My daughter has been a Girl Scout for many years, and one of their annual activities is World Thinking Day, a time when they learn about and share about different countries where there are Girl Scouts or Girl Guides.
The first year she did it, when she was in first grade, they learned about The Bahamas because one of the girls’ grandfathers visited there a lot and had written a book about it. I think all she remembers is there’s a pig beach, but it’s still fun to think about!
The Bahamas Basics
The Bahamas, or formally the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country north of Cuba and northwest of Hispaniola (the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic), southwest of Florida and east of the Florida Keys that makes up almost all of the Lucayan Archipelago.
It’s made up of more than 3,000 islands, cays and islets, and the capital, Nassau, is on the island of New Providence. The Royal Bahamas Defense Force says their territory is made up of 180,000 square miles, or 470,000 square kilometers of ocean space.
The islands were originally inhabited by Arawak and Lucayans, most of whom were enslaved or died of diseases after Columbus arrived in the area. It became a British Crown Colony in 1718 and gained independence in 1973. The name Bahamas comes from a Lucayan word meaning “large upper middle island,” their name for Grand Bahama.
It’s one of only two nations in the world where The is actually part of the name (the other being The Gambia).
The Bahamas National Symbols
The flag of The Bahamas features a black triangle on the left-hand side and stripes of aquamarine with a gold stripe in the middle. Gold symbolizes the sun, while the aquamarine represents the ocean. The black triangle evokes the strong, determined and enterprising nature of the Bahamian people.
The nation’s coat of arms is spectacular, featuring a marlin and a flamingo on either side of a crest that shows the Santa Maria and a rising sun. There’s a conch shell and other details, as well as the nation’s motto “Forward, Upward, Onward, Together.”
The Bahamas Embassy notes the blue marlin and flamingo are both important national symbols, as well as Lignum Vitae, the tree of life, which is the national tree; and yellow elder, the national flower.
The national anthem is “March On, Bahamaland.”
The Bahamas Activities for Kids
Since I brought it up at the beginning, you’ll want to spend some time talking about the swimming pigs at Pig Beach. Between 20 and 25 mostly tame pigs live on the beach.
The Bahamas is the last known home of Junkanoo, a celebration that takes place between Boxing Day (Dec. 6) and New Year’s Day. The celebration can be traced to West Africa and involves elaborate homemade costumes on a theme, parades and parties. The Museum of Junkanoo preserves costumes and stories about the even through the years.
Adventures in a Messy Life has a little unit study for The Bahamas, including videos, notebooking pages and a recipe for benne wafers, sesame seed cookies commonly eaten in the islands.
KidsKonnect also has some good fast facts and printable worksheets. Lesson Planet has some information and lesson plans mostly for older kids, including a unit on Junkanoo.
You can also grab printable fact sheets from Starlight Treasures, or a unit study from This Kids Life (includes Google Slides) or Beyond Imagination Play (all three are from Teachers Pay Teachers).
Conch is considered the national dish of The Bahamas, though that might be difficult to cook at home. Pineapple and crabs are also popular there. Bahamian Peas and Rice might be a more accessible recipe to try, like this one from Jehan Can Cook.
Or check out some books about The Bahamas: For the Love of Junkanoo, My First Book: Bahamas, and Layah’s Island Hopping Adventures all look like fun options.
