We recently participated in the Worldwide Culture Swap, where families (or schools) exchange cultural packages and learn about another culture. The letter and package was so thoughtful, I though I would share it with you here. Emma’s mom is the founder of Be Bilingual and has written a fabulous practical guide for multilingual families
Opening our letter and packages from Finland!
Posted in Europe, Finland, Food, Geography, People
Tagged education, global collaboration, multicultural, pen-pals, Worldwide Culture Swap
I am thrilled to introduce Jenny Buccos, the Series Creator & Director of the multi-award winning ProjectExplorer.org educational series. She began her professional career with Credit Suisse First Boston managing global media projects in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and New York. In 2003, before the existence of YouTube, she founded the online video site ProjectExplorer.org as a means to educate students about global cultures and histories. To date, she has directed/produced more than 400 incredible short films for students. Continue reading
Posted in Around the World, Geography, Movies, People
Tagged education, ProjectExplorer.org
I am frequently asked “What are the best apps for kids to learn geography and practice map-skills?” I put together a list of 8 of my favorites: the first 3 are interactive atlas/map apps that are fun to explore (especially when parents/teachers and their kids explore together!) and the final 5 are engaging geography games that even adults will enjoy! Continue reading
Booking Across the USA is a collaborative blogging project created by Jodie from Growing Book By Book. Each of the participating bloggers are showcasing a book and activity related to their state: all 50 states are represented!!! Children’s literature is a fun way to bring history, culture, and geography alive and to learn about the US through “armchair travel.” The book I’ve chosen to represent Texas is Tomie dePaola’s “The Legend of the Bluebonnet.” Continue reading
Are you looking looking for board games that are fun and educational for your kids? These geography games are outstanding to help kids learn about different countries, practice their map skills, and have fun with their family and friends.
Continue reading 
The Earth seen from Apollo 17- from NASA (public domain)
When many people think of “geography” they think of maps. While maps are a fascinating tool, they make up only a part of geography. When we study geography, we study why something is in a certain location on Earth, and whether it was caused by nature or people. We study the physical processes of nature and the social processes of humans, as well as the differences and links between them. We become more aware of the interconnectedness of the world and its communities, we understand changes in our societies and in the natural world, and we become more socially and environmentally sensitive.
What does geography entail? The field of geography is usually split into 2 main fields: physical geography and human geography.
| Examples of Physical Geography | Examples of Human Geography: |
| Physical Maps | Cultural Studies |
| Meteorology and Climate | Language, religion, art, music |
| Oceanography | Migration and Globalization |
| Earth Science | Human impact on the environment |
| Landforms | Political Systems |
| Plants and animals | Transportation |
| Hazards and Natural Disasters | Calendars and Seasons |
We at KidWorldCitizen also have tons of activities to learn about geography!
Here is a great cartoon from NatGeo titled “What is Geography?”
Posted in Around the World, Geography
“We have kids from Nicaragua, Guam, and Africa in my class…”
“We made masks from China, Peru, and Africa…”
“He is been to England, Africa, and Italy”
I have a pet peeve. It makes my skin crawl when I hear people referring to Africa as a country, instead of an immensely diverse continent. Did you know Africa has well over 2000 languages and innumerable ethnic groups, in its 54 countries!? My goal is to help parents and teachers dispel stereotypes by teaching a variety of stories from different countries in the continent.
One great book that counters stereotypes, “Africa is Not a Country,” gets to the heart of modern Africa: rural and urban families, living contemporary and traditional lives, and children in their homes, with their families, going to school, and playing with their friends. In this activity- which touches on 25 countries in Africa- kids will be locating and coloring countries on the map as they hear them mentioned in the story. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Geography, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Literature, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, People, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe
Tagged fiction children's books, maps
I was browsing different geography sites (it is no secret that I love maps!!) and I found this nice widget. The very addictive game is simple to play- yet gets more challenging as you move up!
Use your mouse to click on the capitals and famous cities as fast as you can. You will be scored by how closely you mark the correct location. I made it to level 11, but couldn’t pass it to level 12! 
Share your score in the comments! I need to brush up on my “islands”- some of these I have never heard of and need to learn!:)
How well do you know your world??? Which regions stumped you? Can your kids make it past level 1? What about your spouse or partner:)? I see some healthy competitions brewing….
It seems that in our busy life of fast food and convenience, many people have become so disconnected from their food, they don’t know where their food actually comes from (or what it is made of!). This is the first article in a series to help kids understand more about our food system.
Today we’re mapping our fruits and vegetables: with a little research in the supermarket, the kids are discovering where our food was grown and how long it traveled to get here!
Posted in Around the World, Field Trips and Travel, Food, Geography
Tagged Earth Day, environment, maps, responsible eating, supermarket
Recently I was interviewed by Mom’s Homeroom about how to incorporate geography and culture into your home, and my kids got to “play” in the video. The kids *loved* talking with the cameramen, playing with the lights and microphones, and thinking that we were famous.
When I was little, I loved maps (I still do). As a mom of 4 little kids, I try to instill the same curiosity in geography in my kids. I recently saw a great idea on Grasping for Objectivity, that had the kids polling friends and family to see which states they had visited. I think this is a great activity for kids- whether they are just beginning to learn geography, or are experts. It was a concrete way for my kids to learned more about the states positions in relation to one another, to compare sizes of states, to talk about distances, and even to visualize where we had driven across the country. What a fun activity!!!! Continue reading
Posted in Around the World, Arts and Crafts, Geography, The Americas, United States
Tagged education, geo-literacy, maps
You might have read that our son was born in Ethiopia. Because we want Ricky to have a connection to his heritage, as a family we try to learn as much as we can about Ethiopia: the food, traditions, history, language, music, religion, and more. Ricky loves to learn about and talk about his birthplace! There are many ways to incorporate culture into our children’s lives, and the easiest way to start is by locating it on a map. All of the pictures are © Becky Morales unless otherwise stated. Continue reading
Click here to download our Olympics 2012 Flag Scavenger Hunt for Families to be used during the Opening Ceremonies! 1 point for finding the team and flag, 1 point for naming the country, and 1 point for naming the continent. Work together as a family or compete against each other. Let us know what your score was and we’ll announce the winners on facebook!
Posted in Around the World, Celebrations, Games and Toys, Geography
Tagged downloadable, flags, Olympics, scavenger hunt
I absolutely love the Olympics- everything from the journey of the torch, to the teams parading in at opening ceremonies, through all of the many events, and finally to the closing ceremonies. I love learning the bios of the athletes, I love cheering for the underdogs, and I love the international camaraderie and sportsmanship.
I think my kids are old enough to weave in a little learning into the games: I am asking you to spread the word, and link up your favorite Olympics activities for kids! I know that I will visit all of the sites, and I’m sure other teachers and parents are looking for creative and fun ideas as well. Keep checking back to see what our amazing readers have posted!
Posted in Around the World, Arts and Crafts, Celebrations, Geography
When I first heard of the Worldwide Culture Swap- where schools or families can “trade” cultural packages with others from around the world- I was SO excited. What an amazing experience for the kids involved to be able to deliberately choose artifacts that represent their culture, and then exchange them with those that another child around the globe has specially picked out. I asked one of the site’s founders and organizers to help explain the process.
My name is Rachael from Worldwide Culture Swap – a completely free resource for schools and families who are interested in learning more about different cultures around the world.
Posted in Around the World, Games and Toys, Geography
Tagged education, global collaboration, multicultural, pen-pals
