Unit 1 · Families and Homes Around the World

Kai lives with his dad. That is two people. Lena lives with her mom, dad, and four sisters. That is seven people. Both are families.

A family is a group of people who belong together. They care for each other. A family can be two people. A family can be many people.

Some children live with a mom. Some live with a dad. Some live with a grandma or an aunt. Some live with both parents. Each one is a real family.

Rosa has an Aunt Luz. Aunt Luz is her mom’s sister. Rosa has an Uncle Tom too. He is married to Aunt Luz. Their children are Ben and Mia.

Ben and Mia are Rosa’s cousins. A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. Your aunt is your parent’s sister. Your uncle is your parent’s brother.

Cousins may live far away. They may live next door. Many families meet for holidays and birthdays. Cousins get to play together then.

In Mexico, Grandma Ana lives with her son and his children. She makes tortillas in the morning. Her grandson Luis helps. He likes to flip them.

Many homes around the world have three generations. A generation is a group of people about the same age. Grandparents, parents, and children are three generations.

You can find homes like this in Mexico. You can find them in India, Italy, and Korea. You can find them in Chicago too. Not every family lives this way. Many do.

In Korea, a grandmother may teach a child to fold dumplings. In Italy, a grandfather may show how to plant tomatoes. In India, a grandmother may tell old stories at bedtime.

Grandparents know a lot. They remember long ago. They can pass on traditions. A tradition is a way of doing things that a family keeps for a long time.

Children help grandparents too. They carry bags. They show how a phone works. They sit and listen. Care goes both ways.

At Rosa’s house, the dishes pile up after dinner. Dad washes. Rosa dries. Ben puts the cups away. Soon the sink is empty.

A chore is a job you do at home. Chores keep a home clean and safe. Small children can do small chores. They can feed a pet or pick up toys.

When everyone helps, the work goes fast. No one has to do it all. Helping is one way to show care.

Mia’s family eats pancakes on Saturday. Kai and his dad walk to the lake on Sunday. Lena’s family sings before dinner. Each family has its own ways.

These ways are called customs. A custom is something a family or group does again and again. No custom is the only right one. Each one matters to that family.

You can tell about your family’s ways. Say who is in your family. Say what you like to do together. Listen when friends tell about theirs.

Yuki lives in Tokyo, a big city in Japan. Her home is on the tenth floor. She rides an elevator up. From her window, she sees many other tall buildings.

Yuki lives in an apartment. An apartment is a home inside a bigger building. Many families live in one building. Each family has its own door.

Big cities have lots of people and not much land. So people build up, not out. Tokyo and New York have many apartments. So does Chicago.

Niran lives in Thailand, near a river. In the rainy season, the river gets high. Water spreads over the ground. But Niran’s floor stays dry.

His house stands on stilts. Stilts are tall, strong poles. They hold the house up above the ground. Water can flow under the house.

Stilt houses are found in many wet places. The space under the house is useful too. It can be shady. Families may keep a boat there.

Eva lives in New Mexico. The sun is hot. There is little rain. Her home has thick, brown walls. Inside, it feels cool.

The walls are made of adobe. Adobe is a brick made of mud and straw. People dry the bricks in the sun. Pueblo people in New Mexico built with adobe long ago.

Thick adobe walls warm up slowly in the day. So the inside stays cool. At night, the walls give back warmth. Many people still build this way.

Bat’s family are herders. Herders take care of animals like sheep, goats, and horses. The animals need fresh grass. So the family moves to find it.

Their home is a ger. Some people call it a yurt. It has a wood frame and thick felt walls. The felt keeps out cold wind. A stove in the middle keeps it warm.

A ger can be taken down and put up again. That is why it works for families who move. Many Mongolian families still live in gers.

The Inuit live in the far north, in lands of ice and snow. Long ago, some Inuit hunters traveled far in winter. They needed a shelter for the night.

They cut hard snow into blocks. They stacked the blocks in a round dome. This snow house is often called an igloo. The word means house in their language.

Snow can hold in warmth. Inside, a small lamp made it warmer. Today, most Inuit live in wood houses. Some still know how to build with snow.

Anna lives on a farm in the mountains of Switzerland. Her house has a big, steep roof. In winter, lots of snow falls. The snow slides off the steep roof.

Anna’s family keeps cows. The barn is close to the house. In some old farmhouses, the house and barn were under one roof. That made chores easier in the snow.

Farmhouses in other parts of Europe look different. Some are stone. Some are wood. Each one fits its land and weather.

A ger, an apartment, and a stilt house look very different. But they all do the same big jobs. They keep people safe from wind, rain, and cold.

A home gives shelter. It helps people stay warm or cool. It needs clean water close by. It is a place to eat, rest, and sleep.

Most of all, a home is where people care for each other. Bat felt safe in the new place. His family was with him. That made it home.