Culture

12.03.2020

We in this world. A place, where we live

The patio of the house, road or the street next to the house, the road that leads to grandparents, nanny or to the kindergarten – those are the first places or roads, that a child learns to recognize. It is very important for the development of the child’s personality and feeling of belonging that they recognize different places and regions. 

Exploring the map 
Usually in one kindergarten there are children who come from the same village, region or city. The conversation where everybody lives can be started with exploring and observing the map. One of the ways is to take a big map of the region and put it on the floor or a big table. Children have to find the kindergarten together with the teacher. That exact point can be colored in or marked with a sticker. Then on the map you can mark where every child lives. Then you can discuss, if it is far or near. How does everyone get to the kindergarten – car, public transport, by foot? Maybe there is another way how to get from one place to another? 

Maps can be explored not only in a paper format but also by using apps such as Google Apps, if you connect the computer to a projector and show the map on the wall. In this way you can not only find where everyone lives, but also “walk” the road from each person’s house to the kindergarten. 

Where do we live in the world? 
To create an understanding about the place, where children live, it is not enough that we look at the address, street and the close environment. We need to create a deeper understanding – what region of the country everyone comes from, from what country, which part of the world, which continent. Where do I live, if we look at the whole world? 

Look at the photos to find out how to create fun visual aids. 

Exploring what is around you
When the maps are explored and all the questions about the places, where everyone lives, have been talked over, it is time to start planning trips to get to know more group mates and the places where they live. It would be great, if you can plan the trips (walks) so that you can see everyone’s houses. That means that they can be planned over multiple days or even weeks. It is important that every child can boast about their house and the region they live in. In one day you can visit multiple houses, if possible. 
Taking time and counting kilometers
When you plan your trips and talk about the regions where everyone lives, you can raise the question of healthy lifestyle. Beforehand you will have discussed ways how to get to the kindergarten. Someone goes by car, someone by public transport, some go by foot or bike. Here you can talk about the possible reasons why parents choose that specific way of going (and they should not be critiqued). During your trip you can count the kilometers and time it takes to get from each child’s house to the kindergarten. There are apps that you use to see both time and length of each walk.
 

Photo: Agnese Gabrane