Pre-K Students ‘Travel’ The World

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Full-day pre-kindergarteners at the Seashore School in Long Branch have a ticket to ride. To teach them about social studies and geography, more than 50 students each received a “passport” and embarked on a 180-day globe hopping tour for the 2011-12 school year.
According to pre-kindergarten director Tracy Gallo, children are visiting one country each month, where they expand their vocabulary, learn customs and figure out how long it takes to get to different destinations around the world.
“Each teacher at the Pre-K Campus serves as a tour guide for the country being introduced,” said Gallo. “Starting in America, students took an eight hour trip to Italy, where they danced the Tarantella, made pizza, painted an Italian flag and learned common terms such as “caio” and “bella.” From there, they headed to England, where they saw Big Ben, listened to the Beatles, made a Yellow Submarine, saw the Queen, imitated the changing of the guard, and had tea and biscuits.
“In January, the tour will continue to France, followed by Australia, Ireland, Mexico,” said Gallo. “Children are gaining a perspective on how people in other parts of the world live, celebrate holidays, play and work — learning how we are different, yet the same..”