Chances are your kids will be reading, playing, and exploring this summer. Take the opportunity to sprinkle these typical activities with cultural learning – introducing and celebrating the beautiful diversity in our world. Books Heading to the library, or choosing new books for your own library? Include books that feature diverse characters and communities and that offer…

What in the world do YOU do with your tooth? A boy in Mexico leaves his tooth in a box on his bedside table.  He hopes that the magic mouse, El Ratón, will take his tooth and leave some money. A girl in South Africa leaves her tooth in a slipper in her room.  A mouse comes…

National Children’s Days are observed on various days throughout the year in countries all around the world.  The day is devoted to celebrating the health and happiness of all children. Japan and South Korea will be celebrating Children’s Day on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month. Kodomo No Hi is a national holiday in Japan.  Colorful streamers called koinobori are popular symbols…

Orthodox Christians in Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and other countries around the world will be celebrating Easter (Pascha) on Sunday, May 1.  Attending church services, decorating eggs, playing games and eating traditional foods are typical parts of the celebration. Decorated eggs are an important part of the Orthodox Easter tradition. In Greece, the hard-boiled eggs are dyed a…

Globe Trottin’ Kids provides resources for teaching children about our diverse world.  We offer a variety of tools to help integrate global learning across all content areas throughout the year. Our blog shares information and activities for current events, cultural celebrations, book reviews, and lots more.  Recent blog posts include Songkran – Thailand’s New Year Festival, The…

Sawadee Pee Mai!  Happy New Year! The Songkran Festival celebrates the traditional Thai New Year from April 13-15.   It is a time for house cleaning, family gatherings, visiting temples, and throwing water. Water is an important resource to Thailand, needing plenty of it for the rice they grow, so it is understandable that it is a part…

Zachariah’s Perfect Day, written by Farrah Qazi and illustrated by Durre Waseem, tells the story of a Muslim boy’s first fasting day during the holy month of Ramadan. It is a wonderful addition to my collection of multicultural children’s books. The story begins with 12-year old Zachariah waking up and being excited to be old enough to join Muslims around…

International Children’s Book Day has been celebrated annually on or around Hans Christian Andersen‘s birthday (April 2) since 1967.   The day is about inspiring a love of reading and shining a light on children’s literature. Each year the event is sponsored by a different member of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).   The country…

Happy International Day of Happiness! Meet the top 10 happiest countries according to the World Happiness Report.  As you scroll  down the graphic, try to identify each country.  The answers are below it. The World’s Top 10 Happiest Countries  Denmark   Switzerland  Iceland  Norway  Finland  Canada  The Netherlands  New Zealand  Australia  Sweden Student Activities 1. Locate each country on a…

  Today is “Clean Monday,” the start of Lent for Orthodox Christians around the world.  Pascha, Orthodox Easter, is celebrated on May 1. As an American married to a Greek, I have been celebrating Pascha for many years.  We raised our children to learn about both of our Easter traditions – from the Easter Bunny…

Maslenitsa, a traditional Slavic festival, takes place during the last week before the start of the Orthodox Lent season and marks the end of winter.  Maslenitsa is also known as “Butter Week” (“maslo” is the Russian word for butter) and “Pancake Week”  (their round shape symbolizes the sun).  Lots and lots of pancakes are eaten during this week!  Blini, thin Russian…

The Japanese Doll Festival (Hina-Matsuri), or Girls’ Day, is celebrated on March 3.  Hina are the special dolls for the occasion and Matsuri is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday.  Families and communities wish health and happiness for all girls on this special day. Hina dolls are typically a gift from a girl’s grandparents for her…