Toddlers and the world (and planets.)

Gingham_Ribbon

dooj wrote:

. Listen to music which is typically from different countries, try out national dances.
.

:rotfl: I've just realised that my son has been learning the Prince Charming, Adam Ant dance and he's never seen a Highland Fling. Time to rectify that or my parents won't be impressed! :rotfl: (Although at the moment his version of the Prince Charming dance is to roll his hands round above his head, wave a bit, spin round and round until he falls over then laugh a lot! )

bylromarha

As an ex teacher, do you have a laminator? Or access to one?

If you do, why not draw outlines of all the countries, get DS to colour them in, then you can laminate them?

A huge amount of things to be done then.

Put them on the floor...jump on ****. Put the car on ***. Roll to ****. Can you find me ***** etc etc etc. Plus useable outside too in the sand/water/mud.

mummysaver

Like Becles, my children enjoyed museums and still do. Egypt is a particular favourite of theirs, and there are loads of things that you can make to do with it, and there's lots of info about ancient Egypt around.

You could also try cooking meals from other countries, the library often has chidren's around the world cookbooks for sale for a few pennies, which is great as my children like to keep these ones, and I also don't have to worry about ingredients getting on a library book!

Wendrie

We made a solar system up the stair well at our old house - going up the stairs even if you can't make it to scale you can give the "idea" of the distances.... We had string "measuring" the distance along the top (so it was all at the same level) with the figures on it. That was great fun - the kids coloured in the planets we stuck thin mesh/fabric with lots of rocks on it for the asteroid belt. If you are worried about your wall invest in an off cut from a printers (ours was free but some charge a bit) and stick huge sheets cut off up - only a few bits of bluetak rather than lots.

Other things our stair well has been - deep sea vent to beach including coral reef, another time it was a coral reef, rainforest (complete with carpet roll palm tree with huge green leaves). None of which would have won a Turner prize but were great fun

Map wise - join National Geographic (or ask the grandparents to do it for Easter/birthday etc) and get their maps - they do a world map with the membership and then send extra maps through out the year. Or go look at car boot and charity shops for National Geographic mags as well. Friends of ours put them up all over their through lounge ceiling - so you could look up and see the Mars map, an African political and Antarctica - makes documentaries seem a bit more real.

Zziggi

My DS (just turned 4) is also obsessed with maps. Physical maps, national boarder maps, road maps etc etc. He has a globe as you son does G-R. If we watch stuff on the TV i'll show him the country it is in on the globe. We've also done the stereotypical stuff of "this is what they eat in china/india/italy" with regard to spring rolls/chow mein/curry/pizza/pasta. Letting him help make these things in the kitchen meant he enjoyed it more. He is also interested in flags and we've done a bit about national costumes too. Languages is maybe something else you could do? You can pick up sound bites from the internet if anything more exotic than european languages foxes you.

Mind you can be embarrassing - DS went to look round a local school on an "open day" (which happened to be chinese new year - relevant later). He ignored the stuff on the tables for the pre-schoolers to play with and went straight for the globe that the teacher had though was out of reach. When she went to tell him to put it back, he asked her to sit down while he told her all about japan (?!?) what food they eat, what the weather is like and what happens during an earthquake (seen on TV the previous evening). The school has an exchange teacher from china there at the moment who was introduced to the kids. Then as he left he said a casual "nee how" (hello) as he walked past. Took her quite by surprise. Kids eh?

jellyhead

if you can stand it, children who like flags/countries might enjoy watching the eurovision song contest.

i'm rubbish, i tried picking out britain on a map this week but spud tells me it was madagascar

Gingham_Ribbon

LOL jellyhead! I know the feeling! I know where Madagascar is now though, thanks to little ribbon. And I'm only watching the eurovision song contest if Terry promises to make jokes about the contestants having a 'good set of lungs' again!

holstar

hehe, changing the age range slightly up to uni students...as a geography student who has always been fascinated by the world, I'm pretty good at world countries, capitals, and where these countries and capitals are....but my flatmates aren't.
So, when we needed a new shower curtain, cue the purchase of one with a world map on it, now used to settle any geographical arguments, lol.

No further ideas to help you tho G-R, sorry
Hol x

Gingham_Ribbon

We need a new shower curtain. The one we have has frogs on it. I think he'd be very excited by one with a map of the world on it. It may help with the toilet training too...

Do you remember where you got it and how much it was?

£Ronnie

I spotted a lovely sticker activity book in Tescos today, that was about Space and Planets. It was only £1.97, and I think it would be perfect for this age. The stickers can go anywhere and there are lots of join the dots spot the difference etc activities. There are 12 different themes from mermaids, horses and ponies, farm animals, and pirates. My daughter is really into this kind of thing at the moment and definetly gets value out of them...