As part of our International Awareness Program, the children learned about the country of Slovenia this month. Slovenia is a small but beautiful country located in the heart of Europe. It is famous for its stunning mountains, forests, lakes, and dragons from Slovenian folklore.

Slovenian Week took place from May 18th to May 22nd. The children enjoyed a variety of activities that helped them learn about Slovenian culture, nature, and traditions.

First, the children took part in coloring activities and colored the Slovenian flag. They became familiar with the colors of the flag and learned about the mountains shown in its design.

During the week, we also enjoyed craft activities. Slovenia is famous for its dragon legends, so the children created dragon-themed crafts. They made paper dragons using two paper cups. Each child colored and decorated their dragon in their own unique way. By pulling a string attached to the dragon’s tail, they could open and close the dragon’s mouth. The children had a wonderful time making their dragons and playing with them afterwards.

The week concluded with a presentation about Slovenia. The children learned where Slovenia is located in Europe and discovered its capital city, Ljubljana. They also learned about the country’s size and compared it with Japan. During the presentation, they saw pictures of Slovenia’s beautiful nature, including mountains, rivers, forests, and wild animals. The children were especially interested in the bears and loved seeing photos of bear cubs.

The children also learned about Slovenian cuisine. They were introduced to some traditional Slovenian foods, including soups, main dishes, and desserts. At the end of the presentation, they watched short animations featuring traditional Slovenian characters, such as Bojan the Bear. They watched the stories with great interest and enjoyment.

Finally, during dance time, the children learned and tried traditional Slovenian folk dances. They danced in pairs while following traditional music. Everyone had a great time and smiled a lot while learning the dance steps.

This event helped the children learn about another country, its people, traditions, and culture. Through these activities, they developed curiosity about the world and learned to appreciate differences and similarities between countries. International awareness is important because it helps children understand and respect people from different backgrounds. It encourages kindness, open-mindedness, and an interest in learning about the wider world.

We are looking forward to our next International Awareness Month, when the children will learn about Thailand.