Unless otherwise noted, I have previewed all YouTube clips to ensure that I would feel comfortable showing them to my own children before I recommend them to you and yours! But feel free to preview yourself to make sure it’s right for your family if you have any concerns. Enjoy!
Introduction to the Middle East—>
DESTINATION KUWAIT: Fun Flash Mob (3 min; all ages)
Play-Doh Map of the Middle East (3 min; ages 4+)
DESTINATION SAUDI ARABIA: Kids Try Food (5 min; ages 5+)
Top 10 Places to Visit in the Middle East (6 min; ages 10+–you’ll want to go after this!)
And with your teens, learn about the Middle East, Islam, and how it relates to Politics:
It’s important to note that definitions of the Middle East vary. Here’s how the Encyclopedia Brittanica defines it:
By the mid-20th century a common definition of the Middle East encompassed the states or territories of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, and the various states and territories of Arabia proper: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Islam and Politics: Crash Course World History (13 min; for teens)
Links to Learn More:
- Make sure you download your Middle East maps here!
- What’s it like growing up in this part of the world? Read this post to your kids to find out!
- 60 interesting facts about the Middle East–I learned so much through these bullet points!
******
Destination: Egypt—>
Picture Book: The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence Parry Heide (9 min; ages 5-8; one of my favorites from this region!)
Picture Book: The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo (10 min; ages 7+, features the Egyptian god of the sky, Horus)
Take a yummy street food tour through Cairo! (4 min; ages 8+)
A surprising archaeological discovery made in 2019 (2 min; ages 10+)
With your teens: Learn how Ancient Egypt contributed to society with its many cultural developments, particularly in language and mathematics! (6 min; ages 12+)
Links to Learn More:
- Printable: Learn the Hierographic Alphabet, crack its code, & play a new card game
- Destination: Visit the pyramids now via this Street View Trek on Google Maps
- Destination: Enjoy the Nile at night
- Photographs: Check out more images from the Ancient Egyptian discovery in 2019
- Audiobook: If you have access to the library app Hoopla, this missionary biography is free to enjoy: Lillian Trasher, The Greatest Wonder in Egypt
******
Destination: Iraq—>
Picture Book: Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad by James Rumford (4 min; ages 6+; note: portrays war from a child’s perspective)
10 Interesting Facts About Iraq (2 min; ages 6+)
There’s much more to Iraq than war–learn about it with your teens! (13 min; ages 13+; heads up that it does get a little political)
******
Destination: Israel—>
Grover Learns about Jewish Culture (4 min & 8 min; ages 3-7–so sweet!)
Why is Jerusalem so important to so many? (5 min; ages 8 and up)
Visit Capernaum to see where Jesus taught & Peter lived (10 min; ages 10 and up)
With your teens, take 10 minutes to learn the roots of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (ages 13+)
Links to Learn More:
- Coloring Page: the Israeli flag
- Live Cam: the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
- The Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, is a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews and destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The authenticity of the Western Wall has been confirmed by history and archaeological research; the wall dates from about the 2nd century BCE.
- Activities: Explore Israel with a game, an experiment, a snack, and more
- Maps: Be sure to mark Israel on your map printables to document your visit there!
******
Destination: Turkey—>
July 15th is Democracy and National Unity Day in Turkey!
Read a bit about it with your kids:
Democracy and National Unity Day remembers the national unity and the martyrs of the 2016 attempted coup. It is devoted to all who participated in the overthrow of the coup, with memorial services in recognition of soldiers, officers, and civilians who lost their lives.
During the attempted coup 250 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 people injured. Check out photos of past years’ celebrations here. Learn more about Turkey’s government here.