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Reunification of Germany

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Unification

Huh? Germany was divided into two separate parts?

After the second world war, which ended in 1945, Germany was divided into two parts: East and West Germany.

Pro Tip #1: The Soviet Union controlled eastern Germany, and the United States and other Allied forces occupied the western half – the two different sides of the world war. 

The Soviet Union stopped people travelling into West Berlin from East Berlin. Eventually, in 1961, they decided to build a wall to separate East and West Berlin. This wall became known as the Berlin Wall. The wall, however, did not just separate Berlin. In fact, it ran through the whole country and was up to 3.6 metres tall! 

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Berlin Wall Then

The Berlin Wall Then

Germans could only pass from one side of Germany to the other through Checkpoint Charlie. You can visit the Checkpoint today and still get your passport stamped!

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Checkpoint Charlie

 

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

On 9 November 1989 East Germany started bringing the wall down. Nearly a year later, on 20 September 1990 the treaty was signed to unify Germany. Finally, on 3 October 1990 Germany was officially reunited and East and West Germany became one country again. 

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Berlin Wall Now

The Berlin Wall Now

Celebrations

It is no surprise then that the 3 October is a holiday in Germany. However, celebrations are not as elaborate in Germany as they are in some of the other countries we have looked at (Jamaica, France and America). Instead, the Germans celebrate with some traditional food including Apfelstrudel. Have you tried our delicious healthy take on this classic? The Oom-Pah-Pah Crumble!

Pic of Brandenburg Gate

Fun Fact #1: The official celebration is hosted by a different Germany city each year. 

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO?

At Munchachos we care deeply about tearing down walls. We encourage children to explore the world and embark on new adventures as often as possible. There is so much to learn, so much to see and so many friends to be made. So grab your munchables and get exploring!

 

Sign up to Munchachos here and download our FREE app to explore, have fun, learn loads and get worldwise.

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Chinese Dragons

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Dragon Cover

Today is China’s national day (October 1st). Today is also the perfect day to grab a bag of Long Tong Noodles and learn more about this fascinating country. As we started feeding our curiosity about China, we came across the Chinese dragon. We had to find out more! Below are 5 things we found most interesting about the Chinese dragon:

  1. Power and Strength: Dragons represent power and strength. The dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China. The Emperor used to sit on the dragon throne! 
  2. Anatomy: The dragons are made up of 9 other animals: the head of a camel, the horns of a stag (male deer), the eyes of a demon, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle and the paws of a tiger. Can you spot all these animals in the image below?
    Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Dragon Anatomy
  3. Weather: The dragons are believed to control the weather. Farmers would make offerings to the dragons to make sure their land received enough rain and that they had a good harvest.
  4. Water: Chinese dragons are said to live at the bottom of seas, rivers, lakes, or anywhere with water. They are also the rulers of these bodies of water.
  5. Dragon Dancing: The dragon dance is most often performed during Chinese New Year. Dragons are believed to bring good luck and the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring! What do you think of this dragon dance?

 

How Does This Relate to Who We Are and What We Do?

Children are innately curious. There are so many opportunities to perpetuate this curiosity and there is so much to learn. So what are you waiting for? Grab a munchable, scan a stamp and get exploring!

 

Sign up to Munchachos here and download our FREE app to explore, have fun, learn loads and get worldwise.

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Autumn fun!

Munchachos Playing in Winter

It is officially the first week of autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere). We know this because this weekend was the autumn equinox. The equinox is when the day and night are approximately the same length. This happens twice a year: once at the beginning of Spring and once at the beginning of Autumn. The autumn equinox happens around the 22nd of September. 

Autumn is also known as Fall and is one of the most beautiful seasons. There is so much to look forward to!

 

What Are We Looking Forward To? 

Below are the 3 things we are most excited about autumn for at Munchachos HQ:

1. The Leaves Start Changing Colour

On some trees (not the evergreen trees), the leaves begin to turn yellow and orange. It is one of our most favourite sights. We particularly love taking walks through the parks and drives into the countryside to really enjoy these beautiful colours. Sometimes we collect our favourite leaves, take them home and create a beautiful collage.

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Autumn Fun

2. Play Conkers 

We love to play conkers. To play conkers you first need to find a conker! Conkers are seeds of the Chestnut tree and you can find them almost anywhere in the fall. They are eaten by deer and squirrels but conkers are poisonous to humans. To learn how to play the loved conkers game, watch the video below:

 

 

3. Apple Picking

One of our favourite things to do is visit a nearby orchard and walk around collecting apples. The best part is eating these freshly picked apples and creating the most perfect apply pie when we get home!

How Does This Relate to Who We Are and What We Do?

We never want to lose our childlike curiosity and need to perpetuate children’s innate curiosity. There is so much to see and do and learn. So grab is known a sweater this autumn and get exploring and playing! A few munchables will keep you energised too. Share your adventures with us here!

 

Sign up to Munchachos here and download our FREE app to explore, have fun, learn loads and get worldwise.

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Our 5 Favourite Books

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity best kids books

Reading is SO important. It helps improve vocabulary and reduce stress. Most importantly though, it takes you to new worlds which inspire your imagination and stimulate your creativity.

It was International Literacy Day on the 8th September. To celebrate the day, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite books — full of gripping tales of action and adventure. Let’s dive in!

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Difficulty ***

Harry Potter is a classic story loved by millions around the globe. It follows the story of Harry, a boy who finds out he’s a wizard and goes to Hogwarts, a wizarding school. He has many adventures fighting the evil Voldemort, which makes for a very entertaining book that’s hard to put down! And if you yearn for more when you finish the book (of course you will!) there are another 6 books after this one!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Difficulty **

This is a classic tale by C.S Lewis that is over 60 years old! It is the first of the series ‘the Chronicles of Narnia.’ Have you watched the film? It starts in War-torn London, where 5 kids are sent to a house in the countryside to protect them from bombings. One day, a game of hide-and-seek takes the kids through an unsuspecting closet into the magical world of Narnia.

War Horse: Difficulty *

Joey, a red-bay colt horse, is sold to an English farmer, whose son, Albert, raises the horse and teaches him to work their family farm. The horse is taken into World War 1 where he has to carry riders into battle and pull artillery cannons. It’s a gripping, bittersweet tale which is great for learning about the devastating effects of war, not just on the lives of humans but on animals’ lives too.

Matilda: Difficulty **

One of Roald Dahl’s best-loved stories, this book tells the tale of a girl and her family; the Wormwoods. Her father is a crook who cheats people on car sales, her mother barely acknowledges her existence, and her brother is mean to her. She does to a school where the headmistress, the infamous Trunchbull, rules with an iron fist. One day, Matilda discovers she has special powers, and she uses them to help the good people in her life and prevent bad people from hurting them. It’s a very funny, entertaining book! If you could pick any super power, what would it be? Let us know in the comments section below!

*Challenge yourself* The Lord of the Rings – Fellowship of the Ring: Difficulty *****

This is a very tough read, but it is also very rewarding. The lord of the rings spans 3 books, which follow the journey of Frodo, a Hobbit who must journey into the frightful land of Mordor to destroy a ring of evil which has fallen into his possession. The ring, forged by the dark lord Sauron, is of great importance to many different characters, who all try to take the ring off Frodo. It’s a long journey to Mordor, so hopefully he packed some Munchables for the road!

How this relates to who we are and what we do?

At Munchachos HQ, we believe that creativity is one of the most (if not the most) important skill to have in the modern world. The creativity of people has produced famous artworks, songs and films. It has brought our species to the deepest point on Earth and to the Moon and back. Creativity will play an even more important role as our world becomes more and more complicated. We believe that curiosity leads to greater creativity – we even wrote about it here.

Books are a fantastic way to inspire the imagination, so by providing a list of some of our favourite books, we hope our Munchachos around the world can hone their creativity and get inspiration.

 

Sign up to Munchachos here and download our FREE app to explore, have fun, learn loads and get worldwise.

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Tzatziki Time!

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Tzatziki Take Tzat Greece

Yia sas Munchachos! (That’s ‘hello Munchachos’ in Greek)!

Looking for an exciting and easy way to recreate some of those amazing flavours you discovered during the summer? Look no further! We have the perfect recipe for the most delicious tzatziki dip. It also happens to be the ideal dip for pita (and just about anything else). So grab your Take Tzat munchables and get making and tasting!

FOR THIS YOU WILL NEED (FEEDS 6 MUNCHACHOS):

180g of the creamiest Greek yoghurt

30g cucumber

A small garlic clove

Half a lemon and its zest

½ tablespoon of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

 

NOW FOR THE FUN PART:

Pour the yoghurt into a big bowl. Grate the cucumber and add it to the yoghurt. Now crush the small garlic clove and add that to the bowl with the lemon juice, lemon zest olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Time to get stirring until smooth and creamy and that’s it! It is really that simple!

Pour your tzatziki into a serving bowl and you can even decorate it with some mint leaves. 

Munchachos Snacks Children: World Curiosity Tzatziki Take Tzat Greece Santorini

Have the flavours transported you to Santorini?

 

Fun Fact: Greek yoghurt is a wonderful source of protein and calcium. It is also packed with probiotics. An ideal snack for your growing Munchachos!

Pro Tip #1: Try adding a bit of dill to your tzatziki

 

Take a photo of your Tzatziki, send it to us here and tag us on Instagram (@Munchachos). We cannot wait to see your creations!

 

How this relates to who we are and what we do?

Our delicious Munchables come from all around the world, incorporating many different recipes from different cultures and countries. By providing recipes in our blog, we hope to expand the curiosity of our young Munchachos and give them a taste of the world around them.

 

Sign up to Munchachos here and download our FREE app to explore, have fun, learn loads and get worldwise.