I felt sad as we made our way through Antarctica knowing our travels were coming to an end. No real people groups to learn about but an interesting place that we just couldn’t miss. We talked about the differences between the North and the South Poles. (Which I guess I never really knew till now) and enjoyed reading Mr. Poppers Penguins. We did an incredible experiment to show the kiddies just how much the layer of fat protects penguins and other animals from the icy waters of the Antarctic. We placed the kids' right hand in a Ziploc bag. Then we placed their left hand into a doubled up bag with a layer of Crisco in between. We molded the Crisco to form a mitten around their hand.
Then they plunged their hands into very icy water. The temperature difference between hands was truly startling! The left hand actually felt warm, while the right hand turned red and unbearable in the cold water.
I thought this was a really powerful observation made by one of the dear ladies on the MFW message board, “It occurred to me that the Holy Spirit does this for us.
With Jesus, we are protected from the harsh realities of the world. We can be in the world but not of the world.
We didn't tape the Crisco mitten on our hands. We had to choose to keep it inside.
Jesus lets us choose too. We have the free will to slip our hand out of it's protective mitten and plunge it into the icy waters. It's up to us. I've plunged in enough to know I don't like it in there. My heart desires to stay nice and toasty in the covering and protection of His everlasting arms.”

I am so pleased with My Father’s World and with this particular study of Exploring Countries and Cultures. God has used it to help us see many wonders in His world and His love and compassion for his people. He has drawn us close to him and blessed our hearts. So now we’ve returned the last batch of the book basket to the library and carefully put away our precious notebooks. I pondered many special moments of this school year as I removed our world map from the dining table. Memories that will be treasures of our learning together for years to come. I pray you have enjoyed this journey with us and that you will join us in the coming year as we travel through time from Creation to the Greeks.