Living Well Resources – Around the World

To help keep you inspired and engaged through the pandemic, our Living Well Centre team is bringing you a variety of themed activities and helpful resources, with new topics added regularly.

The theme for the this set of resources is around the world! Use the following links to jump to sections of the resource page.

Art and creativity

Quizzes and activities

Exercises and relaxation

Culture, history and festivals

Interesting further reading

We hope you enjoy the content, are inspired to get creative, and active too. We would love to hear from you, so let us know how you get on with the resources. You can email your feedback and pictures to us.

Art and creativity

Australia

Follow this link to read an article on the stunning art created by indigenous Australian Aboriginals, Torres Straight Islander Peoples and some collaborations with other artists.

Staying in Australia, click this link to read all about the country’s national day – and the controversies surrounding it.

Japan

Read about Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai and his iconic image The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.

Also known as The Great Wave, the piece depicts the power of the sea and has inspired many artists after him.

Click here to take a look at some craft ideas inspired by Hokusai’s famous work.

You can also follow these links to read about Italian artist Alberto Giacometti, and French artist Henri Matisse. Take a look at this interesting presentation on artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who were famed for wrapping large landmarks in fabric. The pair were born on the same day in Bulgaria and Morocco, and met in Paris.

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Quizzes and activities

Test your knowledge with our around the world Christmas quiz! Do you know who banned Christmas in England from 1647-1660? Or what it means in the Ukraine if you find a spider in your house on Christmas day? Click this link to try our quiz!

How many celebrations can you recognise from the pictures in our world festivals quiz? Follow this link to view the quiz.

Have a go at our ‘let it snow quiz’ by following this link. Here’s a clue before you begin: all the answers include the word ‘snow’. Good luck!

Book lovers can try their luck with our tricky travel book themed quiz. Guess the missing letters to find the titles and authors. Follow this link to take the quiz!

Get your taste buds tingling with our dishes from around the world quiz. How many can you guess, and how many have you tried? Click this link to take the quiz.

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Exercises and relaxation

Rainforest relaxation

Take some time out and go on a journey through the rainforest with a guided relaxation exercise, with focus on breathing. Follow this link to download the script.

Seated Tai Chi

Standing Tai Chi

If you have trouble accessing the videos above, follow these links to our YouTube channel to watch them there.

Standing Tai Chi: https://youtu.be/btO7wMYBxSo

Seated Tai Chi: https://youtu.be/-PPulByfUyo

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Culture, history and festivals

China

Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in China, and is celebrated across the world. Follow this link to read all about Chinese New Year.

Diwali

Also known as the festival of light, Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. Read more about the celebration in this article.

Oberammergau

Read an interesting piece by Living Well volunteer Margaret about the Bavarian town Oberammergau and its famous Passion Play, which is performed just once a decade. Follow this link to read the article.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world. Follow this link to learn the history of Mardi Gras.

Burn’s Night

After we have welcomed in the New Year and move into January, all the festive cheer can seem like a distant memory. Yet wait! How about enjoying a wee dram on Burns Night with a little Scottish Fayre?

Burns Night takes place on or around 25^th January each year when the life of the Bard, Robert Burns, is celebrated across Scotland. Read more about Burns Night by following this link to our article.

You can find out more about festivals around the world by clicking this link to view a presentation.

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Further links and reading

• Learn about the ‘big five’ largest and most ferocious mammals living across Africa. Read the article by clicking this link.
• Composed by Leonard Bernstein, read through the lyrics to the moving song Somewhere from the musical West Side Story.
• Did you know, the world population would fit into the city of Los Angeles, California? Or that the Canary Islands were, in fact, named after dogs and not birds? Find out more fascinating facts about our world by following this link to read our article.
• While many movies over the decades have been filmed in studios with props and scenery made to measure, there are quite a few you may be familiar with and were actually filmed on locations around the world. Follow this link to read about some famous films recorded on location.
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