Category Archives: United States

Spring Traditions Around the World

Posted on April 12, 2013 | 8 Comments

I am part of a world-side, diverse group of bloggers called Multicultural Kid Bloggers who write about their experiences in multicultural parenting. Every month we host a different blogging carnival, which focuses on a relevant topic, and includes perspectives from (literally) around the world. For example, we discussed teaching heritage to your children, and talked about winter traditions around the world, and the importance of family traditions. Join us on facebook, Twitter or pinterest to meet other multicultural, globally-minded parents.

This month’s carnival is all about our Spring traditions. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Around the World, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, Canada, Celebrations, China, Europe, Malawi, Mexico, Poland, The Americas, The Netherlands, United States

Tagged spring, traditions

Gingerbread Stories from Around the World

Posted on March 27, 2013 | 3 Comments

Finding similarities and differences when reading fairy tales from around the world hones kids’ critical thinking skills, and helps them to focus on the details. Even the Common Core Standards includes this in one of their “Reading Literature” standards:

Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures (RL.2.9.).

There are many reasons to read fairy tales to children- especially because they’re whimsical, creative, and fun! Today we’re looking at Gingerbread stories. Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Europe, Food, France, Ireland, Literature, Mexico, Norway, Russia, The Americas, UK, United States

Tagged fairy tales, fiction children's books, folktales, Gingerbread Man stories

Learning about the US through Children’s Books

Posted on February 25, 2013 | 20 Comments

http://growingbookbybook.com/sample-page/

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 →

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Posted in Arts and Crafts, Geography, Literature, The Americas, United States

Tagged fiction children's books, non-fiction children's books, Texas

Inukshuk: Arctic Art from the Inuit

Posted on January 29, 2013 | 10 Comments

Imagine walking across the vast tundra, and coming across a human-sized stone structure. Inukshuk (plural: inuksuit) means “likeness of a person” in Inuktitut (the Inuit language), and is a pile of (unworked) stones arranged by the Inuit into the shape of a human being. They are sometimes seen as representing the strength and determination of the Inuit people, who live in one of the Earth’s harshest climates and terrains. Continue reading →

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Posted in Arts and Crafts, Canada, Polar Regions, The Americas, United States

Tagged Alaska Inuit, indigenous

My Interview at “Teacher Certification Degrees”

Posted on January 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

I was recently interviewed at Teacher Certification Degrees! Here’s an excerpt:

“We recently had the opportunity to interview Becky Morales, a Texas ESL Teacher Trainer who founded the nonprofit organization, Kid World Citizen. Becky attended the University of Illinois, where she earned a BA degree in Spanish Education, as well as a MA degree in Teaching ESL, with a concentration in Cross-Cultural Communication. Becky also earned a MA in School Counseling at Roosevelt University. She is an eight-year veteran of the classroom. Becky previously taught at the high school and college levels. In between volunteering at local schools, conducting diversity trainings, and leading her local elementary school’s International Club, Becky is writing a book that will serve as a toolkit for elementary schools seeking to globalize their lessons.

Becky Kid World Citizen You established a nonprofit, Kid World Citizen, which aims to provide educators and parents with activities that will help children’s minds “go global.” Can you tell us more about why you started this organization, and also your philosophy for getting young learners interested in the world around them?

My family is very multicultural, with my husband from Mexico City, two biological daughters, a son from China and a son from Ethiopia. I am very interested in geography and learning about other cultures myself, and my husband and I are trying to raise our children to be responsible, compassionate world citizens. I began sharing the activities I have used with my kids and in the classroom, to expand global awareness. I believe that if we raise kids to understand other perspectives, they will grow up to be empathetic adults who can respond to global issues successfully.”

Books, Videos about the Migration of Monarch Butterflies

Posted on December 18, 2012 | 6 Comments

Migration of Monarch Butterflies, image credit: Harald Süpfle, creative commons use

It’s the migration season for 100 million monarch butterflies, as they fly from Canada and the northern US, south to Mexico for the winter. In February, they’ll star their journey back up north. Kids: can you follow their migration path on a map? Why would butterflies (and some birds!) go south for the winter? In Texas this October, we’ve seen the travelers pass through our garden to sip on some of our butterfly weed and lantana. Here are some great resources for teachers and parents to use to teach their kids about the amazing monarch butterflies. Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Mexico, The Americas, United States

Tagged butterflies, Earth Day, education, environment, science

Importance of Family Traditions and a Look at Ours (Winter)

Posted on December 9, 2012 | 18 Comments

Family traditions are all of the special things that families do together on a regular basis- whether it’s daily (always eating dinner together), weekly (Friday night movies and popcorn), monthly (taking our kids on “date nights,” or “super-noches” as we call them), or yearly (driving around to look at Christmas lights). In our hectic lives, routine customs create special memories of your family having a great time together, that your kids will remember and probably pass on to their family.

When we took the many hours of parenting classes required to adopt our two sons, they emphasized the importance of family traditions as a way to strengthen family bonds, teach our new children our family values, and give our kids a sense of identity and security within our family: “The Smith Family always makes pancakes on Sunday mornings” or “The Lin Family plays football together every Thanksgiving” or “The Morales Family always makes a birthday sign for the birthday child.” Repeating and emphasizing that your family does it together, helps families to bond with their child, as they are included in the “we.” In reality, not only adoptive families will benefit from creating special family traditions- all families will enjoy family rituals and become stronger as they incorporate them into their lives. Continue reading →

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Posted in Celebrations, The Americas, United States

Tagged Christmas, New Years

Getting Creative at Chanukkah: A Craft for Kids

Posted on December 4, 2012 | 4 Comments

Mia is back with her second in a series on celebrating Chanukkah with kids. Mom to son Judah, age 5 ½, and wife of Dan, she also works as a teacher coach. Though raising her son in a Jewish home, diverse and multicultural values weigh heavily in making daily parenting choices. In her spare time, she enjoys acupuncture, meditation, walking the dog (Mooshu), cooking delicious plant-based superfoods, reading and writing, and volunteering as an advocate for cancer awareness and healthful living. You can find her at her blog, Remission Statement. Last time she shared the meaning behind Chanukkah and a recipe for potato latkes, and this time she’s sharing a simple- but elegant- craft.

There are lots of ways to get creative around the winter holidays. Take one
search on Pinterest and you will be overwhelmed! One idea is to brighten up
your windows with some Chanukkah shapes, giving them a stained glass effect.
Depending on the age of your child, you may want to prepare some of the materials in advance, making it easier for them to participate. However, if you have older children who would rather have more control over the final product, you can simply supervise!

Hanukkah Craft for Kids- Kid World Citizen

I scrounged around for some pink and green tissue paper – blues and golds would be more authentic.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Arts and Crafts, Asia, Celebrations, Israel, The Americas, United States

Tagged Chanukkah

Let’s Learn about Chanukkah and Make Potato Latkes!

Posted on December 2, 2012 | 8 Comments

I am so excited to announce that today’s guest post is written by Mia, mom to son Judah, age 5 ½, and wife of Dan. She works as a teacher coach for Children’s Literacy Initiative, a non-profit based in Philadelphia, helping to improve the quality of instruction in inner city schools. Though raising her son in a Jewish home, diverse and multicultural values weigh heavily in making daily parenting choices. In her spare time, she enjoys acupuncture, meditation, walking the dog (Mooshu), cooking delicious plant-based superfoods, reading and writing, and volunteering as an advocate for cancer awareness and healthful living. You can find her at her blog, Remission Statement. Not only do we get to learn about the meaning behind Chanukkah (sometimes seen spelled “Hanukkah”), she’s also shared a recipe for potato latkes!

In a few weeks, the Jewish holiday of Chanukkah (pronounced with a *ch* at the
beginning as if you are trying to clear your throat) will begin. In the Jewish religion, holidays begin and end at sundown, adhering to the lunar and Jewish calendars; as Chanukkah is celebrated for eight nights, Sunday, December 8 is the first night of Chanukkah this year, and Sunday, December 16 is the last night.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Celebrations, Food, Israel, The Americas, United States

Tagged Chanukkah

Kids Doing Community Service

Posted on November 22, 2012 | 3 Comments

Gandhi is attributed as saying “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” If one of our goals as parents is to raise compassionate and responsible children, our children need to witness empathy, kindness, and respect towards others… and put these character traits into action. Families that do community service not only offer their children a view of different perspectives, but give them the opportunity to take action, and in a sense change the world. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Ethiopia, The Americas, United States

Tagged community service, compassion, service learning, volunteer

Monarch Butterfly Art for Kids

Posted on October 31, 2012 | 17 Comments

It’s Monarch migration season- when 100 million monarch butterflies fly from Canada and the northern US south to Mexico for the winter. Learn more about monarch butterflies with these great resources. Kids: can you follow their migration path on a map? Why would butterflies (and some birds!) go south for the winter? When do you think they will migrate back north? In Texas this October, we’ve been seeing the voyagers pass through our garden to sip on some of our butterfly weed and lantana. Here is a cute and easy craft that even the little ones will enjoy as you learn about these fascinating creatures. Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Arts and Crafts, Canada, Mexico, The Americas, United States

Tagged butterflies, migration

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

10 Wonderful Stories Set in Countries Around the World

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 13 Comments

Today’s guest post comes from Amy Broadmore, the mother of three young children ages seven, five, and two. She spends her time teaching and learning from her children, running, and searching for great picture books. She recommends children’s literature with captivating stories and gorgeous illustrations on her blog Delightful Children’s Books.

I love the ability of good stories to both entertain and teach kids at the same time. Here are ten of my favorite stories set in countries around the world. These are, for the most part, fictional stories. Yet, they introduce kids to real places and real experiences. These stories help kids imagine what it would be like to celebrate Eid in Kuwait, go on a family road trip in Australia, wait for the Biblioburro to arrive in Colombia and more. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Colombia, Europe, France, India, Kuwait, Literature, Malawi, The Americas, The Gambia, Ukraine, United States

Tagged Alaska Inuit, fiction children's books, indigenous

Kids, Take a Poll: “Which States/Countries have you Visited?”

Posted on August 17, 2012 | 9 Comments

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 →

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Posted in Around the World, Arts and Crafts, Geography, The Americas, United States

Tagged education, geo-literacy, maps

Readers’ Stories of Survival on the Road with Kids

Posted on July 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

Lots of readers wrote in via email, or on our facebook page, to share stories of family road trips! Parents and kids around the world enjoy driving vacations as a way to explore as a family, spend quality time together bonding, and to see more of the country they’re in. Here are some of the stories we heard: Continue reading →