I've Struck Gold!

For a Montessori teacher, striking it rich means having two parents who travel the globe extensively. Better yet, I have two parents who firmly support the Montessori philosophy, and therefore purchase beautiful ethnic treasures for the classroom! Most recently, they traveled to Alaska during the summer solstice. I have issues with sleep as it is, so I don't know if I'd be brave enough to travel to a place that only has a few hours of (somewhat lit) nighttime. Although, after seeing some pictures, I think I'd be willing to suffer from a bout of insomnia in order to view some of the incredible, natural beauty of Alaska.

Let me preface these photos by saying I collect dolls from other countries to display in class while we focus on a particular continent. Actually, "I" don't really collect too many of them, my parents, previous and current families of the school buy them and donate them to the class. It was like Christmas morning when I opened the packages...

This doll portrays the Royal Canadian Mounted police...I've got to say, I love that she's a girl. After all of these years, my kids still say "policeman". I want the girls to see that they could work for the police force as well.

This is easily my favorite souvenir. I've always found totem poles to be fascinating. Totems celebrated legends, events, or simply the wealth and crest of the family for whom it was created. The poles were neither worshipped nor had any religious significance. They were records of the past in a culture that had no written language.

This little cutie will surely be a class favorite. She is dressed in a very soft, traditional Alaskan Eskimo style parka.

The next gift was this book, with some of the most beautiful illustrations I've seen.

As an added bonus, the cruise ship had just sailed back from Panama and don't you know it, they had some extra dolls handcrafted by natives of the Panama Canal Rain forest.

My parents also brought back a little tube of gold flecks, which G has since confiscated. Hopefully, she'll be willing to part with them long enough for her classmates to see them!