UTPB STEM Academy students in kindergarten through second grade learn the continents and cultures of the world through the World Travelers Club.
The 30 club members didn’t take literal trips, but they learned some basics about geography, states and cities.
School counselor Jaimie Enriquez said she has a daughter who goes to Hays STEAM Academy and they had a similar club learning about capitals and related items. This is the first year for the World Travelers Club.
“I really wanted a club that was similar where we learned about geographical things, how to read maps and how to understand the difference between cities and states. But I wanted to really focus more on the cultural piece and how cultures are different … It was just to … promote diversity and to be excited to learn about people different than ourselves,” Enriquez said.
They focused first on learning their addresses, their city and state.
“I had them create their own map and we learned about geographical features like mountains and water … They created their own school map and their dream playground. We learned about the 50 states,” Enriquez said.
“We learned about a country in each of the seven continents,” she added.
For some children, it was the first time they had seen a globe. Enriquez borrowed one from a social studies teacher, showed them where different places were on it and asked them what they noticed.
With Japan, students noticed it was surrounded by water; there was a land locked country and that South America is below us.
After learning about geography, they packed an imaginary bag with what they would take if they were going to that country.
The students learned about culture through a hands-on art project, for example, learning about origami when they discussed Japan.
“Teaching 5- and 7-year-olds origami was fun. We made castles for England. They got to cut out shapes and they made castles. It was so cute. For Brazil, we made masks for carnival and they learned why we celebrate carnival, which is the kickoff for Lent. At the end of it, they got to present their own culture … either their own culture, or a culture they found interesting. They could do that with language, dance, food, or art,” Enriquez said.
Most of the club members liked what they learned about Brazil.
Caleb Puertas, a 7 year old second grader, said he liked learning about the world. He added that Brazil had martial arts and the World Cup, which he also enjoyed.
Liam Halford, an 8-year-old second grader, said he thought the club was “super cool” because he got to learn about new countries.
Gavin Gonzales, a 7-year-old second grader, said he enjoyed show and tell where he bought homemade tamales. Gonzales enjoys his treat with mustard.
First-graders Kylie Criswell, 6, and Kiara Torres, 7, both thought the club was really fun.
“It was really exciting to join the World Travelers because you got to explore the world and all of that stuff,” Criswell said.
She also enjoyed the masks that are worn for Carnival in Brazil and the World Cup.
For show and tell, Criswell brought a pillow that her grandmother made her before she died, so it’s very special to her.
In addition to being the counselor and in charge of the World Travelers Club, which she plans to have again next year, she oversees the eSports club and Student Council and plans to have a Maze Runner Club in the spring.
Noting that the students love Legos and building things, Enriquez said she wanted to provide real-world problems for them to tackle with the Maze Runner Club. She added that she has until spring to think about what those challenges will look like.
