HOW TO ENRICH YOUR CULTURE STUDIES WITHOUT GETTING ON A PLANE
It would be wonderful to be able to jump on a plane to take our children to learn about all the different cultures, animals and historic places that we can experience around the world. Unfortunately, this isn't possible for most of us.
But that doesn't mean that we can't teach our kids about the world, and get them curious about different people and ways of living. Here are some easy ways that you can add culture studies to your week without breaking the bank or dealing with jetlag.
FOOD
Food is such an important part of our culture. Whether it is our staple meals or celebration foods. It is a great way to get talking about a different culture and what they eat. You could try a new dinner recipe or just a snack. Getting the kids in the kitchen means that you are working on their practical life skills at te same time.
Questions to ask:
Where in the world do they eat this?
Is it similar to something we eat?
What is the taste/texture like? Can you compare it to something we usually eat?
How is it prepared/cooked?
Do you like it? Why or why not?
If it is related to a celebration you can talk about that too.
MUSIC
Thanks to services such as YouTube and Spotify we now have access to music from all corners of the world. If you are a musical family you might want to learn about the different types of instruments and types of music.
If you want to keep it low-key, hop onto YouTube/Spotify and do a search with a country name + traditional music and see what pops up. YouTube has the advantage of often having a video too.
You can build this into your daily routine, say at clean-up time at the end of the day, take it in turns to pick a country. Find a track to listen to as you tidy up.
BOOKS
Apart from the obvious encyclopedias and atlases, there are lots of books that can help our kids learn about the world. Make sure when you go to the library to include one or two in your weekly selection. Even if the child doesn’t read it cover to cover, dipping in and out with build their curiosity.
Recipes books
Traditional stories from other cultures
Focused on a celebration or festival such as Diwali, Tanabata or Day of the dead.
Stories that are set in a specific country
Specific historical landmarks or events
Country-specific animals - kids love learning about animals, whether it’s an obsession with snakes or the love of elephants, there is an animal for everyone.
+1 POSTCARD SWAP
Yes, this one takes a bit more effort but it can be a lot of fun, especially if you don't receive much physical mail these days. Hit up your Facebook/Instagram friends and see who would be interested in doing a postcard swap. I have organised a few, including ones where we swapped easy recipes on the postcard. Also, ask your swappers to use a pretty postage stamp rather than generic ones.
Helping kids to be more curious and accepting of other people, their religion, way of life, culture etc is a huge step towards a more loving and peaceful community so any time that a question comes up try and answer it. And if you don’t know the answer… there is always Google!
Jo
FREEBIE LIBRARY
In the jojoebi Resource library, you can get a 30-page pack of Animals Around The World 3 Part-cards plus continent cards plus many other printables to keep the kids busy and engaged. New items are added every month.
ABOUT JO from 193 LITTLE ADVENTURES CLUB & JO JO EBI
I'm Jo Ebisujima, a best-selling Montessori author and multi-passionate entrepreneur. I run The Wonder Mom Success Club - a membership for entrepreneur moms to get support while building their businesses.
And also 193 Little Adventures Club - where families can take a virtual adventure to a different country every month. I built my business around my family, living & homeschooling in Japan. I use “Follow The Child” in every aspect of my parenting journey. I created 193 Little Adventures because I truly believe that if children learn about different cultures and ways of being from an early age, there would be less hatred and more compassion and understanding in the world. ❤️
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