South America for Kids – Wandelmars

LET’S CELEBRATE WANDELMARS

WANDELMARS is a four day “walking festival” held annually in PARAMARIBO, capital of Suriname. Created as a sporting/fitness event in the mid-1960s, today it is time for families and friends to gather, wear colorful costumes, walk behind community banners and celebrate Suriname’s culture with pride.

Celebrating Wandelmars gives us a chance to visit the three fascinating countries that compose the Guianas — the only three countries in South America whose primary language is neither Spanish or Portuguese. In particular we get to know Suriname, a nation that speaks Dutch as much as it does the local CREOLE LANGUAGE, SRANAN TONGO, and is as  culturally connected to South American as it is to the Caribbean.

PLEASE NOTE: The lesson and embedded video are NOT “How to celebrate Wandelmars” tutorials. The goal of this lesson is to provide the tools for you to treat your very youngest students to their first introduction to Suriname and Wandelmars and to inspire you to get up and move around the room together. Ideally the lesson will be the first step (pun intended!) on your and your students’ road to further Wandelmars exploration.

Wandelmars 2015