Post released May 2022
My fondest connections with Korean culture come from spending time with Korean friends in college. I was delighted at the invitation to participate in the fan dance for Korean Cultural Night. Wearing the colorful hanbok, listening to Korean music, and eating amazing japchae (a Korean noodle dish) for the first time was an experience I will cherish forever!
This study focuses on folklore and history of Korea as early as the Joseon Dynasty during the first week. We tried to translate words in Hangul, the Korean alphabet, which one can supposedly learn in just a few hours. We were fascinated with the Haenyeo “mermaids,” women as old as 80 who dive for seafood without breathing equipment!
The kids favorite picture books were by Aram Kim, who is releasing a new book at the end of 2022: Tomorrow Is New Year’s Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year. Her website has many fun extension activities to go along with her books, such as making kimchi pancakes! The kids were great sports about trying kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish that is very challenging to make. I failed at my first attempt making kimchi, so we had to go with the store bought version.
The second week of the study focuses on the culture of present-day South Korea, including the bustling city of Seoul and learning about how Taekwondo became an Olympic sport. This led to so many questions about the Korean War, sadly sometimes called “The Forgotten War.” The third week of this study contains books about North Korea with optional choices for younger or sensitive children. We learned an amazing amount about North and South Korea and hope you will, too!
In the study, I’ve also recommended eight wonderful chapter books that range in historical context from the 12th century through the Korean War. Our favorite chapter book was a riveting story of two American children escaping from North Korea to China: In the Shadow of the Sun. O’Brien does a masterful job of presenting viewpoints from North Koreans throughout.
“Discover Korea: A Book A Day” is a 3-week cultural study for ages 3 to 13, featuring 19 picture books. This 47 page unit provides you with a highly recommended book and carefully chosen video each day, followed by an activity. Subjects covered during the study include geography, language arts, science, art, foreign language, cooking, and art study. Mapwork and Timeline cards are included.