Canada

After learning about a couple of far-flung countries, I thought it might be good if we spent a little time learning about those closest to us.  We decided to start with Canada, our lovely neighbor to the north.  I think my kids just took it for granted that Canada is just like the US, so I was excited to show learn about all of the things that make Canada unique.

Here are some great video resources we used:

• Geography Now! Canada - always a great resource
• Canada Geography - Kids Learning Tube has several videos like this that are informative and catchy
• How to Speak Like a Canadian - since Canada also speaks English, we thought we would look at some of the differences in how we speak - very fun! (NOTE: some of their slang is about alcohol)

We also learned about how Canada has the world's largest sub-sub-sub island: an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island.

Here are a couple of additional videos about Canada:

• Canada & The United States (Bizarre Borders Part 2) - CGP Grey always does an amazing job about whatever topic he tackles, and this video explains the surprisingly fascinating boundary between the two countries
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown - Canada (Season 1, Episode 4) - my husband and I always enjoy the Anthony Bourdain shows, and although this one probably wouldn't hold my kids' attention (we didn't try), it was a fun show to watch in conjunction with our family study

Somewhere we watched a video about Canadian snacks, but I can't find it.  I know if included info about the different flavors of chips available, as well as maple bars.  There was also some video about a road trip across Canada?  From east to west, I think?

Anyway, on to the food!

We stopped in at World Market to see what they might have.  And they had Maple Cream Cookies!  I also couldn't resist buying some Clearly Canadian to drink.  After all, it is from Canada ... clearly.

We also found a Canadian restaurant here in San Antonio - yes, they have those!  It is called eggspectation, and we ordered three servings of their Montreal poutine.  It had haloumi cheese curd, smoked meat, and a house gravy.  It was salty, but oh so tasty!

Vietnam

The next country we drew (I think - catching up on this in 2020!) was Vietnam.  A country in Southeast Asia, it is mostly known to Americans as the location of the Vietnam War (1965 to 1975, American involvement).  It is a long, coastal country on the far east side of the Indochina Peninsula and is bordered by Cambodia, Laos, and China.  From 1954 to 1975, Vietnam was divided into two countries.  In 1976 it was officially unified under a Communist government.

We were disappointed to find out that Geography Now had not yet reached Vietnam in its list of countries covered, so we had to hunt around for different videos to learn about the country.  Here are some that we found helpful as we learned as a family:

• Vietnam's Geographic Challenge - discusses the geographic location of Vietnam and the influence that has had on its history
• History of Vietnam - covers the history of the area starting with ancient peoples and going through the its unification (NOTE: some of the history is a little brutal, although it is somewhat sanitized)
• Vietnam War - Brief Overview - this video sounds like it starts in the middle of a larger show, but this section gives a good documentary-style background and history of the Vietnam War
• Vietnam War in 13 Minutes - an illustrated summary of the Vietnam War starting back at World War II that talks about a lot of the important individual events, like the Gulf of Tonkin (NOTE: there are a few lesser swears I saw in the writing but not in the spoken, and it does illustrate war, although it is mostly sanitized)

My husband and I also decided to watch Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown episode on Hanoi (Season 8 Episode 1) to get an idea of what Vietnamese food we could try.  He has several other episodes on Vietnam you can read about here (including a list of some of the restaurants and dishes he tried).  It was a fantastic episode, but not one we could share with the kids.

Instead, we took the info we gained from that show and used it to order food from a local Vietnamese restaurant with good ratings and a reputation for being authentic - Berni Vietnamese Restaurant.  We did carryout so we could enjoy it at home.  I don't remember everything we ordered, but we had five different dishes, including Shrimp Sweet & Sour Soup.  It challenged our children's palates, but I thought that was a good thing, and everyone got plenty to eat.  It was far more authentic than I could have ever attempted on my own!

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is a small country in the inner curve of the west side of the African continent.  It is comprised of the mainland bordered by Cameroon on the north and Gabon on the east and south (Río Muni) and five islands: Bioko, Annobón, Carisco, Elobey Grande, and Elobey Chico.

Here are some great articles and resources we used to learn more about this country:

• Enclyclopaedia Britannica - good general overview
• US CIA World Factbook - lots of statistics, if you are interested in that
• Wikipedia  - lots of info, but too dense to really read with younger kids
• Flagpedia  - the flag of Equatorial Guinea

Videos on Equatorial Guinea:

• Official video of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (very informative, but definitely designed to encourage foreign investment - about 10 and a half minutes)
• Geography Now - super engaging video, with just one joke that is questionable for younger audiences
• 7 Facts about Equatorial Guinea - somewhat interesting, but with typos

Recipes to try at home:

• Equatorial Guinea Peanut Sauce - used over lots of things.  We tried it over chicken and rice.  Also traditionally served with mashed avocado on top.
• Akwadu (banana/plantain coconut bake) - can be a breakfast or a dessert