Not All Classrooms Have Four Walls

Traveling with kids - and learning!

A big advantage of kids in elementary school is that their summers are free! It’s a great time to fill their days with adventures and see how other cultures and societies live in other countries. Big Giraffe and Little Shark were able to visit Asia over the summer, and they were noticing all sorts of cultural differences that were a bit of a shock. (Californians have the best weather, do we not?)

These are the differences they saw when it came to cultural differences:

• Weather

• Trash and waste guidelines and rules

• Public transportation

• Traffic lights and car/bike rules and regulations

• Cultural differences in rude/inappropriate behavior (for instance, not eating while walking or simply sitting on the ground)

Over the summer, the kids took many notes of what they observed to be unique and different to their life in the U.S. Some ways of living were obviously better than the U.S. (ie: the trash situation) but other common etiquettes were something to be admired. One example is that they felt much safer in Asian countries where gun laws were strictly prohibited. People openly left out their bags and laptops, assuming they would not be stolen. The vibe overall in east Asian countries felt somewhat safer and cleaner than the U.S.