Kids Travel From Home

Egypt has such a rich history, and we are fortunate to to know such much about its heritage.  We started our time in Egypt by standing at the bottom of the Grand Pyramids !  We were also able to virtually tour historic Egyptian archaeological sites via Google Arts and Cultures .  It was an inspiring trip, showcasing important historical sites from different parts of the country, including from the 5,000 year old ancient tomb of Queen Meresankh II to the Red Monastry in Souhag.  We also played a game called "mancala," which is known as a pet-and-pebble or counting-and-capturing game.  This ancient game originated in Egypt and has now spread across Africa and the Middle East.  To play the game you will need an empty egg carton, "stones," small bowls, and pencils, pens, or paints.  The goal of the game is to collect the most "stones" in your "store" and you win! We wanted to read about Egypt's pharaohs, but rather on focusing on the famed Ramses...

Anything that features the Dominican Republic will also likely celebrate bachata and merengue, the national dance!   We listened to a lot of bachata and merengue, our favorite being “Obsesión” by  Aventura and "Frio, Frio" by Juan Luis Guerra.   Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic, with the culture and heritage of the Dominican Republic proudly investing itself in the music and dance of merengue.  It is common to see dancers wearing traditional costumes of peasant tops and long, wide, flowing skirts, and dresses in warm colors.  It is lively and joyful, and we certainly had a fun time trying the 1-2-3-4 beat! We also read a book called “If Dominican Were a Color,” which is a beautiful celebratory book with amazing illustrations that paints the rich colors of the Dominican people in a rainbow of vivid color.  We ended our travels in the Dominican Republic by eating homemade Dominican beans and playing dominoes, which is a very...