A Kids' Guide To Denmark

A Kid’s Point Of View How Third Culture Kids Find Their Place

Andrew Barnwell Madison Davenport Arthur Elwin Joshua Bradshaw

Table of Contents All About Being A Third Culture Kid All About School Copenhagen-Museums, Castles, and Parks Outside Copenhagen

Introduction We are MYP students that previously worked on the PYP Exhibition. We studied Third Culture Kids and have really enjoyed it. For our action we chose to make a newcomers committee for new students in grades 3, 4, and 5. We made this guide to school and Copenhagen for kids like you to enter Denmark a lot more smoothly than kids in the past. To start this guide we will begin with school. This will explain the things that you will need, how to make friends, symptoms of culture shock, and other things that you need to know about being a Third Culture Kid. We will now give you the definition of what that means. A Third Culture Kid is a person who has spent a significant part of

their developmental years outside of their parent’s culture. They take parts from their home and host cultures and combine them into one unique third culture. Now that you know what a Third Culture Kid is you can truly understand who you are as an international kid. Now we will explain how to make friends at CIS. • Some of the best ways to make friends at CIS are to go to the playground; this is where most of the kids play so it is a great place to make friends. • Other ways to make friends are to be yourself; this can make you lots of friends because many people will share your same interests. • One last way that will really help to make friends is to go to afterschool activities.

• There are many afterschool activities to do including: for sports there are soccer, basketball, track and field, and badminton; other activities are pottery, drama, music lessons, and choir. Although there are many more, these are just some of them. One of the most interesting things that we have learned about Third Culture Kidsis the fact that they will do anything that they possibly can to adapt to their new school environment. The thing that we found the absolute most interesting about this is when Third Culture Kids turn into a thing called a “Cultural Chameleon”. A “Cultural Chameleon” is when a kid will copy another one to fit into the school. This isn’t a good thing to do because you might lose your personality and not know who you are any more. Try to stop this from happening!

Now we will move onto some of the things that Third Culture Kids might experience. •

The main thing we researched in that aspect was Culture Shock. Culture Shock is when a kid moves from one country to another country. The new country they move to is usually completely different and they are shocked at how different it is.

• Some of the symptoms of Culture Shock are: depression, headaches, stomach aches, vomiting, and a lack of eating. If you have any of these symptoms you should talk to an adult to solve them. One person you could talk to is our school counselor. •

One last thing we would like to tell you about is the new buddysystem at CIS. The buddysystem was made by us last year

and is meant to help new kids assimilate into the school. • Each grade 3-5 has a boy and a girl in each class to help you get to know CIS. • They have badges that they should be wearing on the first few days labeled N.K.H. or New Kid Helper. • They will answer all of your questions that you might have about CIS.

All About School At CIS there are many things to know that will help you make friends quite a bit easier and are things that you just need to know. The list below will be things you should know before you start your first day. 1. Be prepared with pencils, erasers, and any other school supplies BEFORE you enter the classroom. 2. When its recess time you should go out to the playground. This is where most kids are so it will be a great place to make friends. 3. Have indoor shoes that are non-scuffing for gym class. 4. If you are in the middle school building try not to go down the

5th grade hallway at 8:40. It’s literally a stampede. 5. On your first few days go ask the NKH (New Kid Helper) in your class to show you around school and give you some extra tips. 6. There are usually 20 kids in the class. 7. Bring a water bottle as there aren’t any water fountains. 8. Ask the NKH to show you where all of your specials are. This is a must do. 9. Bring a snack for first recess 10.Bring packed lunch or money to buy lunch in the atrium.

CopenhagenMuseums, Castles, and Parks Copenhagen offers many opportunities to do things, whether you find an art museum or park, a castle or restaurant, or even shopping, you will never be sitting around on the couch. When you move to Copenhagen there are many things that are “must dos”. The first thing that this guide covers is things to do in

Copenhagen and a little bit outside of Copenhagen. There will be the name of the attraction and then a brief description of it: Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød: This magnificent castle was built 16021622. You can enter the castle and tour a few floors covered with beautiful tapestries and decorations. This isn’t the royal palace anymore but was for Christian the IV. Kronborg Castle in Helsingør: This castle was built in the 1420s. The castle offers the real feeling of the renaissance and is one of the most spectacular castles in northern Europe. Those are the two biggest and best castles outside of Copenhagen but still on Zealand (the island Copenhagen is on).

The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue): This is in Østerport and is a little statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Little Mermaid”. He is one of the most famous people in Denmark and most people have grown up reading his stories. The Round Tower (Rundetårn): This is in the Latin Quarter and is a tower which anyone can climb up the cobblestone ramp way to the top and then venture out to see a breath-taking view of the city. The King’s New Square (Kongen’s Nytorv): Is in Copenhagen right at a Metro Stop and is a square with an iceskating rink in the winter and a fountain in the summer. It is a very unique place with a flea market in the warm months. Christiansborg Palace: This castle dates back from the 1100s and has

been destroyed many times. The two most recent castles burnt down in two massive fires traveling through holes in the walls destroying most of the two palaces. Today you can venture down under the castle to see the ruins of the castles before. Rosenborg Castle: This castle is home to the Crown Jewels of Denmark presented in a fabulous display of crowns, swords, amulets, and other delicately made items. New Harbor (Nyhavn): This is in Copenhagen and is one of the best places to see a colorful display of houses. The harbor use to be a place where sailors would rest and have fun but has changed over the years to a major tourist attraction.

Amalienborg Palace: Amalienborg Palace is the place where the Royal Family lives most of the year. It is a lovely place with guards protecting their Queen, King, Prince, Princess, and any other important people in the Palace. Strøget: The pedestrian shopping street of Copenhagen is not only big; it’s the biggest shopping street in all of Europe! So if you’re a shopper…GET OUT THERE! Two last things that are must dos for kids are the two Amusement Parks. Tivoli (in Copenhagen) and Bakken (a little bit outside of Copenhagen).

Tivoli: Tivoli has some of the best rides in Denmark whether they are kiddy rides or big thrills. Tivoli has many restaurants and games to play and if you spell it backwards; it spells: I “lov” it!

Bakken: Once you have stepped foot inside Bakken you have stepped foot into the oldest amusement park in the world. Geared towards little and big kids it’s a great place for kids of all ages. It includes great rides, entertainment, and is set right in the middle of Deer Park, where you can bike to and see hundreds of deer grazing in the grass. Be careful that you don’t get too close!

Museums

Copenhagen offers many museums ranging from art, to geologic. All of these museums are very interesting and have a lot to offer. Art Museums: Staten’s Museum For Kunst: This museum offers a variety of styles from the 18th Century art to stunning contemporary. The art has no age limitations and is open to families. Louisiana Museum: This museum is completely modern art and is outside of Copenhagen. It has a wide range of art and when you have finished you can venture through the lovely park. Danish Architecture Museum: This museum is right next to Tivoli and has two main collections of spectacular

works being the Mediterranean art and the other devoted to Danish and French art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Other Museums: Viking Museum: In Roskilde (30 minutes outside of the city) you will find the Viking Museum. A place where you can see Viking ships from a long time ago and even row a ship! This is a great place to go in the summer time. The Open Air Museum: This museum in Sorgenfri is an 86 acre place with over 50 farms, mills, and houses dating back from 1650 to 1950. This gives you a clear idea of what it was like in Denmark a few hundred years ago.

Tycho Brahe Planetarium: This planetarium is in Copenhagen and tells you all about our universe and space. It is an interesting place to go especially when you visit their 3-D theater. Øresund Aquarium: This aquarium not far from Kronborg Castle is an aquarium right near the Baltic Sea. It has many different species of fish and marine life and is a great place for kids like you to visit. Experimentarium: The Experimentarium is a great place to visit for many reasons. It is completely kid friendly and has tons of different science experiments and hands on activities

to do. This is one of our Top 5 Things To Do. There are many more museums but these are the main ones visited. Now we will move onto a few parks inside Copenhagen. The King’s Gardens (Kongen’s Have): These gardens are the gardens that Rosenborg Palace is located in. They are so pretty to look at in the spring and the summer. It has many different types of plants and is a great place to have a family fun picnic. Botanical Gardens: These gardens are home to thousands of species of plants. It is a wonderful place to come just like (other gardens) in the spring and summer time when

things are in bloom. For most people (not necessarily boys) a must do.

Outside Copenhagen Now we move onto places outside Copenhagen on the different islands and so forth. Odense: Odense is nick-named the fairy-tale city. It has been named this because Hans Christian Andersen was born there. Odense is a fantastic daytrip and is a gorgeous city.

Jutland: (Another Island. The Big One) Råbjerg Mile: A little bit away from Skagen you will find a massive sanddune in the middle of nowhere. It is a giant pile of sand that continuously moves and will soon cover the road. This is one of the absolute best attractions in Jutland. Legoland: This is an amazing display of legos and is in the middle of Jutland. It has many rides but the main appeal to most people is the fact that there are tons of Lego Sculptures and Statues. This is an absolute must do for anyone who lives in Denmark.

Århus: A wonderful city in Jutland is a place to visit just to see the city itself. It is a city that is quite old and has a feeling of exploring to it. Those are the best things to do outside of Copenhagen. Now we will wrap this up. We hope you enjoyed our guide and that you have a wonderful stay at CIS and in Denmark. Have a great time!

Enjoy your

stay at CIS and in DENMARK!