My most favorite time of year is the holiday season and its not because vacation is coming soon! I love sharing customs and celebrations from around the world with my students. Over 10 to 15 days, my students visit each of our other 4 Kindergarten classrooms (and mine!) and spend a few days learning about customs and celebrations in other countries.
The countries are selected by each teacher and are chosen based on places they have lived in or traveled to in the past, places their families are from, or countries that interest them. This year, we are visiting 8 different countries or states: Sweden, Germany, Ethiopia, Mexico, China, Alaska, Canada, and Israel. During our study, the Gingerbread Man often writes us letters to entice us to want to learn more about each country. Included in his letter is a map of each country, some simple sayings in the language spoken in that country, and a passport with stamps. After receiving the letter, the first thing we do is to find that country on a map. The Plush Label Me Globe is PERFECT for this! I just label some circles with the names of the countries that we will be visiting and stick a velcro dot on the back. It sticks (and holds tight!) to the correct spot on the globe and we are able to track the Gingerbread Man's travels!
Next, we spend some time learning about the country, special customs and celebrations that are unique to that area, and we sometimes sample some treats too! We also take some time to learn a few words in another language! I love that the Greetings from Around the World Cutouts are so bright and colorful, show children from that country, and teach us how to say "hello" and "goodbye" in 30+ different languages! We then practice greeting each other in a new way!
Before we depart the country, we need to get our passports stamped! Each child makes a large paper suitcase to collect the artifacts they make while visiting each place, and inside is our passport! Included in the "My Passport" Sticker Books are stickers for most of the countries we visit. We help each student place a sticker on one of the pages in their passport to signify that they have traveled there.
We love learning about how the world celebrates in different ways! What are some of your favorite customs and celebrations you share with your students?
