{"id":3879,"date":"2014-11-14T17:02:18","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T17:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/6-ways-to-connect-to-caribbean-culture-on-your-resort-vacation-beachesmoms\/"},"modified":"2023-09-04T21:58:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T03:58:29","slug":"6-ways-to-connect-to-caribbean-culture-on-your-resort-vacation-beachesmoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socamom.com\/w\/6-ways-to-connect-to-caribbean-culture-on-your-resort-vacation-beachesmoms\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Connect to Caribbean Culture on Your Resort Vacation #BeachesMoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sure sitting in Uncle So and So\u2019s parlour listening to stories of his childhood would be great, but water slides and buffets have their pluses as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have American kids.<\/strong> I can admit that.\u00a0 It is true.\u00a0 They are French fry eating, football watching, hamburger loving, car booster seat using, tan once a year getting, snowman making, Americans.\u00a0 However, thanks to my Trinidadian family here in the states, they are also soca singing, roti eating, soccer playing, doubles craving, pepper bottle sauce tapping, curry finger licking Americans.<\/p>\n

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I try to keep them connected to culture as much as I can, but there is nothing like touching down in the Caribbean and feeling the sand between their toes, hearing the breeze, smelling the street food, drinking fresh coconut water, and liming with family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For some families, it is harder to make the connection \u2013 especially when it seems like all of their family is living outside of the islands. <\/strong>The family reunion is in Brooklyn or Orlando or Miami or Houston or Washington, DC because that is where the last few generations have settled.\u00a0 Sure you can get a good roti in any of these cities in America, but is it really the same?\u00a0 For many families who want to visit the Caribbean, the connection just isn\u2019t there anymore beyond a distant cousin or aging relative that they have never met.\u00a0 Who wants to be the one to call and say \u201cI comin!\u201d with 3 kids and a husband? Not I.<\/p>\n

As a Caribbean Parenting blogger attending the Social Media in the Sand Conference at Beaches Resort<\/a>, I was keeping an eye out for opportunities for my kids to experience the culture in Turks and Caicos, while enjoying all that a resort has to offer an American child.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Here are 6 things that you can do to ensure that your kids get in touch with their Caribbean roots<\/strong> while enjoying a resort vacation.<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Talk to the staff EVERYWHERE you go.<\/strong> Often times the resort staff is either local or from a nearby island.\u00a0 Start a conversation and you can find out where to go to get an authentic local meal, where to take the family to experience nature and wildlife safely, and how to get to the beaches that the locals go to.\u00a0 Many times the staff will have amazing suggestions for off resort activities.<\/p>\n

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2) Learn before you go.<\/strong> Your local library probably has several books on the history and culture of the island that you are planning to visit.\u00a0 Have the kids make a list of the things they would most like to see and experience.\u00a0 Kids love going to a new place and being able to recognize plants and animals that they saw in the books.\u00a0 You can also check out the Caribbean coloring and activity sheets here on SocaMom.com before you travel.\u00a0 You can also print them out and bring crayons and pencils so that they can stay occupied on the plane ride.<\/p>\n

\"Turks<\/p>\n

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Pick a country and download a coloring or activity page here:\u00a0\"icon\" Caribbean Culture for Kids<\/a><\/p>\n

Download this and other Turks and Caicos activity pages here: \"icon\" Turks and Caicos<\/a><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Download local music on their music players (iPod, mp3, etc.) for them to listen to on the flight.<\/strong> My daughter likes to find out the national anthems\/national songs for the places that we visit.\u00a0 She has learned to play \u201cGod Save the Queen\u201d on her violin.\u00a0 You may want to download sheet music if you have a musician in your family.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Even though American choices are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, ask if there are local items on the menu. <\/strong>We all enjoyed sushi, fries, steak, ice cream, and other foods we could get on a regular basis as a taste of home, but we also searched the menu for more local fare.\u00a0 At all-inclusive resorts, you may not have the option of ordering off menu since most have a buffet, but at luxury resorts like Beaches, the only no you\u2019ll usually hear is \u201cno problem\u201d and it is likely that you will be able to get something specially prepared for your family. (Can’t see the instagram video? Click here: http:\/\/instagram.com\/p\/vY4JnsHVVa<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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I should be putting a straw in one of these right now… but I’m not. I miss you @beachesresorts #TurksandCaicos! #BeachesMoms #CaribbeanMom<\/a><\/p>\n

A video posted by Soca Mom (@socamom).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n