HOW TO BRING THE WORLD INTO YOUR HOME

World feeling a bit small these days? It isn’t. It’s all out there waiting but you can take your kids on a journey right now. Here’s how to bring the world to your home, and teach your kids about the wonders of travel.

1

GRAB THE ATLAS (OR THE GLOBE, OR A MAP)

Got a globe? Give it a spin. Wherever you land is your destination for the next hour. Google it (particularly “animals of . . . ” and “kids in . . . ”), search your bookshelf, consider your DVD stack. If you don’t have a globe or map, Google Earth’s Feeling Lucky option will have you orbiting the Earth and landing on a random destination with a click — from Rachel’s Tomb to the Matterhorn via Notre-Dame.

2

TASTE THE WORLD

Africa, India, Peru — it’s all waiting in your spice cupboard. Yes, cooking with kids is a total shambles, but it’s such a great way to get them involved in a fun project. Start with a biryani — just give in

to the mess and get them rinsing rice, measuring spices, adding stock and — favourite kid activity of all — mixing it all up like one big potion. Then plate up — try chopsticks for Japanese, eating on a rug for Afghani, and scooping up curry with a chapati (which are also easy to make).

3

TURN UP THE STEREO

How about some opera with your spaghetti? Or a Cockney singalong with your fish and chips? Music is a wonderful way to travel around the world. If you don’t know where to start, search on Spotify for Womad NZ. Each year the festival releases playlists of the year’s performers and 2020’s includes artists from Brazil, Mexico, Wales, Senegal, South Korea, Ghana and many, many more.