Description
Europe is often described as a “peninsula of peninsulas”, as reflected in the Europe Continent Folder. Explore the lives of the indigenous people of this continent through stories that inspire you. Take a journey through your mind’s eye. Imagine what it feels like to rise to the sound of the Athaan. This call to prayer, obeyed by so many other Sunni Muslims in the world, but none more proud than the Circassian people from the Caucus’ in Russia. Their history is a proud one. Their tribes are dispersed over many different countries due to war, for no other reason than ethnic hatred. Imagine being a child of the Sámi people of Lapland, expected to feed their reindeer before jumping onto the sleigh to get to school.
Children love to learn about how others live, what they do and eat. Stories reveal ideas, beliefs and facts about others. They prompt a thirst in you, to explore and experience for yourself. The Europe Continent, image and fact cards offer a structure for the teacher. S/he can weave stories behind the images and facts. These provide a means for children to experience what others do. Develop an understanding as to why their friends worship as they do, or follow different traditions to themselves, and even why they look and sound different to them. For the first time, the Child encounters diversity with meaning and understanding. The Child is also able to see similarities that they can identify with. This activity widens our children’s knowledge; and awareness; of others allowing them the opportunity to grow their understanding of the world:
Features of the Europe Continent Folder
- the direct objective for the Child, is to;
- look beyond their horizons learning about diverse, and similar cultures
- indirectly, children;
- begin to understand different cultures and traditions
- broaden their horizons, stimulating an inquiring mind
- curriculum support material, aligned to the Montessori geography curriculum
- the fact cards are printed on the reverse of every image. These cards offer the teacher a structure, that s/he can embellish with stories, and facts.
Contents of the Europe Continent Folder
41 image, and 2 title cards sold in an A5 red plastic envelope, to store on the shelf, or in the Continent Folder Holder. This wooden holder is a stand, designed to hold all the continent folders. The 41 image cards, have interesting facts on the reverse of them, as an aid to the teacher:
- Indigenous peoples (5 cards) – Bulagarian, Bavarian, Circassian, Nenet,and Sámi people. Research information, for example; how do the Bulgarian people greet you? Which country loves “white sausage”, and why? They serve beer in a Maß (pronounced Mass), can you guess what Maß is?
- Types of homes (5 cards) – the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, Neuschwanstein Castle, the Kremlin, Saami, and Nenet homes. Research information like; the building known as “The Kremlin”, was built in a very nontraditional shape, can you what this shape is? The Saami have two different types of house, why? Try to guess what these houses look like.
- Natural wonders (6 cards) – Aurora Borealis, Cliffs of Moher, Santorini, Plitvice Lakes, Eisriesenwelt Cave, and the Matterhorn. Examples of information for discussion are; Austria is home to one of the largest ice caves in the world, can you guess how long it is? Croatia is home to the oldest national park in southeast Europe, what makes the lakes so distinctive? Why does this happen? How far is the Aurora Borealis away from the Earth?
- Man-made wonders (5 cards) – Stonehenge, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Acropolis. Examples of questions; how long do you think it took to build Stonehenge? White smoke rises from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel for a special occasion, do you know what that occasion is? Can you work out why it is white and not (the normal) black colour?
- Animals (6 cards) – Arctic fox, lemming, Saiga antelope, wild boar, reindeer, and racoon dogs. The Arctic fox can survive in a very cold climate, do you know the lowest temperature that they can survive at? What type of animal is a Lemming? What would you call a group of Lemmings? Where can you find the Saiga Antelope?
- Plants (5 cards) – Maltese Rock centaury, poppies, Edelweiss, tulip flower, and lavender. The Lavender flower is grown commercially in which European country? 2,500 years ago, Lavender was used in special burial ceremonies, do you know which one? The Maltese Rock Centaury only grows in on place in the world, do you know where?
- Trees (5 cards) – spruce tree, horse chestnut tree, hornbeam tree, weeping European beech tree, and Rowan tree. The hornbeam tree, found in the United Kingdom, can live for how many years? The fruit of the horse chestnut tree was fed to horses many years ago, to make them feel better, but it had a different reaction, why? The fruit of the Rowan tree is a rich source a certain vitamin, which one?
- Cities (4 cards) – Budapest, Venice, Istanbul, and Bern. The buildings in Venice look like they are built into the bottom of the sea, is this true? How old do we think Istanbul is? One of the European countries has a train service run by children, do you know which one?
Size: 24cm x 17cm x 1.5cm / (9¾” x 6¾” x ¾”)
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Dee Farrows (verified owner) –
This is the best Europe activity I have seen. Perfect for my classroom.