Today’s world culture for kids post is all about Iceland, courtesy of Sandi, a kindergarten teacher who wears rubberboots and elf shoes. Right now she and her husband (who takes the non-Pete photos) have packed their backpacks and are spending 99 days travelling and enjoying new experiences. Check out these three posts from Sandi’s blog: practicing our abcs outside, pvc pipes + connectors + water = physics, and how to build a classroom. You can also connect with Sandi via Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Iceland!

Most people think of Iceland as a cold land with a strange and wonderful geography.

And they would be right.

There are pools of hot water, made an eerie blue by silica mud (which is also supposed to make your skin stay healthy and young looking).

Geysers that shoot high into the air from burbling muddy pools.

Green lakes created at the top of extinct volcanoes.

And that does not even include the active volcanoes, or the sleeping one that is overdue to erupt …

As well as its crazy geography, Iceland is also a land of many sheep, happily grazing on the Iceland plains, and climbing the steep slopes to nibble on high altitude grass.

These sheep are descendants of the sheep that the Vikings brought to Iceland around 1000 years ago. (So are Icelandic horses.)

Icelandic sheep grow lovely warm wool that is sheared in the spring.

It is cleaned. (Pete the Cat had an accident with a bulletin board and became completely flat. He insinuated his way into my backpack and keeps popping out.)

This is how wool was cleaned by hand many years ago; now they use machines.

Spun into wool and dyed a rainbow of lovely colours.

And knit into beautiful, warm and cosy sweaters that say Iceland to whomever sees them.

Thank you, Sandi, for this wonderful introduction to Iceland! I had heard that Iceland was stunningly beautiful, and your post definitely proves that! My kids are huge fans of Pete the Cat, so they were very excited to see that he came along for your trip!