A Book About Children’s Games Around the World

Looking for an educationally fun kids’ book to broaden global horizons? Read on!

Teaching Traveling: Welcome to expert globetrotting teacher, Nicole Brewer. Tell us a bit about your background, Nicole.

Nicole: My name is Nicole Brewer. I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan. I’ve been teaching English abroad for over 12 years. I taught in South Korea for 3 years and I’ve been teaching in Oman for just over 9 years. I also studied abroad for a year in Germany (9 months) and South Africa (3-month internship).

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I’m working at a university in Nizwa, Oman currently, travel writing, and freelance writing on the side. I’m also the author of A Guide to Landing an English Teaching Job Abroad and An ABC Guide to Children’s Games Around the Globe which was just recently published. I’m also the Co-Founder of the iluv2globetrot travel site and online travel group on Facebook. 

TT: Wonderful! Why did you decide to write your book about children’s games?

N: I decided to write An ABC Guide to Children’s Games Around the Globe in order to inspire children to want to learn more about other cultures and hopefully in turn want to see the world for themselves. It is dedicated to my nephews Ryan and Nico Norman who are based in Atlanta. It has been a desire of mine for some time to publish a book that would cater to youth. 

An ABC Guide to Children’s Games is a book to inspire children to learn about kids from around the world. It is filled with colorful displays of children playing fun and interesting games from countries like “A for Australia,” where kangaroos roam far and wide, and “B for tropical Brazil,” the largest country in South America.

Young readers can explore J for Japan, where cherry blossoms bloom and Z for Zimbabwe, home to the largest waterfall in the world! Allow your child to get lost in wonder while learning about kids from fascinating cultures, which in turn will hopefully inspire them to want to experience the vast globe for themselves in the future!

TT: Lovely. Tell us about some powerful travel experiences you’ve had.

N: One of my most interesting travel memories was the first time I traveled to Africa and visited Nairobi, Kenya. Not only did I experience my first safari experience there but I also looked into non-profit organizations on the ground and found a local organization that I was able to visit which allowed me to donate and set up a food give away day for almost 100 kids living in the slums of the city. 

TT: Amazing. How do you find your travel opportunities, and how do you fund your travels?

N: I tend to use social media, travel groups like iluv2globetrot, Nomadness, and friends to find travel opportunities. 

For travel funding, I managed to get a scholarship for when I studied and worked abroad in South Africa doing my MA, but otherwise I’ve utilized my savings or have had comped stays for writing about hotels, restaurants, etc. for the blog. 

TT: Tell us one moment from your travels that was particularly powerful, interesting, or funny.

One of my favorite travel memories was in India. After returning from an excursion in the middle of nowhere, I had to use the restroom so our driver stopped at a local woman’s farm area and she was kind enough to allow me to use her facilities. As we were getting ready to leave, she noticed I had orange nail polish on and was taken aback but the bright colors. I have the most awesome photo from that day that still makes me smile. 

TT: How have your travels impacted you as a teacher and as a person?

N: My travels have impacted me as a teacher by making me even more aware of cultural differences and experiences outside of the classroom. They’ve impacted me as a person because I learn so much more about myself through my travels and how to handle an array of experiences, especially when I travel solo. 

TT: What advice do you have for teachers who are dreaming of travel, or travelers dreaming of teaching?

N: For teachers dreaming of travel, I highly recommend considering teaching abroad as it has afforded me more opportunities to travel internationally. For travelers dreaming of teaching, I recommend that they check out my book A Guide to Landing an English Teaching Job Abroad to learn about how they can teach abroad and travel the world and to join ESL groups on Facebook to learn about opportunities. 

Many thanks!

TT: Thanks so much, Nicole! Readers, what questions or comments do you have?