My school had its International Day two weeks ago. I started writing this post that night but never had the time to finish it until now! The days were filled with short school weeks, lesson planning and parent/teacher conferences. But I'm so glad they are over with! This week is our first full 5-day week in a long, long time.
Each year, my school has an International Day where we celebrate a specific country for the whole week. This year we learned about the Netherlands (Holland). In my school (an international school in China), we have 2 families that are from the Netherlands. Apparently this is one of the biggest events our school produces because they went ALL OUT for this particular day.
This is the huge stage for students (ECC- high school age) and guests were able to perform on.
Each ECC teacher gets a 3-D display to share with parents and on-lookers what we are learning for each unit or week. Here is mine displaying what we learned about the Netherlands.
My dad used to travel to Holland annually for his job when I was growing up. He got me the wooden clogs as a gift. It was adorable to see my kindergarteners trot around the classroom with them on.
Miffy is basically the "Mickey Mouse" of Holland. Here is a TV show, books, and merchandise about her everywhere! We had a surprise visit from her and a Dutch lady. The kids adore Miffy!
For International Day at my school, everyone is encouraged to dress up in their home country's cultural clothing. I didn't feel like dressing up "American" because dressing up in jeans and colors Red, White, and Blue didn't appeal to me. So I resorted in wearing a Chi Pow (Chinese traditional dress). Next year though, I'm planning on being the statue of Liberty. :) The girl next to me is one of my Japanese students with her younger brother. Her Kimono was so beautiful!
We studied the Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh. We learned about his famous paintings and use of landscapes.
In my school we have about 25 countries represented through the students and staff. I loved seeing everyone dress up, sharing and embracing a different cultures and backgrounds because that's what truly makes up our school. I'm so blessed to be a part of a school that reflects so many walks of life!
Does your school do anything special to celebrate different countries or cultures? I would love to hear about it!
