A few items from East Asia on our shelves for the children to examine These photo-description cards are from the Asia A-Z Montessori Printables Pack Writing numbers in Chinese Origami fun A simple zen garden found at the dollar store Learning how to make some Chinese and Japanese characters with our Sumi E Board […]
Recognizing languages spoken in East Asia and Southeast Asia is a very difficult task. This hub suggests some tips in recognizing important languages spoken in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Montessori-inspired Asia learning activities and free printables for kids.
We’re focusing in on the countries of South Asia. We love Kathy Troxel’s song about South Asia on the album Geography Songs to learn the names of the countries in this region. (Track 15) We added a few items from South Asia to our display shelf. There’s a model of the Taj Mahal, a peacock feather […]
Pinay Homeschooler is a blog that shares homeschool and afterschool activity of kids from babies to elementary level.
Continuing on with our study of Asia… Our display took on more of a Middle Eastern theme I found these treasures on one of my trips to Qatar. The last frame has different colored sand from the deserts of Arabia. A few items to add to our mystery bag. There’s a glass mosque, […]
World Geography Scavenger Hunt: Asia ~ FREE Printable
A unique art process that will enhance fine motor development in your students I love sharing new and unique art processes with all of you! Chopstick painting is a process that each child can explore in different ways... Introducing a Story We tied the process of chopstick painting
After a bit of a hiatus for other projects, our continent series is back! If you haven’t been introduced to our Montessori wall map and quiet book yet, you can read all about it here. This post is …
The contents of our Asia Continent Box, a work in progress... Middle Eastern Nesting Dolls. I think these are wonderful. One of my close friends was living in Dubai for a few years & brought this as a gift for my boys. Unfortunately we lost the tiniest doll - a camel! - the day we got it. I'm sure it's under a floorboard somewhere... The Vietnamese flag, courtesy of my mama. Assorted money, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia. A coin from the United Arab Emirates (am I the only one who feels weird thinking of the Middle East as part of Asia?) Brass statues from Thailand. The incense cones I bought recently. They smelt really toxic (!) when I burnt one so we'll just look at them now I think. I Ching coins. A goddess postcard, chopsticks & the tie from the traditional white outfit many boys wear in the MIddle East (I need to ask my friend what it's called because I can't remember) - we have the full outfit in the costumes area. I also have a great set of cards of children from Asia that C from Sunrise Learning Lab very kindly sent me a year (or more!) ago and probably lots of other bits and pieces that I should gather. BTW, there is a *back to school* giveaway at Sunrise Early Learning. Go enter!
We’re focusing in on the countries of South Asia. We love Kathy Troxel’s song about South Asia on the album Geography Songs to learn the names of the countries in this region. (Track 15) We added a few items from South Asia to our display shelf. There’s a model of the Taj Mahal, a peacock feather […]
We’re focusing in on the countries of South Asia. We love Kathy Troxel’s song about South Asia on the album Geography Songs to learn the names of the countries in this region. (Track 15) We added a few items from South Asia to our display shelf. There’s a model of the Taj Mahal, a peacock feather […]
Keep reading to discover the top things to know before heading to the Mont Saint-Michel one of themost-visited places in France.
Let's talk about about kite-flying around the world. First, a look at the history of kites, then 10 of the biggest kite festivals around the world, plus incredible multicultural books and crafts for kids! Get outside and fly a kite today!!!
I’ve tried an effective technique to imitate the Ming Vases, the typical Chinese vases in white porcelain with blue decorations. We begin copying the characteristic shapes of the Chinese vases from…
Learn about Oman with 10 fascinating facts for kids! Resources to study Oman through videos, books, cooking, and travel guides.
Math art projects will get kids creative while also teaching them mathematical concepts. Fun ideas for children of all ages and skill levels.
Wondering what to do in Koyasan? We listed here the most impressive temples you need to visit as well as travel tips on where to stay & how..
Continuing on with our study of Asia… Our display took on more of a Middle Eastern theme I found these treasures on one of my trips to Qatar. The last frame has different colored sand from the deserts of Arabia. A few items to add to our mystery bag. There’s a glass mosque, […]
We’re focusing in on the countries of South Asia. We love Kathy Troxel’s song about South Asia on the album Geography Songs to learn the names of the countries in this region. (Track 15) We added a few items from South Asia to our display shelf. There’s a model of the Taj Mahal, a peacock feather […]
Have you ever seen a Japanese fish kite hung up for Children's Day in Japan? Here a nice multicultural craft for kids to make their own!
Learn about Beijing Opera masks: the symbolism of the colors and the history. Watch videos about the color masks and make your own mask. Great multicultural craft from China for all ages!
Rangoli -designs from India- Rangoli is the art of drawing images and designs on the floor with colored sand, rice, or flour. It is a form of folk art from India and stands as a sign of welcome and thought to bring good luck. The designs are geometric and proportioned. Patterns are made with fingers. They can be any size ranging from the size of a doormat to covering an entire room. Rangoli is designed with the help of dots, which are joined to form a pattern. The pattern is then filled with colors. In India, this art is temporary. Each design stays only for a day or two, as it is often redone as part of a daily routine. One of the most popular arts among Indian women, rangoli is an age old custom. Designs are passed down through the generations, some of them being hundreds of years old. Fifth grade students connected Math and Art and created these symmetrical designs inspired by Rangoli images. They were able to use sand to fill their designs.
Here's our Asia continent bag. As with each of our continent bags, I do my best to find a variety of things to represent the continent as a whole. This was tricky with our Asia bag, though, because we have family and friends from China and Japan and so most of our souvenirs are from those countries. Here's what's inside: Maps and landmark cards. Books. Some of the books are from China, gifts to us from my brother-in-law's girlfriend. She was so excited to find out about James being able to count to 10 in Mandarin (here's the language program we use) and so she sent us these books. I think she hopes James will continue to learn Chinese and that he'll someday learn to read these books. The blue book is kind of unintentionally humorous - it's a dictionary of American idioms... talk about getting lost in translation. :) Japanese souvenirs: a Mangekyou (kaleidoscope), a Daruma doll, and a San Kai Koma (3 layered spinning top). These items were gifts from our friend, Kana, who recently visited her family in Japan. Miscellaneous souvenirs: Tibetan prayer flags, a mask from Papua New Guinea*, chopsticks from Bali, and a Japanese hand fan - all of these were purchased at a local fair trade store. The silk scarf is from China and was a gift to me from my brother-in-law's girlfriend. *I can't seem to find a definite answer as to which continent Papua New Guinea belongs to. I've read mixed opinions all over the web and the majority seem to align it with Asia. Feel free to add your two cents. :) Music and artwork. I purchased the drum CD years ago at the World Showcase area in Disney's Epcot Center and you can buy the Putumayo CD here. I wrote more about the artwork here. I chose artwork to represent India, Japan, China and Thailand. Pictures and postcards. The pictures are from the continent kit from Montessori For Everyone. The postcards are from Singapore and Japan. Papers, cards, and stamps. The papers can be used for Origami - this site has some easy models for kids. The rubber stamps are from my scrapbooking stash. Chinese flashcards. I found these beautiful cards here and I cut and laminated them. I think James will enjoy looking at these and, someday, I hope he'll be interested in trying to write the characters on our Buddha Board. Three part cards. Animals. I've had those two stone carved animals since I was a child! Money, flags, and stamps. The stamps and most of the currency is fake and are simply images I found on Google. Here again I tried to represent a variety of countries. The Iraqi Dinar is real and was given to us by a friend of ours who was in Iraq during the war. The tiny coin is a real Hong Kong penny, but the other coins are fake - I think I found them in a craft store years ago. The flags (China & Japan) were purchased here. This is a great cookbook with simple, yet authentic recipes from around the world. For each recipe there's a bit of history, too. I'd love to know if you have an authentic and kid-friendly recipe that represents Asia. If you'd like to share it please email me at countingcoconuts(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks! And speaking of food, one thing I think would be really fun to add to a continent bag is some felt food - in the case of Asia, something like sushi would be cute! I hope you've enjoyed this photo tour of our Asia Continent Bag! You might also enjoy these other posts from my Continent Bag Series: Our Continent Bags Our Continent Bags - Storage Our Continent Bags - North America Our Continent Bags - Antarctica Our Continent Bags - Europe Our Continent Bags - Africa Our Continent Bags - South America Our Continent Bags - Australia Also check out my Continent Bags photo album on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page. I'm linking this post up to The Preschool Corner and Montessori Monday. ~Thank you for your comments!~
Punjab and the Punjab culture are truly incredible. The warmth and vibrant nature of Punjabi people will simply amaze you. Whether it is technology, cuisine, traditions, architecture, scenic beauty…
I pulled out my Asia storage box a couple of weeks ago and was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I’ve put in it over the years. I decided it was finally time to get it properly organized. (More thoughts about organizing thematic units here.) Here are the preliminary results! I put a few […]
6 Ramadan crafts from A Crafty Arab to help kids learn about this important holiday, and introduce world cultures to young children.
Travelling in India with a family, of course it's possible! Welcome to my favourite country.
We are participating in a Cultural Exchange organized and initiated by Melissa @ Chasing Cheerios . We are exchanging a letter, pict...
After a bit of a hiatus for other projects, our continent series is back! If you haven’t been introduced to our Montessori wall map and quiet book yet, you can read all about it here. This post is …
Islamic art lessons for kids! Marvel at the geometric patterns unique to the Islamic ceramic tile tradition, and then create your own decoration.!
Dive into these fabulous chapter books with Asian characters for kids in upper elementary and middle school; adventure, romance, historical, and more!
Montessori-inspired Asia learning activities and free printables for kids.
Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! Happy First Day of October, Everyone! Today I have such a gorgeous book to share that I can’t wait to show it to you! I encourage you all to read it if you can. Writer…
{ Asia } I love sharing this story based in India. I told the story with felt 'puppets' that I made and the children can retell the story using the puppets on a work rug to a friend or just to themselves. { Asian Cultural Artifacts Basket } Here one child is offering help to another child with the Asia map. It is so heartwarming to see the kindness of helping hands throughout the course of the day... Globes and puzzle maps are used in 3-6 Montessori environments to teach geography in an extremely concrete and motor sensorial way. Children are able to see the Earth as a whole then as continents, then as countries, then states and so on. During this time of their lives students also love to do puzzles. The colorful wooden puzzles leave lasting impressions of the shapes and sizes of the countries and states. One of the Ohio Academic Standards that has to be met by kindergartners is to "(m)easure...volume using uniform objects in the environment. For example, how many small containers it takes to fill a big container using sand, rice, or beans." Here the children used an Asian soup spoon to see how many spoonfuls are needed to fill the measuring cups. I used the geese measuring cups to represent Spring ~ yea! One was a half cup and the other was a full cup. { Mortar and Pestle with Anise Seeds } This work made the room smell intoxicatingly good...like licorice! Using the mortar strengthened the children's handwriting muscles and created crushed anise to be used in the Smelling Bottles on our Sensorial Shelf. As a side note, the Smelling Bottles contained various spices from Asia: cinnamon, anise, curry, peppercorns, cardamom, and ginger. As a Montessori teacher I am always seeking ways to refine the skills of the children including their gross motor skills. I found this beautiful little Asian bell at Goodwill ( I love thrift stores!) for an exercise of 'Walking with a Bell' in which children walk the perimeter of the room in an attempt to not ring it while walking. 'Cherry Blossom Painting' is a work to celebrate spring's offerings and Japan's Sakura or Cherry blossom time ~ a very special time of the year. For this work, children use the eyedropper to squeeze four drops of diluted black tempura paint near the bottom of the sheet of 5x7 paper. Secondly, they use a cut straw to blow the paint towards the top of the paper. After the puddles of paint have been blown, they squeeze a tiny amount of pink tempura paint into the little bowl and practice painting cherry blossoms on the smaller sheets of paper with a paintbrush. When they feel that they are ready, they paint the cherry blossoms onto their 5x7 sheet. These are wonderful Mother's Day gifts, too! The following are two paintings from the children ~ { sweet } { Conical Hats } We talked about staple foods and the staple food of Asia ~ rice. The children made conical hats and also tasted rice... and they loved it. And, they say the most wonderful things like, "This is so good I can eat this all day and all night until I blow up!" One hears the funniest things when in the midst of children. Anyways, it's amazing what a bit of vegetarian stir fry sauce can do to rice! { make it a beautiful day }
