As the Winter Olympics excitement came to a close last week, so did a special International project that 
our day hab program participated in. Each classroom, 11 in total, was given a country to focus on for two weeks in February. They decorated, learned, shared fun facts, made crafts, and dressed in the colors of their respective location. There was no lack of creativity, as the rooms were decked out in Olympic medals, flags from around the world and educational facts.
Carrie, a day hab participant, eagerly shared her new knowledge from her classroom’s theme, The Netherlands. “Christmas starts on December 5th!” She shared, as she asked 
a staff member to pull up a photo of “their version of Santa Claus,” who they call, Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) on a tablet. Carrie also excitedly showed off a pair of clogs, authentic to The Netherlands that her doll was wearing for the week. “In The Netherlands, they put gifts in their shoes!” she said excitedly.
On Friday, February 23rd, the program held its own “closing ceremony,” where each classroom presented an authentic food to a panel of judges, who voted on presentation, creativity and taste.
The classrooms were given 2 weeks to research their countries, choose a recipe and decorations, learn facts and execute their plan.
After sampling some excellent, homemade dishes, the judges favorites were:Swiss Cheese Fondue and “Zope” Swiss Sunday Bread (Switzerland), Dutch Meatballs (Netherlands – This is a unique recipe where sirloin steak is used instead of ground beef, and the meatballs are fried, giving them a crispy exterior). Peach Kuchen (Germany) and a homemade chocolate cream pie (USA).
Some other dishes made from scratch and presented were Caprese Salad(Italy),Maple Pudding/Chomeur (Canada),Swedish Meatballs (Sweden), Cabbage Rolls (Finland),Strawberry Jam (Norway), Kaiserschmarrn (Austria),Russian Tea and Apple Cake (Russia)
The week was full of learning and fun for all.
Thanks to the creative and energetic staff that manage the day hab program, activities and projects like this run all year long. To learn more about our day hab program, click here.
