Songkran: Thailand’s New Year Festival
Suk San Wan Songkran! Happy Songkran Day! Celebrating Songkran The Songkran Festival celebrates the traditional Thai New Year from April 13-15. The word Songkran comes from a Sanskrit phrase meaning “passage of the sun.” It is a time for house cleaning, family gatherings, visiting temples, and throwing water. Water is an important resource to Thailand, needing…
Read MorePysanky: Ukrainian Easter Eggs
What are Pysanky? Pysanky are Easter eggs, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk art using a wax-resist method. Its name comes from the word “pysaty,” which means “to write.” Pysanka (PIH-san-kah) is the singular form, and pysanky (pih-san-KIH) is the plural form. The designs are created with a kistka, a special stylus that holds liquid wax. The wax is applied to the egg,…
Read MoreTake a Musical Journey to Africa
Take a Musical Journey to Africa The Land of Yangalele, a new children’s music CD by Congolese-American artist “Papa Siama” Matuzungidi and singer “Auntie Dallas” Johnson, introduces children to African culture, rhythms and music. Yangalele (Yawn-gah-LAY-lay) means “happiness” in Kikongo, one of the Bantu languages spoken by people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of…
Read MoreThe Cloud Artist: A Choctaw Tale
Gazing at the clouds – watching them move, shift, and create beautiful art in the sky. Many of us have experienced this, but what we haven’t experienced is being able to create the art. That special gift belongs to the Choctaw*, shared in the Native American tale The Cloud Artist. The Cloud Artist (Hoshonti Holbvttoba Inchunli) is a bilingual…
Read MoreThe Saint Nicholas Day Snow: Book Review & Free Printable
The Saint Nicholas Day Snow: Book Review & Free Printable Award-winning author Charlotte Riggle and illustrator R.J. Hughes have teamed up for another holiday children’s book that is both touching and informative. The Saint Nicholas Day Snow is a story about family, friendship, and the St. Nicholas Day traditions of two friends – with interesting historical facts of the…
Read More¡Hola! Let’s Learn Spanish: A Book Review
¡Hola! Let’s Learn Spanish: A Book Review Introduce kids to new cultures through language, literature, and fun activities with ¡Hola! Let’s Learn Spanish by Judy Martialay. This book is great for parents and educators teaching Spanish to young children, regardless of their own Spanish skills. Additional resources to support the book and your Spanish language instruction are…
Read MoreWalking the Walk: Creating Meaningful Ways to Teach Multiculturalism at Home
We’re happy to welcome back guest blogger Lisa Heintz from Little Songbird: Songs for Learning. Lisa recently participated in our Global Learning Miniseries. Her post, Sharing Many Cultures in the Elementary Classroom, provides educators with information and resources for creating a safe, inclusive, multicultural learning environment. Walking the Walk: Creating Meaningful Ways to Teach Multiculturalism at Home provides parents…
Read MoreIntroducing Cultures Through International Cuisines
– by Deborah Tayloe, guest blogger Children learn best about different people and languages through first-hand experience. They are sensory beings who learn through the experiences of touch, see, smell, hear, and taste. It can be challenging to incorporate all five senses into a cultural lesson. Or is it? Not when you let children experience…
Read MoreMusic: The Perfect Global Language
– a guest post by Deborah Tayloe Music is the perfect global language. It’s understood and appreciated across the globe and throughout all cultures. While each nation or region may have their own style and sound, its ability to connect across the globe is indisputable. First, modern music has a standardized staff notation that’s accepted…
Read MoreGlobal Learning Resources – for Kids
It’s been a great week collaborating with other global educators for our Global Learning in the Elementary Classroom miniseries. We featured information, resources, and activities to teach our youngest learners about world geography and cultures. To conclude this series, we’re sharing a round-up of resources for kids to use as they explore and learn about the world. Be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY for…
Read More4 Ways to Introduce Global Learning Into a Classroom
Hello! My name is Becky Morales, and I am an ESL and Spanish teacher and mom to five kiddos through adoption and birth. Our family is somewhat unique because we have such a mixture of cultures in our house (Mexican, Chinese, Ethiopian, African-American, white). When my kids were little, I looked for simple ways to…
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