Cultures of the World Theme Box offers young children many ways to explore the rich diversity of our world’s cultures. Ideal for kindergarten students, the kit contains a number of props and manipulatives including national flags, plastic foods, and musical instruments. The props can be used for a wide variety of activities that address many aspects of the curriculum.
An accompanying guide includes an impressive list of activities and lesson ideas organized into 10 cross-curricular learning areas. Explore music and active play with instruments and songs. Encourage children to pronounce greetings and words from various cultures using photo cards with text. Promote dramatic play using the Dutch clogs and Chinese lantern. Explain the cooking and favourite foods of cultures by referencing plastic food props such as Mexican beans and rice or Japanese sushi. Create math activities by using stamps to make patterns, or by using the instruments to create rhythms. Learning objectives such as the building of number sense, identifying patterns, and developing motor skills are all summarized in the guide.
The kit includes a globe that can be referenced throughout learning activities to show children the geographic locations associated with some of the customs and cultures. Also included in the kit is a list of children’s books. Some of these books can be found in the OISE Library’s Curriculum Resources Collection. Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris surveys the variety of breads from around the world, while Bobbie Kalman takes a similar approach related to dwellings in Homes Around the World.
Cultures of the World Theme Box is currently on display on the ground floor of the OISE Library next to the service desk.
