This year children visiting the Children's Area of the Festival of American Folklife will be able to experience what it was like to grow up in Oklahoma Territory and to discover the values and traditions that Korean-Americans have handed down to their children. In order for any culture to survive, its traditions and values need to be passed from parents to their children. This may be achieved through instruction, but also through observation of ceremonies and games.

In Oklahoma, children's games are based on preparation for adulthood and adult activities. Because much of Oklahoma's industry is agricultural, children necessarily learn farm and ranch skills at an early age. For example, the game of "roping dummies," that is roping metal calf heads placed in bales of hay, prepares them for roping real cattle when they are older. "Bucking barrels," a game in which children ride on large barrels bucked back and forth by adults, teaches them to balance and ride horses later when they must spend many hours in the saddle.