If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know I love doing a swap, I have organised several in the past and joined swaps organised by other bloggers. I have made some great friends and we have had some fantastic packages which has made studying about another country or culture so much more exciting. I feel a bit guilty for not organising any recently but to be honest it is so time consuming, it is actually really hard work.
So, you can imagine how excited I was when Rachael dropped me a line last week to let me know about the site that her and two other bloggers, Deb and Mymy have set up, a site dedicated to culture swaps whoop-whoop!
I will hand over to Rachael to let you know a bit more about it...
My name is Rachael from Worldwide Culture Swap – a completely free resource for schools and families who are interested in learning more about different cultures around the world.
The project started lasted year when I set up an exchange on my blog after being inspired by the exchange page here! I asked if any families wanted to register to send packages to each other representing the country in which they were from and within a few weeks I was able to put together 25 swapping groups, each made up of 5 different families worldwide - the Culture Swap had started!
As time went on the swaps became more and more popular but I was struggling to keep up with the growing group of people. At one point I thought I would have to just close down the project so that I could catch up with the organisation but before I did I posted a quick plea for help on my Facebook page and that's when I 'met' Deb and Mymy, fellow bloggers and former participants in the project whose help just immediately transformed the project into the form that it is today.
We are three expat mothers all with a shared love of learning about different cultures, and together the three of us were able to set up a dedicated site just for the project and expand the types of swaps offered to suit schools, homeschools, families, clubs and just about anyone with an interest in cultural education.
Currently we offer the following (free) options
- Worldwide Culture Swap - A group of 5 families from around the world swap packages containing items related to their country and culture.
- US State Culture Swap - A group of 5 families from different US states swap packages containing items related to their state's geography and culture.
- Culture Swap for Schools - An exchange between two schools / classes which takes whatever form is agreed between the two educational establishments.
- Find a Pen Pal - A service putting children and families in touch with potential pen pals from around the world
If you are interested in taking part in on of these swaps take a look at our site for more information about how to sign up and please visit our Facebook page for lots of updates about the swaps.
All that remains is for me to thank Jo on behalf of Deb, Mymy and myself for giving us this amazing opportunity to spread the word about our project. This site is absolutely inspirational and we are honoured to be part of it!
*all images are copyright of World Wide Culture Swap
Sounds exactly like what I'm doing on my blog! It's fun and a great learning experience!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo!
ReplyDeleteAnd I just realized why it's so similar to my exchange! Rachel was actually a participant in the first Chasing Cheerios exchange...strange that she doesn't mention that...
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that she had joined your too.
DeleteI wanted to join yours again this time but to be honest, now Ebi-kun is in school we haven't got through all the other packs yet!
Hi Melissa, I do mention it a lot! Take a look at my blog http://www.littleredfarm.com/2011/08/preparing-for-cultural-exchange.html
DeleteI love Rachael`s blog and have done a cultural exchange with her personally before as well and participated on one challenge. Plan to do more again when my boys are a bit older! I find it great because her older son is a similar age to my Noah!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I know that Rachael mentioned she did a swap in your exchange as well- she linked to you from her links page and also some of her posts. Here is one- http://www.littleredfarm.com/2011/08/cultural-exchange-package-usa.html but there might be more before that.
I was referring to the write-up that she did on this blog. It implies that the exchange was an original idea. Specifically, this quote "The project started lasted year when I set up an exchange on my blog after being inspired by the exchange page here!" It's really no problem for me, it's just not the way I do things.
ReplyDeleteI took a glance at the website (Worldwide Cultural Exchange) and didn't see any reference to the fact that the exchange was not an original idea, but was in fact "borrowed" from Chasing Cheerios. Maybe I overlooked it. Again, not that big of a deal and I'm glad that more people are able to participate in this type of exchange as it's a wonderful experience. However, it's just not the way I like to blog :)
ReplyDeleteI don`t know if it was an original idea- perhaps for kids maybe {referring to chasing cheerios}- although I have seen the idea of many different blogs now? I participated in cultural swap when I first started blogging in 2007, before kids, and the site I used then was run by an Australian couple. You could contact the people yourself if you wanted to set up an exchange though.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these exchanges are a wonderful experience for all involved!
I don't think anyone can claim it as an original idea - I did my first culture swap with Meg (Montessori by Hand) and organized my first swap on the blog Jan 2008 but I am sure other people had been doing it before then.
ReplyDeleteI know Colleen set up a yahoo group to organize swaps through, I'm not sure how successful it was.
So, it's not a new concept, I have been asked several time when I am or gaining the next one but to be honest it is really hard work and very time consuming, as much as I enjoy it! I am happy to let someone else do the organizing these days :o)
Yes, I agree that the cultural exchange part wasn't original...just from kid to kid part. Like I said, it's fine with...I'm just always super careful to link back (if I can remember or find the original link!). It is a wonderful experience to get to know others from different countries, so it's great that so many are spreading the word.
ReplyDelete