Passport Stamped: A Week of World Cup Spirit, Global Food, and Celebrating Our Differences

This week at Wayland Montessori, our campers traveled the world without leaving the building.

Around the World week was built around the excitement of the World Cup, using the global nature of the tournament as a doorway into the cultures, foods, and traditions of countries from every corner of the planet. Each day was dedicated to a different country, and children arrived each morning wondering which place they would explore that day.

The food was the anchor of each day's experience. Children sampled and helped prepare dishes from the countries we visited, encountering ingredients, flavors, and cooking traditions that were often entirely new to them. There were moments of genuine surprise and delight, and a few moments of wrinkled noses, which are just as valuable.

Beyond food, children engaged with maps, flags, music, and cultural traditions from each country. Teachers brought these places to life through stories, materials, and conversation, always returning to the thread of what connects all people across all places: care for family, joy in food, love of play.

The World Cup conversations were lively. Children learned that soccer is played and loved in nearly every country on earth, and that sporting events like these are one of the ways people around the world find common ground. Several children came in wearing jerseys and knew their teams. The energy was wonderful.

Next week is our final week of summer camp: Celebration of Summer. We are ending with picnics, water play, and a week designed to honor everything we have experienced together this summer. It has been a remarkable few weeks.