Country Research Projects, New Year Celebrations & Traditions, World Braille Day, MLK National Day of Service, Lunar New Year, Read Your World Day

Wishing you peace, love, and abundant joy in the new year!

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Founder & CEO, Globe Trottin' Kids​

Country Research Projects

Kick off the new year with a country research project! Explore a country as a class, in cooperative learning groups, or independent investigations.

Browse our projects here, and get helpful tips for conducting a research project with young explorers here.

What teachers are saying:

“This is a great resource that scaffolds the students’ research and allows them to present their information in such a fun way.” (Germany) Pastel Classroom

“I used this resource during a country study and it helped students find and organise the information easily. I used it to model research skills for supported students as well.” (Thailand) Honor H.

“I really appreciated how this helped the student to take charge of their own research.” (Canada) Mandy M.

January 1 New Year Celebrations

• Japan: Oshogatsu, Japanese New Year, is one of the country's most important and widely celebrated holidays. It is a time for families to gather, reflect, and welcome the new year with traditions emphasizing purification and renewal. Learn some fun traditional games for celebrating the new year in Japan.​
• Haiti: New Year's Day and Independence Day are celebrated together and typically celebrated with Freedom Soup. Download free printables for story comprehension and text-to-self connections.
• Colombia: Discover New Year traditions with the picture book, Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela. A Teacher's Guide & Activities from the author includes reading questions and extension activities, a recipe for Colombian buñuelos, an Año Viejo craft, and a word search.
• Banging bread on the walls (Ireland), throwing old furniture out the window (South Africa), cutting apples (Czech Republic) - discover more New Year traditions!​

Browse our collection of picture books about New Year Celebrations Around the World.

Not all New Year celebrations take place on January 1. See resources below for the Lunar New Year, beginning January 29 this year.

January 4 World Braille Day

World Braille Day marks the birthday of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the French inventor of the reading and writing code for the blind. Braille codes exist for virtually every written language in the world so that blind people everywhere can become literate and acquire the opportunities that literacy brings.

Introduce students to the life of Louis Braille with this video. Look for examples of braille around the school and community.

Watch this video of kids from a school in the UK explaining how they use braille in school and what they would like to see done to help them more.

January 20 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

This year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday marks the 30th anniversary of a National Day of Service ("A Day On, Not a Day Off."). This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King and encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Here are some ideas for students/classrooms to serve their communities while reflecting on Dr. King's teachings of kindness, equality, and positive action:

• Create Kindness Cards Students can make handmade cards with uplifting messages to deliver to local nursing homes, hospitals, or veterans’ centers. These cards can brighten someone's day and reinforce Dr. King's message of love and compassion.
• Classroom Food Drive Organize a mini food drive where students bring in non-perishable food items to donate to a local food pantry or shelter. Teach students how their small contributions can make a big difference.
• Neighborhood Clean-Up Plan a supervised litter pick-up on the school grounds or a nearby park. Provide gloves, trash bags, and simple tools for students to clean up and care for their community.
• Create Peace Posters Have students design posters or artwork inspired by Dr. King’s values of peace, equality, and justice. Display the posters around the school or share them with community centers.
• Assemble Care Kits Collect small hygiene items (soap, toothpaste, socks, etc.) and have students assemble care kits to donate to homeless shelters or community centers.
• Read Books About MLK Choose age-appropriate books about Dr. King’s life and legacy, such as Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport or I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer. Follow up with a discussion on how students can apply his lessons in their own lives.
• Make "Thank You" Letters for Community Helpers Encourage students to write thank-you letters to community helpers like firefighters, police officers, and teachers to show appreciation for their service.
• Friendship Bracelets for Inclusion Students can make friendship bracelets to share with classmates or community members as a symbol of friendship, inclusivity, and unity.
• Plant a Tree or Flowers Teach students about caring for the earth by planting a tree or flowers on the school grounds or at a local community space. Connect this to MLK’s dream of creating a better future for all.

January 29 Lunar New Year

🐍 2025 is the Year of the Snake.

Explore and compare the traditions of Chinese New Year, Tết (Vietnam), and Seollal (Korea).

Related Product:

January 30 Read Your World Day (formerly Multicultural Children's Book Day)

We're proud co-hosts of this annual event that promotes diversity in children's literature and donates books to classrooms and libraries. The celebration features book reviews, teaching ideas, giveaways, important conversations, and more.

Get all the event details here, and read some of our past reviews.

This year, we are excited to be reviewing two picture books:

Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita, which features the mystery of a grandmother's secret recipe, a seek-and-find of healing plants, and bilingual Spanish words for young readers

The True Story of an Island and Her People KAHO’OLAWE, that tells the story of an island sacred to Native Hawaiians.

Our reviews, along with hundreds of others, will be live in the Big Giant Linky on January 30. Be sure to check it out and discover diverse books to share with your students! #ReadYourWorld

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