World Understanding

"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." - Albert Einstein

World Understanding helps us to learn our place in the world at large.  Not only does it help us to see our differences with others, but also similarities to others.  It widens our perspective and helps us to solve problems more efficiently.

Here are some activities that you can use with your children to broaden their knowledge of the world. Encourage them to find shared similarities with people in the countries they study.  

1.  Celebrate holidays from countries around the world.

2.  Have children create passports and have them to imagive that they are traveling as they read books about other countries and their cultures.  

3. Learn about etiquette and manners in each country.

4.  Make a craft or a recipe from another country.

5.  Listen to music from another country.

6.  Learn how to say a few words in the language of another country -- hello. good-bye, etc.

7.  In a classroom, have students create posters or collages about a country and have them share   information during an International day.

8. With older students, discuss prejudice and stereotypes.

9. Help children to research their family histories.

10.  Help children/students get international pen pals.