South Korea: Folktales, Curriculum, and More

Yolgok Buddha
Joseon Dynasty, 1684

This year the Winter Olympics take place in PyeongChang, South Korea. Below you will find tidbits about their place in the world, their stories, and some crafts and curriculum to bring the Olympics, and the people of this country to your classroom. Let’s hit the slopes!

- South Korea, or the Republic of Korea, is in East Asia. It   occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, below North Korea.

- Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world.

- There are five Royal Palaces in Seoul, built by the Joseon kings who ruled for 500 years from 1392.

- Kimchi, the nation’s favourite dish, is made with fermented vegetables such as cabbage. It is served to accompany most meals and is said to help prevent bird flu.

- Korean babies are one year old on the day that they are born, then add another year on New Year’s Day.

- The Korean alphabet is called Hangul. It has 10 vowels and 14 consonants and is easy to learn for young children.

- Korean schools use robots to teach English! They have a computer screen which shows the face of a teacher, who can be sitting in another country whilst helping children to learn!

- The Korean martial art taekwondo is the national sport. Unsurprisingly Koreans have won the most Olympic gold medals.
From: https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/south-korea

STORIES

The Devoted Daughter – Korea

http://asianfolktales.unescoapceiu.org/folktales/read/korea_1.htm

The Fairy and the Woodcutter

http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=120797

KBS World Radio: Korean Folktales – Nineteen pages filled with stories!

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/program/program_koreastory_detail.htm?lang=e&No=1240&current_page=1

Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies by James S. Gale, 1913. Visit with Ten Thousand Devils, The Awful Little Goblin, and more mysterious creatures from Korea.
http://chestofbooks.com/fairy-tale/Korean/

The Story Spirits

http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/060.html

The Sun and the Moon
http://asianfolktales.unescoapceiu.org/folktales/read/korea_2.htm

The Tiger’s Whisker  http://www.eagle.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/The%20tiger%27s%20whisker%20korean%20folktale.pdf

The ski resort known as Yongpyong (Dragon Valley) is home to the snow sports for the Olympic Games in 2018 so of course I must share some dragon tales!

Dragons: Mythical Mystical, Magical Creatures
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/dragons-mythical-mystical-magical.html

BOOKS

15 Great Korean Folktales for Kids
https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2017/06/korean-folk-tales/

CHILDREN’S CRAFTS/ACTIVITIES

Graphing the Winter Olympics Bulletin Board

https://www.mpmschoolsupplies.com/ideas/1005/graphing-the-winter-olympics/

  

Kidssoup – Pyeongchang South Korea Olympic Games Kids Activities and Game

https://www.kidssoup.com/craft-and-resource/pyeongchang-south-korea-olympic-games-kids-activities-and-game

Korean Board Game - Yut-Nori 

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2010/03/crafts-around-the-world-korea.html

Layers of Learning: South Korea for Kids

https://layers-of-learning.com/south-korea-for-kids/

Olympic Paper Chain Countdown – I LOVE this idea. Perfect for home or the classroom.

http://www.housingaforest.com/olympic-paper-chain-countdown/

Olympic Ring Bottle Cap Sorter – Great way to help toddlers with colors, sorting and sizes.

http://www.housingaforest.com/olympic-ring-bottle-cap-color-sort/

Read Write Think – Classroom Resources and Activities: Winter Olympics

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/winter-olympics-begin-today-31068.htm

Traditional Sam Taeguk Fan

http://www.incultureparent.com/2011/04/korean-craft-make-a-traditional-sam-taeguk-fan/

SOMETHING EXTRA

26 Korean Foods Everyone Need to Try

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michelleno/foods-every-korean-loves?utm_term=.cs3ybxJ92o#.eoZ1VnJOKk

Festival, Celebrations and Holidays

http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Korean-Life/Festivals

Korea’s Fairy Tale Village is a Truly Magical Place That You Have to Visit

https://www.tripzilla.com/10-alternative-things-bali/30745

Traditional Origami Paper Folding in Korea

https://www.thespruce.com/traditional-origami-paper-folding-in-korea-2540682

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace 2018 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.