Who else is excited for Frozen 2?! It seems like in this house it’s all the toddlers talk about. Everyday Vale tells me “estoy tan emocionada,” and that she wants to see “the new Anna and Elsa pelicuala con Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday” (pretty sure Wednesday is the only day of the week she knows). So we are taking advantage of all the excitement and will be learning about Norway for #worldlovewednesday. If you didn’t know, Frozen was largely inspired by the country of Norway with nods to the culture, geological structures, and even names of cities throughout the film. In fact, Disney even had a Norway cruise so fans could really experience the country the film was based on.
Sadly, we won’t be taking any actual trips to Norway anytime soon, but using library books, Spotify, and the rich Norwegian heritage found in Minnesota, we are in for quite an adventure.
Folk Tales
I love, love Norwegian folklore. Full of magic, trolls, and elves, it really is quite whimsical. I was lucky enough to find a couple of illustrated Norwegian Folktales at our local library. There are so many other great options out there, but these are the ones we could find and enjoyed from our public library.
Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins
This whimsical fairytale is the story of an brave, and unusual princess faced with the task of releasing her twin sister from the Hobgoblins curse.
The Day Hans Got His Way
Hans is a man that isn’t necessarily a nice guy. He’s actually quite a grump, until one day he makes his wife trade places with him. One day in her shoes really changes his perspective on all she does for him.
Nisse
The Nisse is a little game-like character associated with the Christmas. He is a guardian of the house, and known for making mischief. He also requires a bowl of Christmas porridge on Christmas Eve. The Five Minute Folklore Podcast has a fun retelling of the Christmas Nisse. It’s a short podcast making it perfect for the car ride to Target. We also may have purchased a Nisse decoration for our Christmas decor this year….
Ingebretson’s
Ingebretsen’s is a Minneapolis treasure. Delivering food from all across Scandinavia, we are always sure to find a treat when we visit. You may remember we went to Ingebretsen’s while learning about Sweden last year. This time we plan to buy some lefse, julekake, and rommergrot.
Northern Lights Art
I always love finding a good craft or art project to go with our World Love Wednesdays. The aurora borealis or northern lights are a wonder that can be seen in Norway! A northern lights-inspired project could be perfect for learning about Norway! Here are a few of my favorite preschool projects:
How to Paint the Northern Lights
Videos
I love what videos can bring to learning about other cultures. Here are a few videos we have used to learn a little more about the Nowegian country and culture:
Sapmi-The Land of the Sami– When I learned about the Sami people, I really wanted to find a way to teach Vale about this indigenous people group. This short (3 minute) video shows some highlights of Sami culture. It’s the perfect length to keep a 3 year-old’s attention, plus it helps that there are Reindeer and a cute baby.
Norwegian Folk Dancing– Vale loves watching videos of people dancing (I actually really love it too), so of course I had to find a few videos of traditional Norwegian folk dancing.
Skiing is one of the most popular sports in Norway, so I wanted to show my preschooler what skiing looks like. This was a short fun video (pretty sure it’s an ad for a resort…) that captures what fun skiing can be.
Norwegian Praise Bands
One of my favorite parts of World Love Wednesday is finding Christian artists from the countries we are learning about. Though we may start listening to these artists during our studies, when the month is over, we don’t stop listening. They become apart of our Worship Playlist, reminding us to pray for believers in other countries and to listen and learn from Christian leaders of other cultures.
This month we have been praising along with:
Bonus!
It is almost Christmas time, and this year, I totally threw my Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. So we also found a Norwegian Christmas Playlist on Spotify: Norwegian Advent Playlist.
Praying for Norway
Every month, as we play we pray for the country we are learning about. This month we are praying that the people of Norway would know Christ’s love, and that God would continue to raise up leaders in Norway to show his love to the world. We invite you to play and pray with us.
Baby Devotions 