One of the most critical things international educators can do is to teach people - especially children - about different places, cultures, and people.  Here on Wandering Educators, we scour the internet for ideas, sites, products that can help with international and intercultural education. Have we found a great one for you!

Little Passports  announces the launch of its first product, a subscription-based monthly mailing that revolutionizes the way children are inspired by, and learn about, other countries and cultures. Delightfully different, a Little Passports subscription surprises children each month, inspiring them to become global citizens.

“I'm incredibly proud to be part of Little Passports. There‟s never been a more important time than now to help children learn to appreciate the differences across countries and cultures,” says Little Passports co-founder, Amy Kanter. “We listened to parents every step of the way and have created a truly innovative product that combines the best of the online and offline worlds to entertain and excite today‟s children.”

We recently received our first month of Little Passports, and our 6-year old daughter was more than elated. EVERYTHING was dropped and we hurriedly opened the package. For the first month, each child gets an attractive "suitcase" that she can personalize. Inside is a passport, world map, personalized letter from Sam and Sofia, word games, stickers, and a boarding pass that allows access to fun games on the Little Passports website. Our daughter LOVES LITTLE PASSPORTS!

She says:
"The best thing about it is that it comes with a map. You also get your very own passport! This was really fun. This was my first package and it comes in a little suitcase. There is a story that tells you all about how Sam and Sofia travel. I wish that there was more. I can't wait until next month!"

We were lucky enough to sit down and talk with Amy about Little Passports, helping others, learning, and more. Here's what she had to say...

WE: Please tell us about Little Passports...

AK: Little Passports surprises children each month when they receive a package in the postal mail from their globe-trotting friends, “Sam” and “Sofia”. Introducing a new country every month, each package includes a personalized letter from Sam and Sofia describing their in-country adventures along with several souvenirs and activities that bring the country to life and provide a tactile learning experience. Also included each month is a collectible boarding pass containing a secret access code. Children use the code to gain entry into a fun-filled and enriching “Boarding Zone” full of country-specific games. During the first year, children “travel” with Sam and Sofia to countries such as Japan, Brazil, Mexico, China, France, Australia, Egypt and South Africa.

WE: What was the genesis of Little Passports?

AK: Little Passports is founded by two moms who are consumer internet industry veterans.  We each have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to follow our life's passion: to help raise a generation of global citizens.  Amy grew up moving every three years from England to America and too often met kids who didn't know where Europe, let alone England was located. Stella grew up in Oakland in a household rich with Chinese traditions and benefited from the multicultural diversity of the Oakland public schools.

We began researching products on the market that expose kids to other cultures and saw a real need for a product that is fun, interactive and hip. We remembered the joy we had as children when we received a package in the mail and decided to develop a product that combines the surprise of a "snail mail" package with the sophistication of an online interactive experience. Hence, Little Passports.

WE:  What sorts of things are in each month's kit? How many months/kits are
available?

AK: Each kit includes a personalized adventure letter from Sam and Sofia, souvenirs and stickers, an activity sheet and a secret boarding pass with access to online games.  Example souvenirs include Putumayo music CDs, a world maps, passports, local currency and origami kits.

The subscription begins with the Explorer Kit and then moves on to Brazil, Japan, France, Egypt, Australia, Mexico, China, India, Germany, South Africa and Argentina.  We'd like to eventually develop 24 months of adventures.

WE: Kids love to learn - how does this help facilitate global learning?

AK: We want Little Passports to be the beginning of a lifelong love of learning about other countries and peoples.  We believe that if children are interested and excited, on their level, they will be inspired to learn more.  With that in mind, we designed Little Passports to be fun at every step of the way, to be modern, hip and current and to teach kids about the subjects they find interesting.

WE:  How can kids learn to give back?

AK: Little Passports is proud to donate 1% of its sales to non-profits working to improve the conditions of children around the world such as SOS Children‟s Villages - USA and Ubuntu Education Fund. These partnerships will benefit children abroad as well as Little Passports customers who learn about the daily lives of children in other countries. “Little Passports offers children a „ticket‟ to cross-cultural understanding,” says SOS CEO, Heather Paul. “For SOS this means that we are helping to raise a generation of youths who care about others in far off places, and who are generous of spirit. Little Passports is a wonderful example of values-based learning that is just plain fun!”

In the future, we hope to work with these partners to develop content that will further educate kids about the lives of children in other countries.

WE:  Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

AK: We design Little Passports based on parent and child input.  Please send us your thoughts at feedback[at]littlepassports dot com

WE: Thank you so very much, Amy! We LOVE Little Passports and commend you on creating such an important and extraordinary way for kids to learn about the world.

This product has been developed to capture the imagination and interest of children six to ten years of age. Each subscription, including mailings and online games, is priced at $10.95 per month and is available exclusively at littlepassports.com.

About Little Passports, LLC
Little Passports is a ground-breaking and socially responsible company dedicated to inspiring children to become global citizens. The company, based in San Francisco, CA, is founded by two e-commerce veterans who are moms committed to developing educational, entertaining, innovative and affordably priced products.