Category Archives: Thailand

Cinderella Story: Around the World

Posted on October 11, 2012 | 15 Comments

What do you know about Cinderella? Perhaps the blonde-haired, blue eyed, Disney princess? Maybe you’ve read the Brothers Grimm version from 1800′s Germany, or even farther back to the late 1600′s with Charles Perrault‘s version. Did you know that Cinderella stories are not limited to a Western European perspective, and in fact appear in more than 500 versions around the world? No one knows the true origin of the famous folktale and its universal theme of good versus evil- but we can enjoy all of the unique twists and learn about cultural values, as we read the diverse stories.

Kid World Citizen is proud to collaborate with some of the best multicultural and educational blogs on the web to present “Cinderella Story Around the World.” While this international project is only a small sampling of the versions of the folktale that are available, we worked together to provide a cross-cultural selection suitable for elementary classrooms. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Europe, Greece, Iraq, Korea, Literature, Martinique, Mexico, Thailand, The Americas, United States, Zimbabwe

Tagged Appalachian, Cinderella Around the World, Creole, fiction children's books, indigenous, Native American, Ojibway

DIY “Glue” Batik T-shirts

Posted on September 11, 2012 | 16 Comments

Batik is a traditional textile made by hand where artisans use wax to create a design, and then dye the cloth, which resists the vegetable dyes. Originally from Indonesia, batik has symbolic meanings in its colors and designs, and people use the craft to express their creativity and even spirituality. In this easy project, kids substitute hot wax for Elmer’s blue glue and convey their own creativity by choosing images that represent themselves, and colorful paint that reflect their personalities. Continue reading →

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Posted in Arts and Crafts, Asia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand

Tagged education, multicultural, textile

Try this Gorgeous Asian Elephant Craft

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 10 Comments

After reading so many books that featured Asian Elephants last week, we decided we needed to do an elephant art project. First I browsed on-line for elephant images, and found some beautiful hand-embroidered pillow shams and purses. A lot of times the elephants were silver thread or silver sequins, so we decided to use foil. I had seen a technique on pinterest that I wanted to adapt (see original post here), so we gathered our supplies: foil, glue, cardboard, paints. Here is our finished project. Didn’t my son do such a great job? Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Arts and Crafts, Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

Tagged education, elephants, multicultural

Books that Feature Asian Elephants

Posted on March 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

Elephants are the largest land animal and can live up to 60 years. There are 2 basic species of elephants: the African elephant (whose ears are larger, look like the continent of Africa!) and Asian elephants (whose ears are smaller, and look like the shape of India!). Asian elephants are an endangered species, with only 25,000 wild elephants living in: Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, and southern China.

Asian Elephant from St Louis Zoo- Kid World Citizen

We saw this lovely elephant at the St. Louis Zoo (Missouri, US).

Elephants have been highly regarded to Asian culture for thousands of years; here, elephants have been domesticated and are used for religious festivals, transportation and to move heavy objects. Other fun facts:

they are vegetarians, and eat 400 pounds of green leaves, bark, branches, fruit and grass daily- they weigh over 10,000 pounds!
they have 6 sets of teeth that wear down and are replaced
the tusks are actually incisor teeth that elephants use to dig in the ground for roots and break apart tree bark. In Asian elephants, only the male has tusks
the elephant’s nose has 40,000 muscles and can pick up tiny objects

Here are some wonderful books whose main characters are Asian Elephants! Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Literature, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

Tagged elephants

Snack on a Mango: “Lollipop-Style”

Posted on March 6, 2012 | 3 Comments

Mangoes have been growing in India for over 5000 years, and in fact the name in Hindi is aam, which means “common.” The fruit and leaves are used in Hindu rituals, and also play a role in Buddhist folklore, where the fruit is considered sacred. In fact, one of Buddha’s followers gave him a mango orchard, so that he could rest and meditate in the shade of the mango trees.

In the US, we gets most of our mangoes from Mexico, Haiti, Peru, and Brazil, while the EU imports from India, South Africa, Pakistan, and Thailand. When you find the countries on the map, notice their distance from the equator. What conditions do mango tree need to thrive? Can they grow where you live?

Mangoes are one of our favorite fruits: they are as sweet as candy, packed with antioxidants, and high in vitamin C and A. Their soft and juicy texture allowed them to be one of my babies’ first solid foods that I didn’t have to mash, and my kids have enjoyed this high-fiber, low-calorie fruit ever since. Recently I was buying a box of ripe mangoes in the supermarket, and someone asked me how I would serve them. Here’s how my kids love to eat mangoes.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Food, India, Thailand

Tagged gluten-free, snacks

Learn about the Dalai Lama

Posted on February 3, 2012 | 8 Comments

Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.- The Dalai Lama

With so much violence in the world today, it is our duty as parents and teachers to teach our children about compassion, showing them kindness and respect, and giving them examples and role models to follow. Studying great leaders who embody peace helps kids to make better decisions and learn from others wisdom as well as from their mistakes.

The Buddhist religion was founded in India over 2500 years ago, and is currently practiced by over 500 million people all over the world. The countries with the largest number of Buddhists are: China (especially Tibet), Thailand, Japan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Viet Nam, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Laos, and Nepal among others. Every country has different ways to worship, but the universal goal of Buddhism is to achieve a state of enlightenment- freedom from suffering- through acts of compassion on all living things.

Dalai Lama Peacemaker from Tibet- Kid World Citizen

The Dalai Lama: Peacemaker from Tibet, a biography by Chris Gibb.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, though Buddhist around the world follow his teachings of non-violence and kindness.

Dalai is translated from Mongolian as “ocean” and lama in Tibetan Buddhism is “perfect teacher.” In fact lama refers to a religious master, specifically a Tibetan or Mongolian Buddhist monk. Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Asia, China, India, Japan, Literature, Malaysia, Nepal, People, Thailand, Tibet

Tagged biography, buddhism, education, famous person, multicultural

A Lesson Plan for Chinese New Year w/ Props and Stories

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 16 Comments

“Chinese New Year,” as it is known in English, is also known as the more encompassing name “Lunar New Year,” or the “Spring Festival” (春節 in Chinese). Besides China, it is celebrated in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Tibet, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Many countries with large Chinese populations (such as Australia, the US, and Canada) also have large Chinese New Year celebrations. Despite the diversity of the people who celebrate this widespread holiday, and their varied traditions, it is universal at this time of year to gather with family to start the new year. Teaching kids about celebrations around the world broadens their minds and increases their cultural awareness.

I have used this lesson plan for the past several years in my kids’ classes with success- the kids love the props, remember the different elements, and are engaged and having fun while learning about a very important holiday. I’ve included books, crafts, and adaptations for different grade levels, so all ages can learn about Chinese New Year! Continue reading →

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Posted in Asia, Celebrations, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines, Tibet, Vietnam

Tagged Chinese New Year, education, multicultural

Sepak Takraw: A Thai and Malay Kick Ball Game

Posted on November 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Cane takraw ball from www.thaicraftwarehouse.com; image used with their permission

Get your shoes on, grab your jackets, and let’s go outside and play a game popular in Thailand and Malaysia, among other SE Asian countries. Sepak takraw is a ball game played over a net: think volleyball meets hackey-sacking, with some gymnastics moves thrown in. Sepak is the Malay word for “kick,” and takraw is the Thai word for the special woven, rattan ball that is used. This fast-paced game is played on a rectangular court that resembles a badminton court, and traditionally uses the small ball shown above. Watching the players defy gravity with their bicycle kicks that swing over their head is exciting- and intimidating. With any part of the body except hands or arms, players have 3 “touches” to attempt to deliver the ball over the net onto their opponents’ side and try to make it un-returnable (similar to volleyball). Continue reading →