National Geographic and Barbie Dolls of the World

My daughter is a Barbie girl, in fact I was when I was a young girl and my mom was as well, so you can say that collecting and playing with Barbie Dolls is a family tradition, lol. Like most American families, we have a mixture of cultures in ours. So when we were asked to review some of the new Barbie Dolls of the World, my daughter and I were both very excited. In my family we have the Irish, then my daughter is Irish and Mexican as well as Native American, so I found the Ireland and Argentina dolls to be a great fit for us. Sure Argentina is south of Mexico, but I love the Latin cultures and their beautiful culture is one that I find to be as beautiful as the Mexican culture. Then the Ireland doll, well that is a given since I am Irish and my daughter also has the Irish blood in her veins. The green dress that the Ireland Doll is wearing is a vibrant green that reflects the beautiful island of Ireland or what is also called the Emerald Island! I love that the dolls from the collection of Barbie Dolls of the World are all very colorful and all represent a different country. They are not only great dolls to collect but they also teach girls about the different countries and a little about the different cultures out there. When you go to the Dolls of the World site you can take a tour of the world with your daughters, and learn some interesting facts as well as learn how to say hi in each language!!! On top of our love for Barbie we are also a National Geographic family. Our kids get their subscription to National Geographic Kids, which they both adore, and as I was, my kids are also raised finding a love for reading and learning about the world through the pages of the National Geographic Magazines!! 

Since Barbie is putting out this amazing collection of Dolls of the World, and National Geographic is known for teaching both the young and old about the world, they have decided to incorporate the two not only for entertainment this summer but also for fun educational purposes that you can enjoy with your kids! So to make the learning both fun and educational a National Geographic wildlife correspondent named Mayor, who is the mother of four, has decided to share some tips that she uses with her own children! I find these tips to be very inspiring and ones that we have found to make for a great time of educational fun that we can include both of our kids in! Making learning fun and exciting is the best way to inspire kids and teach them to appreciate all the world has to offer, recommends Mayor. She has several easy tips for parents to “travel the world” from home with their families:

1.       Incorporate travel into play time

Travel-themed toys and games are a great way to pique kids’ interests in different regions around the world.  One example is the Barbie® Collector Dolls of the World collection.  With dolls from Ireland, China, Argentina, Australia, India, Mexico, Chile and Holland, and correlating activities available at Barbie.com/dolls-of-the-world, girls can be easily transported to almost every part of the world. While girls are having fun and enjoying playtime, they are also learning about each distinct destination.  These worldly dolls can be found at Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart and Toys R Us.

2.       Host a monthly family “international dinner” night

Serve traditional dishes from other countries one night a month, selecting a new country each time.  Have each member of the family read a note card to share a “fun fact” about the region and translate a word from the local language.

3.       Tell stories

In Mayor’s own book Pink Boots and a Machete, she shares stories of her adventures, scientific discovery and world travel. By sharing photos and mementos of their own personal travel stories, parents can expose their children to the idea of new places and spur an interest in experiencing all the world has to offer. 

4.       Map it out

Mayor suggests displaying a wall map or globe in the main living area of the home so that kids are continually exposed to world geography and that travel is a continued topic of conversation. Parents can mark places the family has visited, as well as places they want to visit. This will help kids understand that there are never-ending opportunities to learn and explore new places.

This was not a paid post and honest/original opinions were used and they are my own. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review.