Croatia for Kids

Welcome to Croatia For Kids with Karyn from CASE OF ADVENTURE! Read or listen to Croatia for Kids, look at the photos, watch the videos and download the Croatia printable pack. Click the play button in the player above (or listen in on iTunes or your favorite podcast app).   Countries for Kids from CASE OF ADVENTURE!   COUNTRY-THEMED UNITS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS – ages 7 to 11 Unique and exciting COUNTRY Studies! EACH UNIT CONSISTS OF: A Travel Mystery Novel to read And a Beautiful Adventure Book filled with pages of learning, and tons of activities to work through The Novel and Adventure Book work together to teach your kids about each country.   In the novel, your kids will experience the country through the eyes of the Grey family as they go exploring, see the sights,  sample the cuisine, learn about the culture, and solve a mystery along the way, while completing the Discovery Agent missions at the end of each chapter!   In the Adventure Book your Kids will learn about the landmarks, the flag and national anthem, the capital city, languages, currency and weather of the country. They’ll study maps, learn some local expressions and jokes. They’ll solve clue cards using secret codes and complete many fun activities.   The instructions pages at the back of each Adventure book take you through what to do each day of the Unit. READ THE STORY  –   COMPLETE THE MISSIONS  –   EXPERIENCE THE CULTURE STUDY THE COUNTRY  –  CREATE THE MINIBOOKS  –  DO THE ACTIVITIES  –  SOLVE THE CLUES   Your kids will embark on a thrilling adventure in a foreign land, and have a ton of fun learning about another country in a way they’ll never forget!       Croatia for Kids Today we are going to be talking about Croatia – the country with stunning beaches and spectacular waterfalls, where the historical beauty of the past is reflected in the modern lives of its present day citizens. Remember to download your Croatia printable pack with some fun activities for you to do.   Croatia is.. located in Central and Southeast Europe, bordering Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast, Montenegro to the southeast, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest and Slovenia to the northwest. About 4 million people live in Croatia and its capital city is Zagreb. Croatia in Croatian is called Hrvatska. Zagreb has a charm all its own and has more museums than any other city in the world, causing it to be named, “The city of museums”. The city is bursting at the seams with fabulous cafes – all of which serve the fabulous Croatian coffee. Croatians take their coffee drinking very seriously indeed! Croatia is hot, the hottest summer months being July and August, its on of Europe’s sunniest spots. There are picturesque pebbled beaches, lapped by crystal clear water and  incredible national parks. Croatia has eight national parks, including the Plitvice (plitveetza) Lakes and Krka, both of which are famous for their stunning lakes and waterfalls. As you stroll along the wooden boardwalks among the  Plitvice lakes and see the many beautiful waterfalls, huge leafy green trees shade you from the sparkling sun, be careful as you can easily step off the boardwalk into the water! Its really cool how some of the mountains are very near beaches! The Biokovo mountain range contains one of the highest peaks in Croatia, but also lies just a few miles from the sea. It’s a stunning area, scattered with wildflowers and butterflies, sweet-smelling pine trees and limestone boulders. And after a slow climb up the mountain, you can head back down for a refreshing dip in the sea and some delicious gelato ice cream.   THE CAPITAL CITY The biggest cities in Croatia are Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka. Zagreb is 900 years old. Before we move on, lets talk some more about the capital city of Zagreb. There lively street markets and lots of green open spaces, blue street trams zooming down the streets and beautiful architecture. The market in the main square sells cheeses, sausages, delicious pastries and just about everything else. Zagreb cathedral is built in gothic style and dominates the city skyline. St Marks Church has the most colorful roof ever. The tiles are designed in the pattern of a medieval coats of arms and the emblem of Zagreb. There are lots of places where you can sample the delicious truffle dishes. Croatia’s largest exporter of Istrian truffles is Zigante Tartufi. In 1999 the company’s owner Giancarlo Zigante, along with his dog Diana, found the world’s largest truffle in Istria, weighing 1.31kg and making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.     You can go up Zagreb 360 for amazing views of the city. You take the elevator to the 16th floor of the really tall building to get amazing views of the old town. Lots of red brown roofs, tall spires, blue sky and sunlight reflecting off the roofs, mountains in the distance – its beautiful. One of the most famous and popular sights in Croatia is in a city called Split. The remains of the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, is now the buzzing heart of the city. Among the ancient columns, temples, walls and underground cellars that once made up the Roman emperor’s home, you’ll find dozens of hidden bars, restaurants and shops. There is a sphinx in Split. It was brought from Egypt for emperor Diocletian and it is more than 4,000 years old!     The Island of Hvar and its surrounds  – You can take a ferry from Hvar to Split   THE PULA ARENA The Pula Arena is the name of the amphitheatre located in Pula, the port city of Pula is  in Istria Croatia. The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved.     The Croatian capital’s Museum of Contemporary Art is also among the best in the world. Croatia hosts numerous open-air cultural festivals during the summer, the best known being the Dubrovnik Summer Festival   Zadar, in North Dalmatia, which contains a lovely old town and is home to several Romanesque churches, plus the quirky Sea Organ, which produces music powered by the waves; and Varazdin, with its 18th-century Baroque architecture and an annual Baroque music festival. On its surface, the organ looks like large marble steps leading into the Adriatic Sea. … Each set of steps holds five organ pipes each and is tuned to a different musical chord. As waves and wind push air through the channels, a song pours through theorgan pipes and out onto the steps above     THE LANGUAGE The official language of Croatia is Croatian, but Serbian, Italian, and Hungarian are also spoken. Croatian is an official language in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and parts of Austria, Italy, Serbia, and Romania. Counting to ten in Croatian: Jedan (1), dva (2), tri (3), cetiri (4), pet (5), sest (6), sedam (7), osam(8), devet (9), deset (10).   THE CURRENCY AND FLAG The currency of Croatia is the Kuna. One Kuna equals 6.28 dollars. Croatia has been a member of the EU since 2013 but kept its currency, the Kuna. The national anthem of Croatia is Lijepa nasa domovino (Our beautiful homeland). The Croatian flag combines the colors of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (white and blue) and the Kingdom of Dalmatia (red and blue).     WORLD WAR II  AND THE CROATIAN WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE Croatia used to be part of Yugoslavia. In 1941, in World War II, German forces invaded Yugoslavia. The resistance fighters were led by Josip Broz Tito, a Croatian. Eventually, in 1944, the resistance fighters, helped by the Soviets, broke through the German lines and forced them to retreat across the border of Yugoslavia. Sadly, there are still some undiscovered buried land mines in Croatia from WWII. Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. But the Communist Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, wanted Croatia to still be controlled by Serbia. Then, from 1991 to 1995, the devastating Croatian war for independence was fought. Eventually, Croatia won. Today, there is still damage to be seen from the war but the people are rebuilding.     Independence Day in Croatia is the 8th of October. A German Second World War ship can be spotted below the surface of the water in Zavratnica Bay, near the Croatian port of Jablanac.   INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL FACTS The first torpedo was constructed by Ivan Lupis Vukic from Rijeka, Croatia. Football is the most popular sport in Croatia. Croatia has 1246 islands! Two places on the moon are named after Croatians. They were scientists J. R. Boskovic and Mohorovicic. In 1906, a Croatian man named Slavoljub Penkala Invented a mechanical pencil. Today we call them ‘pens’. The columns of the White House in Washington D. C. are made from White stone mined on the Isle of Brac in Croatia. Croatians can vote at the age of sixteen if they are employed. If not, they must wait until they are eighteen. If you spread out a map of the world the town of Ludbreg in Croatia would be right in the centre. The island of Biševo in Croatia has only 13 residents. The biggest necktie in the world was 808 metres long, and was displayed in Croatia in 2003. It took five days to complete and was tied around the Pula Arena. Croatia is home to the world’s smallest town, called “Hum”.   THE ANIMALS Keep your eyes peeled off the west coast of Istria and you might just see a pod of dolphins. Many rare animals can be found in Croatia – for example, the Mediterranean Monk Seal. The national animal of Croatia is the pine marten. The main predators in Croatia are wolves, lynxes, and brown bears. Dalmatians were named after Dalmatia, a region of Croatia.   TRADITIONAL DRESS There isn’t just one traditional dress in croatia: each region has its own. One common one is white dresses for the women, with colorful fringed shawls, long striped socks and flowers in their hair. The dresses have blue embroidered lace on the skirts. For the men,  baggy white pants, long untucked white shirts and black vests and hats