How about to a Ranch in Colorado or to see a Fisher Cat in India ?
Emily , age 14 , helps on her family ’ s ranch , where they raise award-winning organic cattle . She and brother Ben ride their school bus through Rocky Mountain foothills . School , caring for their dogs , horses , and chickens , wrangling cattle on horseback , TV and computer games fill her day . Moses , part of an indiginous Chechen community on India ’ s east coast , attends his cousin ’ s wedding , learns TEK or traditional ecological knowledge , from his father , studies with his cousins , helps his mother cook , runs through the village with a hoop and stick , and plays a mean game of marbles . Families of the World shares stories like these about kids all over the world .
As a child , series creator , Georgi Marquisee , imagined herself in the faroff places she read about in her neighbor ’ s National Geographics . This fascination has drawn her and partner , Mark , along a path of cultural involvement . They have hosted dozens of international visitors and students . For over 30 years Georgi has served as President of Arden Media , with clients like Sesame Street , Montessori Society , and the EPA . In the 1990 ’ s , combining their interest in education and culture , they began to develop “ Families of the World ,” their series for children , documenting family life around the globe . More than a hundred awards later , after a run on PBS , the series took a break when Mark developed Alzheimer ’ s . These days Mark is doing well , and Georgi has gathered a creative and caring support team to help produce new shows , two of which are available this month . The shows add an environmental element , while retaining their ‘ day in a life ’ structure . Georgi says , “ Kids need to know people are working on the effects of global warming and other environmental concerns . They don ’ t connect with ‘ facts ’; they tune out abstractions . They rarely see the world beyond their own city . Even travel doesn ’ t take them behind closed doors . So how do you engage them ? That ’ s what Families of the World does . It ’ s ‘ almost like being there ’!”
Each film focuses on a different culture as seen in the foods , homes , schools , communities , and fun-filled activities of two families in each country , from breakfast to bedtime . And in the new shows , children see what people all over the world are doing to protect the earth . You can stream the current and new programs at FamiliesoftheWorld . com .
FamiliesoftheWorld . com
9
Fishercat Photos by : Anjani Kumar & Fred Hood with Fishercat Conservancy . Ranch Photos by : Diane Branham