Being in the “International Friendship Day”of Hangzhou Dipont School of Arts and Science, students experience the colorful world in every day’s study and life, and learn to grow healthily in a diversified atmosphere.

We not only hope to cultivate students’ excellent learning and living skills, but also hope to expand their international vision, cultivate the spirit of independent thinking and the ability of innovation through a series of multicultural activities. This is why the annual International Friendship Day was created.

In its third year, International Friendship Day has been enriched with more parents and students joining in the “Around the World” celebration. What are some of the world’s most beautiful attractions that students have liked this year? What were the fun activities that made the students cheer? Let’s go back to the lively event.

Traveling to five continents, rich culture conveys unique charm

Each class in grades 1-6 of the elementary school represents a different country and has carefully prepared different themed cultural experience activities for everyone to experience.

Before the activity, students learned about the representative countries, from geography, history, to customs, food and culture, the students have a complete understanding of the representative countries.

Then, with the help of teachers and parents, students designed interesting activities, purchased materials to decorate the classroom, prepared special food, discussed and decided on the details of the day’s activities, forming a sense of ownership and giving full play to the autonomy of learning. They also wore costumes with national characteristics to make every “tourist” feel like they were there.

On the day of the activity, each student held a passport and traveled from classroom to classroom to visit different countries, traveled around the world on campus, and experienced the charms and cultures of different countries on the five continents.

Costumes: Year 1 children dressed up in unique and colorful costumes to fully demonstrate the charm of African traditional costumes and culture.

Words: Year 2 students were in Oceania, disguised as linguists, revealing the diversity of languages in Oceania. Colorful languages form the foundation of culture, and the power of words allows us to communicate and bring the world closer together.

Crafts: The third graders transformed into Asian craftsmen and took us on a journey into the intricate world of Asian handicrafts.

Cuisine: Fourth graders traveled to Europe and prepared traditional food with different characteristics of each country, experiencing the wonderful connection between the geographical features of different regions and food cultures.

Music and Art: The fifth graders came from the Americas and presented us with music and art from both North and South America, which inspired us to resonate with art in our hearts.

Cooperation and empathy: Representing Asia, the 6th grade students focused on teamwork in sports and cooperation, calling for international cooperation and cross-cultural understanding.

In a series of activities, students not only gained knowledge and happiness, but also added tolerance, respect and understanding.

Kindergarteners also want to explore the world with curiosity

In each “country”, you can also meet a group of lovely kindergarten children. Led by their classroom teachers, the children participate in the special activities of each country in an orderly manner and taste the rich and diverse food. When they completed the challenge and successfully collected the stamps on their passports, they were overflowing with excitement.

In the midst of fun activities and tantalizing food, they learn about different countries, plant the seeds of world exploration, experience the charm of multiculturalism, and begin to look forward to their life in elementary school. This is the significance of the kindergarten students’ participation.

Thanks to the hard-working heroes behind the scenes for all the fun

On this International Friendship Day, we also had a large “parent support team”: they were present in every class, either tirelessly cooking and serving the food for the children, enthusiastically helping to maintain the order of the scene, or holding cell phones and cameras to record the children’s wonderful moments of happiness. In addition, they are also responsible for classroom decoration, material procurement, props design and site dressing.

Their contribution deserves a sincere “thank you” from us.

Although the International Friendship Day has come to an end, the students will not stop exploring the world. Through this activity, we cultivate students’ international thinking, show the cultural elements of different countries to them more graphically, and let them see the world more clearly and have a global vision.

The world is big and different. Hangzhou Dibang Arts & Science School is an international learning community composed of teachers and students from all over the world, and the valuable learning experience here will eventually help students confidently step into a wider world.