One of the ways our family likes to “travel” is through food.  While researching for our Taste of South Africa night, we weren’t surprised to learn that their cuisine is as diverse as the country itself.  Influenced by many cultures including indigenous, Dutch, Malaysian, French, and Indian, South Africans have a rainbow of choices. Bobotie Bobotie is considered to be the closest…

Kids will love investigating the beautiful country of South Africa and creating a book or a poster to share what they learned. Materials a poster board or sheets of paper stapled together glue or tape printables library books about South Africa National Geographic Kids Kids World Travel Guide Project Cut and paste the printables to make a…

South Africa’s official participation in the Olympic Games began in 1908; however, the country’s involvement at the 1904 Games is a great, rarely heard story – revealing the athletes that weren’t there to compete in the first place. The 1904 Olympic Games The 1904 Olympics (the third modern Olympic Games) were held in St. Louis, USA as part of the World’s…

South Africans are extremely passionate about sports.  While many different sports are played in South Africa, this post will focus on what are known as “The Big Three.” Soccer Also known as football, soccer is the most popular team sport in South Africa.  The men’s national soccer team is Bafana Bafana (The Boys) and the women’s national soccer team is Banyana Banyana (The Girls).  They are competing…

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…