If you don’t know already, my parents immigrated from Iran over thirty years ago. Even with being born and raised in the Bay Area they made it a point to uphold our culture through language, food, and traditions. This month with Norwuz coming up, I will create invitations that honor my culture in creative ways that can be applied in the classroom or at home!
The book Saffron Ice Cream written by Rashin Kheiriyeh, is about a Iranian girl’s family outing to a beach in a new country. The illustrations reminisce the beautiful parts of Iran and the saffron ice cream she would share with her best friend. This is a wonderful peek into the immigrant experience. Rashin Kheiriyeh is an internationally recognized, award-winning illustrator/author who was born in Iran.
Fun fact, Persians started a tradition of ice cream making which began at around 500 B.C when they started pouring fruit juices over snow which resulted in an icy treat they called sharbat. In the 1920s Akbar Mashti also known as Saffron Ice Cream came about.
To integrate this book into sensory play by recreating saffron ice cream is a fun way to connect the book. Akbar Mashti ice cream is composed of rose water, cream, saffron, sugar, and pistachios. To recreate this for sensory play simply take shaving cream, add drops of Colorations Liquid Water Colors, dried rose petals, green leaves (pistachios), & ice cream cones + scooper. Let the child scoop up and create their own saffron ice cream.
