McDonalds Passport to Play introduced these fourth and fifth graders to a variety of international games and activities during Wednesday's visit to Washington-Wilkes Elementary School. Washington-Wilkes Elementary School students got a chance to play the way kids in other countries play Wednesday as a national Mc- Donald's educational event came to Washington.

"Janie Cravens of our Washington McDonald's nominated us," said W-WES Principal Wanda Barton Jenkins. "But we didn't realize what a big deal this was. We're one of only 50 schools nationwide that was selected to receive a McDonald's Passport to Play Day, and the only one in Georgia."

"I thought this was such a fun educational program that McDonald's offers," Cravens said, "and I wanted to bring it here to our wonderful children to enjoy."

The Passport to Play Day event brought games from around the world to the school Wednesday morning. The all-morning multicultural learning experience focused on teaching students how to play games that kids in four other countries play.

Jenkins said her teachers were familiar with the developer of the program's curriculum, Scripps Research Institute, from other school curriculum developed by the institute. Passport to Play was developed in consultation with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), The Scripps Research Institute, the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the U.S. Olympic Committee, along with Kaleidoscope Education Support Group, a company dedicated to bringing experiential learning programs to children, and the Kaleidoscope's Advisory Board of teachers and school administrators.

With Passport to Play, children will engage in physical activities and playground games from around the world, while learning more about the culture and country where the activities originate. Activities come from 11 countries including Australia, Colombia, Holland, Russia, Africa, China and Thailand, among others.

McDonald's Passport to Play Day is a national tour. Since 2005, the program has been accepted in 40,000 public elementary schools reaching over nine million school children across the U.S.