Cultural Exchange - parcel from Arizona

More excitement came our way last week when we received a most interesting package from Arizona, USA!

The pack was put together by a Montessori school teacher of 25 children. It is such a wonderful representation of the area they live in and we look forward to learning so much from this parcel!

The area they are  from is part of the Valley of Sun in the Sonoran Desert. Included in the pack was a delightful Dover colouring book, "The Sonoran Desert by Day and Night". We look forward to learning about the abundance of unusual creatures and plant life in the desert. The book is filled with the most beautiful realistic illustrations and follows animals and plants through a 24 hour cycle.

The second book , "The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit", has the most delightful illustrations. It is written in English and Spanish and tells the story of the animals in the south-western desert as they witness the race between these two creatures. Though my children are bigger, I know they will enjoy the illustrations and hearing this story told in a new way. Perhaps one day I will be reading the story to my grandchildren!

We also received a pack of Saguaro Cactus seeds, their state tree.  Apparently we should not expect these to grow too fast and they can live up to 250 years, growing more than 70 feet high. 

The area is also home to many Native Americans , including Navajo, Hopi and Apache. 

It is going to be fun learning about Native American culture and traditions.

Also included in the parcel were the following:

A letter

USA Flag

Coins

Map

Dream-catcher 

( I just know my daughter will enjoy making this!)

We are so enjoying this wonderful way of learning about the people and places in the world around us. Thank you Arizona for this exciting learning experience!