Country of the Month Club

In my family we have started a pretty fun club.  It's called the Country of the Month Club.  We "visit" a new country each month by learning a bit about it.  So far it has been fun, and is something that my husband and I have enjoyed doing together.  We have also extended this activity to include our two young children, and they have been mostly learning about the country by enjoying the food we've cooked. 

This month we're "visiting" Peru.  I've made a Country of the Month bulletin board which contains our world map (in the future, I'll have a bigger one), the new recipe to try, some facts about the country, and a flag of Peru - made by my daughter.  We've also read a few travel books about Peru and watched a movie set in Peru.  I love our "club" because it is manageable (one new country a month can be squeezed in), and is pretty flexible and can be extended in many different ways.  Also, it's fun to do things together.

Do you want to start your own Country of the Month Club?  Here's how:

1. Decide who to invite to your club.  Is it your entire family, just you, you and your significant other, you and your friends or extended family?

2. Get a world map.  Each month as you "visit" a country, label it using a method of your choice.  We are sticking little pins in each visited place.

The CIA Worldmap is really great.  (Image via the CIA World Factbook website.)

I printed the 2011 version, but the pdf is interactive and won't load as an image here.

3. At the beginning of each month, choose a new country.  (Can be random or meaningful - it's your club, so do what you want.)

4. Decide what you want to do to learn about the country this month.  Some ideas include:

• Read a book about the country.
• Read a book by an author from the country.
• Cook a meal native to the country.
• Eat dinner at a restaurant which serves the country's food.
• Learn about the history of the country on Wikipedia.
• Memorize a few facts about the country - capital city, neighbouring countries, leader, population size, major exports, famous citizens, etc.
• Look at art from the country.
• Watch a movie set in the country or made by natives of the country.
• Listen to traditional music from the country.
• Learn a few phrases in the country's language (if it is different from yours).

5. At the end of the month, label the country as "visited" and get ready for your next trip.