The world is getting smaller - but to actually see it with your own eyes - you have to pack your bags, get on a plane and connect with a local who can show you around. The next best thing is to read about it. But is it? What if there was something better than a book? Enter Globe Smart Kids - with their program One Globe Kids.
According to Anne Glick, the co-founder of Globe Smart Kids, they are on a "mission to make the foreign feel familiar to children worldwide. We use storytelling, technology, and research to move children beyond prejudice and toward mutual liking and friendship outside their familiar bubbles. Our main program is One Globe Kids." "Make the foreign feel familiar" - something that is much needed in our world. The app 'One Globe Kids' attempts to do just that. You download the app on your iPhone or iPad or you can choose access it on your computer. It is easy to set up and you can navigate the globe to pick a country that you want to explore with your new local buddy.
Choose from kids in various part of the world - Indonesia, Haiti, The Netherlands, Burundi, New York City and Israel. Take for example, Floor in The Netherlands. You can start by learning how she says her name in Dutch, progress to counting in it, and see what a typical day in her life consists of. In turn, the app asks the learner questions about their own life - such as in the image below - so they may understand the similarities and differences between the two lives. There is also a section where you can learn some quick facts about the country.
Being a family that loves to travel, we have a giant world map at home and we often look at it, dreaming about our next destination. Once we decide, we usually spend a lot of time reading about the place and watching videos on YouTube about others' travel experiences. This time around, we will be better equipped because I plan to use One Globe Kids if we plan a trip to one of these countries.
Thank you to Sanny Zuiderveld at Globe Smart Kids and Becky Flansburg at MCBD2019 for the opportunity!
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