In doing an outreach activity, a vital part of the activity is to explain facts about Sweden for the children. Below we give some ideas for some different areas that could be covered.

If there is a table of items to share, the various items can provide a concrete way to talk about several aspects of Swedish life.

jump to: climate | literature | holiday traditions | royal family |

Influence of Swedish climate

Starting to discuss the Swedish climate is easy if you have access to a large map of the world or at least a globe. Here is a possible sequence of explanation interspersed with questions:

• Does anyone know where Sweden is located?
• What can you tell me about that location? Is it very far to the north? Is it further north than {where you are}?
• What happens as the earth revolves around the sun? (the earth's axis is tilted, so sometimes the northern hemispere is closer to the sun and sometimes it is further from the sun)
• What happens when the northern hemispere is farther away from the sun? (winter in the northern hemispere, long periods of darkness)
• What happens when the northern hemispere is closer to the sun? (summer in the northern hemispere, long periods of light / midnight sun)
• This is what Sweden is like during the summer (description of common summer activities)
• This is what Sweden is like during the winter (description of common winter activites, role of window lights and candles)

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Swedish children's literature

Swedish children's literature has many examples that will be familiar to children in other parts of the world. The works of Astrid Lindgren are a great starting point. The tales of Pippi Longstocking are likely to be familiar to most children. Other Astrid Lingren stories that may be familiar are the Brothers Lion-hearted and Emil.

There are many tales of trolls and other magical creatures, which can capture children's imaginations.

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Holiday traditions

The two key holidays that can come into the discussion are midsummer, Santa Lucia, and Christmas.

Ideas for talking about midsummer:

• The process of creating the maypole
• Gathering everyone for the afternoon's festivities
• The dancing and singing (see the page with songs and the dance pictures)
• Creating flower wreaths
• The tradition of seven types of flowers under the pillow so a girl can dream about the man she will marry
• The food tradition (basically a description of the smorgasbord)
• Dancing on the dock in the evening

Ideas for talking about Santa Lucia:

• Saffron buns (discuss the flavor, the shapes)
• How it is celebrated at schools, work, and at home
• The music and words
• The story of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia)

Ideas for talking about Christmas

• Typical decorations
  • lit stars in the windows
  • white strings of lights in outdoor bushes and as decoration on the house
  • straw figures and ornaments
  • candles
• Advent tradition
• Christmas Eve as the key day of celebration
  • Julmiddag (describe typical dishes, including ham and rice pudding)
  • Jultomten (the Christmas elf, essentially Santa Claus)
  • Kalle Anka (Donald Duck, shown about 3pm in the afternoon)

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Royal Family

The Royal Family can be an interesting focal points for children interested in kings and queens, princes and princesses. It would be possible to talk about key changes in the monarchy over the years, the current structure, etc.

• Wikipedia page about the Royal Family
• Official information about the Royal Court (in English)
• Victoria, the Crown Princess of Sweden, may be of particular interest to children. Her wedding in June 2010 can be an interesting event.