Get yourself a globe
When I was a child, one of my favorite games to play was Capital Cities. The game was simple: my dad would name countries and I had to name their capital cities from memory. This was in the 1980’s so there were 34 less countries to know about than today. I always had an ear out for my dad's “trick question”: what is the capital of Germany? This was before the Berlin Wall came down, before the West Germany-East Germany reunification that started in 1989, so there were technically two German capital cities (Berlin and Bonn). ?
I loved playing this game with my dad. I would study for it by spending countless hours looking at a globe, searching for the starred city in each country and then writing the names in a notebook as a way to memorize them. It sparked my interest in geography and history, which made way for politics, economics, philosophy, and sociology as I grew older. I don’t think I’m giving Capital Cities too much credit when I say that it led me to working in research. It fueled an immense curiosity to understand people and the world around me, especially what unites us all.
My daughter is now the same age I was when I started playing Capital Cities with my Dad, so it felt like the perfect time to get a new globe for us to explore together. The wonder and questions started almost immediately: Who decided where the lines go? Who came up with the country's name? Why are some countries bigger than others? Who lives in these countries? Are there animals there? Do they have ice cream? Oh good, can we visit then??
A globe is a portal. A conduit for questions and conversations of every kind. A globe encourages us to linger on our shared past a while longer. It motivates us to analyze and better understand the present. It is a great tool for parents who want to start having hard conversations with their children about brutal pasts and historical injustices. It is The antidote to the chaos we observe around us today is a deeper study of world history, of all kinds. A globe is the perfect companion as people, particularly parents, embark on this journey.
Above all, a globe is a tangible reminder that we’re really all in it together, that more unites than divides us, and that we're closer to one another than we think.
I used to play the same game but without a globe, in the car with my parents. We would also play the flag game, associating world flags to their respective countries. Growing up like you did as a TCK, and in the international school system all our lives, this is a special word outlook we share. Thanks for posting it!
Curious Optimist| Coach and Strategist facilitating business growth| Helping bold organizations make change
4 年Great game to instill curiosity. The globe has been a favorite of mine. I’m going to try your globe game with my grandchildren! Thank you Tal Oren
Market Research ~ Consumer Insights ~ Digital Sociologist
4 年I also used to play the globe game, albeit by myself or sometimes with a friend. I agree that it's a great teaching tool and provides the stimulus for many questions grounded in wonder.