Cultural Studies: Winter, Week 5

In relating the large size of the world to the children, we've found it really helpful to draw lines on the map from Portland to a place they are familiar with (Seattle or Disneyland for example) which is relatively close. We then can draw lines from Portland to far away places on different continents and compare the size of a tiny line to a much larger intercontinental line. It really allows them to see just how big the world is especially when compared to that distance that they can relate to. A lot of friends had driven to Seattle, and while that 3 hour drive seems to take a really long time, imagine how long it would take to "drive" to Africa or South America? This week's friends really seemed to be blown away with just how big the world actually is. It also helped us to appreciate that Minna's extended Latvian family comes from somewhere super far away, or that Adi's birth country, Ethiopia, is even farther.