May 27, 2009 The Study of Stories
I love to study geneology. I find it facinating to look at lists of names and dates that tell me who my ancestors were, when they were born, and when and how they died. I enjoy reading those long lists of names in the Bible and figuring out who was alive when various events took place. I even love visiting cemeteries and reading the gravestones. It is interesting to see what names were popular at different times and what each family thought was important enough to record on the headstone. But what I really love is the stories that are hiding behind all those names and dates. That's also why I love geography- it is the study of stories that are still being lived.
There are may wonderful resources available on the internet to help you start learning these stories from many nations. Harvest Ministry is even offering a complete free downloadable homeschool curriculum with an emphasis on missions. Teaching With God's Heart for the World is a two-volume world missions curriculum by Ann Dunagan. The curriculum includes day-by-day teaching plans, missionary highlights, motivational mission stories, crafts, songs, prayer projects, and hundreds of ways to incorporate a passion for the lost into nearly every subject (including Bible Study, Family Devotions, Reading, Writing, Geography, History, Art, Science, and even highlights for Math).
Everyone, in every part of the world, has a story to tell and every story is different. But no matter how different, they all have one thing in common. Your story and my story and every other story from Adam until the end of time are all part of a bigger story- HIS story. No matter how different we all may be, God can still use our lives for His glory. And even though the world may seem like a very large place, there is no place so far away that God's love cannot reach it.
For more geography ideas, please visit my Geography Unit Study page. |
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December 6, 2007 China- that's spelled with a C which rhymes with tea which we drink from china!
We are currently doing a study on Asia using the Ancient Far East kit from Hands and Hearts. This kit is fantastic! We have used some of their other kits in the past & they were more like craft kits than anything else. This, however, is closer to a complete unit study. There are mapping and notebooking assignments, Bible verse corrolations, and background info to tie the "craft" to what is being learned. (I think they were planning to revamp all their kits, but I don't know if they have gotten to that yet with everything else that has been going on. )
We started our studies of China by learning about dragons. The kit included a DVD from Answers In Genesis called Dinosaurs and the Bible. The kids really enjoyed this, especially the songs by Buddy Davis. Ken Ham is a humorous speaker who the kids found very engaging. I love how he encourages children to stand up to those who try to teach them evolution by asking politely, "Were you there?"
The dragon puppets were one of the crafts included in the kit. I found the dragon masks online because I thought they'd be a little easier for the younger ones to handle. 
Here is my son's notebook page. (He is the oldest, but he has the worst handwriting and spelling!) He still needs to write about why the Chinese worshiped dragons.
They have also made an abacus and are reading lots of books on missionaries. We usually end our studies with a meal from that country/time period, but this time we started out with a Chinese meal. I served stir fry with bean thread noodles and green tea. Suprisingly the kids loved the tea (even without sugar). I really enjoyed the stir fry. I grew up eating a lot of Chinese food, but my husband isn't fond of it so I don't fix it very often.
Here is the abacus:
We also made some "terra cotta" soldiers out of salt dough. We colored it with food coloring and added paprika to the dough. I got the recipe from Marco Polo For Kids by Janis Herbert. It is afacinating book filled with information and project ideas.
Here are some more interesting links:
How To Pronounce Mandarin Common Phrases
Online Chinese Tools - get a Chinese name, learn Chinese chess, & more
Ancient China Theme Page
Ancient China webquest
Two Emperors - China's Ancient Origins -pdf book
That's all we plan to do. Tomorrow (1/21/08) we are on to Japan. |
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February 9, 2006 Viva La Mexico!
We are having so much fun studying Mexico! Today we made tortillas- both corn and flour varieties. We even tried grinding our own corn, but decided to use store bought mesa harina for our tortillas. Our "grinding stones" were kinda dirty. We've read a few books of Mexican folk tales and some books on the history of Mexico and it's people. Here are some links to some projects and stuff we plan to get around to before we're done. And ofcourse, we are planning a fiesta!
Papier-Mâché Sombrero: To make a sombrero, you need two circles of paper about 36 inches in diameter. Mix flour and water to make paste. Spread paste on top of one circle and place the other circle on top. Mold a circle around the head of the wearer (this will take two people) and tie a string around it to hold it in place. When the forms are set, the child can remove the mold. Have them curl the edges of their sombrero to make the brim. Let the hat dry overnight. The sobrero can then be painted with tempera paint in colorful designs. Let the paint dry. Then punch a hole in each side of the brim and run a string over the back of the brim and through the holes to tie the hat on.
Cookie Sombrero: Use frosting to glue a gumdrop to the center of a sugar cookie.
Mexican poncho: Cut sides from a paper grocery sack so you have one long rectangle. Cut a diamond shape so the paper poncho will fit over the top of child's head. Have child color patterns on the sack with crayons, cut fringe at the bottom, and wear.
Maracas
Paper Ristra: In a typical Mexican market, you can commonly find as many as 20 varieties of chili peppers, ranging in flavor from subtle to fiery hot. Available in many sizes and colors, they are often strung together into a decorative ristra and hung on doors.
Woven Mat
Papel Picado: These tissue paper decorations are hung along a string like flags or banners.
History of Pinatas
Papier-Mâché Pinata
Paper Bag Pinata: an easier version for little children.
Ojo de Dios: The " Ojo de Dios" or God's Eye is an ancient symbol made by the Huichol Indians of Mexico. The central eye was made when a child was born. Each year, a bit of yarn was added until the child turned five at which point the Ojo was complete.
Mayan Math
Mayan Phrases
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February 9, 2006 Oh, Canada!
We just got done studying Canada and I wanted to share some of the things we did since resources on Canada seemed to be a bit sparce.
One of our most interesting finds was this website which has a large number of mini history movies called "Canadian Minutes" which are each a minute long. (Thus the name.) Some of them are pretty dorky, but the kids really enjoyed them. If you don't want to watch them (for free) on the website, you can order them on a video.
Our next favorite find was a book called The Maple Syrup Book by Marilyn Linton which we found at our local library. Not only does it tell in detail how maple syrup is made, but it also includes some Canadian history, science, and some wonderful activities. If your library doesn't have it, this might be one to purchase. It is published by Kids Can Press.
I didn't actually use this website because my printer isn't hooked up right now, but they have several free PDF books about the Hudson Bay company.
This is a link to a website describing a study some school children did on Inuksuks (or "Inukshuks). We followed their example and built some of our own. Very easy and fun!
We also used a coloring page on the Enchanted Learning website as a pattern to make a construction paper Canadian maple leaf quilt. If you want something a little fancier, here is a link to a Canadian symbols "quilt" you can print and make.
Finally, we tried the blueberry dessert recipe from GTG and although I thought it was a little too sweet, the rest of the family loved it. The children decided we will have to go blueberry picking this year so I can have plenty of blueberries on hand to make it often. And I know my husband liked it because he ate most of it and he's really not big on desserts. Definately a keeper! We had pea soup too, but I followed my own recipe.
I've actually been to Canada a few times, so I was able to show the kids some pictures from the top of the CN tower. What a view! But if you ever go there, do NOT eat at the McDonalds next to it (if it's still there), unless you like your burgers extra greasy. I never though anything could be worse than American fast food. American fast food in Canada is much worse! My only memory of Canadian food is a potato and lettuce soup I had in a hotel resturant in Toronto. It was wonderful, though I'm not sure how "Canadian" it actually was. I'm still looking for a recipe. The most interesting thing I noticed about Canada was the foreigners there had foreign acccents with a Canadian accent. I'd always taken forgranted that a Middle Eastern or Japanese immigrant speaking English would sound the same in any country.
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October 24, 2005 Going Brazil Nuts
Order and progress! We are starting our study of South America in Brazil.
Explorers:
CABRAL, PEDRO ALVARES
Pedro Álvares Cabral (1467-1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, explorer, and navigator who discovered Brazil on April 22,1500.
DIAS, BARTOLOMEU
Dias sailed near South America on the way to Africa, and spotted land at Espírito Santo in Brazil, calling it the "Land of the True Cross." Although they thought it to be an island, Dias was still among the first Europeans to see Brazil.
PINZON, VINCENTE
In 1499, Vincente Pinzon sailed to the Brazilian coast (at a cape he named Santa María de la Consolación).
Explorers of South America
Games and Crafts:
Gato Doente (Sick Cat)
At least 4 players are needed for this Brazilian game of tag. One player must be the cat, or gato. When the game starts the gato chases the other players. When a player is tagged by the gato he or she also becomes a "sick cat" and must hold the part that has been tagged with one hand. The "sick cats" must chase all the others until only one healthy cat remains. This last healthy cat is the winner.
The Yanomami, a group of people who live in the rainforests of Brazil, use colorful bird feathers to make headdresses and armbands.
These Grass head clowns are made at the spectacular Foz do Iguacu (Iguassu Falls), which sits at the point where Brazil meets Argentina and Paraguay.
According to South American legend, rainsticks are played to serenade the gods as a reminder that rain is welcomed. Rainsticks are traditionally made from hollow cactus wood, thorns and pebbles. This version is made from a cardboard tube, tinfoil and popcorn kernels.
Food:
meals and eating habits
recipes
Music:
songs and nursery rhymes
dance music
the roots of Brazilian music
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