, as well as advanced analytical and social skills. Bilingualism has also been shown to improve vocabulary in a child’s native tongue.

Learning a foreign language can open a whole new world up for your child. Little Pim gives children the ticket to this world–by making it fun and easy for kids to learn a second language.