For the FIFA World Cup, Shakira did an official song and music video. One of my assistant teachers turned me towards this video and the kids loved watching the video and trying to do the hand motions of the dancers.
I always encourage letting children experience other cultures and look at how other countries live. The children love to see different people and customs, especially in a way that they can somehow relate to.
The FIFA World Cup was the perfect opportunity to look at Africa, Spanish speaking countries, and so on. And parents don't have to allow children to watch something meant for adults in order to do so. YouTube has great resources, along with other web sites. Parents and daycare providers just need to look through the content before showing it to children.
The Olympics was another outlet that allowed children to see people from other countries and watch sports they may have never been exposed to before. This past Olympic web site also helped by creating cartoon characters that caught the children's attention.
But you don't have to wait for these world events either. The children are happy to watch rhinos in Africa, kangaroos in a zoo, or ostriches video taped by another family. The key is to gauge what the children are interested in, preview any YouTube or other web content, and let the children at the screen.
While I do not encourage young children under the age of 4 to just zip through the world wide web by themselves, I do see the benefits of using the computer as a visual tool.
The animal videos on YouTube have sparked such discussions as what do Rhinos eat? Do penguins fly since they are birds? And where do Baboons live? The idea is to use new content to spark conversation that never would have developed inside or outside of classroom.
What teacher or parent wouldn't want to be a part of their children finding out more about the world they live in. I believe it is important for children to realize there is more out there besides the school they drive to and the house they live in.
