South and Central Asia

All Around This World’s classroom and homeschool lessons about South and Central Asian nations like India for kids introduce your family to many Asian cultures through interactive fun . . .

Many genres of music found South and Central Asia are ancient and intricate, with roots in concepts of melody and rhythm that are instinctively different from those used in the West.

In South Asian classical music melodies build from note to note based not upon fixed scales but on the way different notes relate to one another and the mood those relationships create. Rhythmic compositions don’t move linearly, beat to beat, measure to measure, marching from start to finish as they generally do in the West, but in ever-revolving cycles. To appreciate South and Central Asian music–and, by extension, to open the real possibility of engaging with the traditional underpinnings of South and Central Asian cultures–many Westerners may find the need to disable assumptions, push aside preconceptions and step out of the comfort zone. What could be more fun than that?

In All Around This World classes we take a trip around South and Central Asia that begins in India and proceeds counterclockwise around the region, going as far north as Tuva and as far east as Western China before ending in south of India, in Sri Lanka. If you’re not in an All Around This World classroom but instead you’re following along at home, you can still enjoy our lessons about South and Central Asian nations like India for kids:

India: we become Bollywood dancers while reenacting the climatic scene of a classic Bollywoold film–spoiler alert: the tongawallah driver wins!

Pakistan: we play a rousing game of the most exciting hold-your-breath-and-try-to tag-the-other-guy sport we know, kabbadi.

— Afghanistan: we do the swirling attan, the original dance marathon.

Uzbekistan: we tell a story–a story about an Uzbek long-clawed ground squirrel–using dance.

Kyrgyzstan: we meet the epic Krgyz hero, Manas . . . YAY!!

Tuva: we experience overtone singing by joining together to become a Tuvan throat

Kazakhstan and Xinjiang: we build an imagintary yurt

Tibet: we meditate like monks

Nepal: we befriend sherpas and climb to the roof of the world

Bhutan: we celebrate the heck out of Blessed Rainy Day

Sri Lanka: we play a fine game of cricket–the sport, not the bug.

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