Move past the pizza and pasta! The country of Italy has much, much more food, music, history and culture to explore. If you’re planning a World Thinking Day event or booth focusing on Italy, look no further than these resources to tap into the rich cultural history of this European nation.

Learn:

Girl Scouting has been in Italy for as long as it has in the United States. Both groups celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2012. Girl Scouting was suppressed during the 1920s and did not start again until 1944, according to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. There are two scouting groups in Italy, Corpo Nazionale Giovani Esploratori ed Esploratrici Italiani (CNGEI) (National Corps of Italian Boy Scouts and Girl Guides) and Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani (AGESCI) (Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy). Scouting is open from ages 7 through adult.

I won’t go into the wealth of historical and cultural resources out there on Italy, but here are a few activities to get you started:

• Italy booklet (grades K-5) from Teachers Pay Teachers
• A crafty cultural Italian lesson – looks appropriate for Daisies/Brownies.
• Italian songs.

Read:

Reading is a beautiful thing. Whether you’re looking for Kindle books or print editions, here are some children’s books to help you learn more about the language and culture of Italy:

Italy (Food and Festivals)

Italy (We’re from)

Italy ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Italy (Country ABCs)

Getting to Know Italy and Italian (Getting to Know Series)

My First Book of Italian Words (Bilingual Picture Dictionaries) (Multilingual Edition)

Play:

• Bandliera
• Italian children’s songs

Eat:

• If you must do pasta, make it! Check out this recipe for Orrechiette al Forno from ‘Jamie’s Italy’  
• Italian sodas
• Tiramisu
• Pizzelle Cookies (a waffle-shaped cookie). They apparently come in a number of flavors.
• Panna cotta with balsamic strawberries
• Fresh mozzerella

Or check out these Italian cookbooks online:

A Foodie’s Guide to Tuscany: Places, Flavours, Itineraries, Must Do for the Epicurian Explorer; 20 Fabulous Recipes 

Sicilian Vegetarian Cooking: 99 More Recipes to Love

And I never know how authentic these recipes are, but this book offers gluten-free adaptations of Italian recipes:

Download Paleo Italian Recipes and Paleo On-The-Go Recipes.

Swap:

Italian swap and craft ideas for Thinking Day include:

• Making mosaics.
• Decorate sugar cookies to look like pizzas since Italy is the birthplace of pizza. (I know, after I said no pizza…) Tint red icing and using mini chocolate chips for pepperonis. Add white chocolate curls for cheese.
• Make flag pins. Use recycled cereal boxes for the cardboard backing and then glue felt for the flag colors; glue a pin on back.
• Make mini gelatos.

What other Thinking Day ideas do you do for Italy? Share your ideas and pins below!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which help support our scouting adventures!