World Travels England Letter

Hello Again!


The wind blew just right and we landed in England! We flew over the famous Stonehenge monument and many beautiful country cottages. When we finally landed in the capital, London, we had a great view of Big Ben. As we looked at the time, we thought about a time when people feared England.


Way back around 500 a.d. was a man named Augustine. He was sent by a pope in Rome to go to England and tell them of God's love for them. Augustine brought a team of men with him for the long journey. As they got closer they began to hear stories about the English. They heard that they were barbarians and that they would all be killed the moment they got there.


Augustine's team was scared to go any farther. After some encouragement from the pope, they made it to England. Augustine sent a message to the king about who they were and why they were coming. Do you know what? The queen was already a Christian! The team was welcomed into the country and Augustine eventually became the archbishop of Canterbury.


You really just don't know about people until you get to know them! We can't wait to get to know new people all over the world. How about you?





 

 

Big Ben Photo via wallpaperswiki.org


 

If you have access to BBC this would be a great time to watch some British television. Some of our favorite shows include: Top Gear, Shawn the Sheep, and Bang Goes the Theory. Top Gear and Shawn the Sheep can be found on Netflix and Amazon instant video. Bang Goes the Theory has science experiments to go with the show on their website as well.

 

Written by Michelle Morgan for her son

For private use only, you may print and use in your own homeschool. Do not copy or replicate without express permission. Copyright Michelle Morgan 2015

Find the rest of our series here.

 

The Jesus Journal

Today we are back into the swing of things in our homeschool. We are doing six weeks on and one week off at the moment and last week was a very busy week of prepping for the next six weeks for me. Today we are starting a lot of new things thanks to our recent supplemental order from Amazon. I am most excited to be starting the Jesus Journal, from the folks at What's in the Bible.

We have had it for a while and tried it back before we moved. Jayne was a little young for it back then and we didn't make it through the whole thing. Now that he is older I am looking forward to giving it another try. Today is the perfect day to start as a lead up to Easter. If you think you want to try it, you can get the download version and still start today.

This week we are talking about who Jayne is. Next week we will talk about who Jesus is. During holy week we will be remembering the cross. Week 4 will start on Easter Monday (here in Canada) and will be all about how we live a life in Christ. There are some fun bonus materials too and so we will do those the 5th week.

Our family has been big fans of What's in the Bible for a long time. We have the DVD volumes 1-13 which cover information from every book of the bible and the Why Do We Call it Christmas DVD. We also do the Everyday Emanuel book at Christmas. We have really enjoyed the depth that they share in such simple ways that our 7 year old can even understand it.

Well, I guess I better go get started! Have a great week!

World Travels Ireland Letter

Hello!


The wind blew us away from the big city of Paris to this amazing view! We landed at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. The cliffs overlook the Atlantic Ocean. There were so many birds! The sea birds make their homes in the cliff face. Their high nests give them easy access to food in the sea and keep them safe from predators.


While we were in Ireland we heard about Saint Patrick. He was a Christian boy in England. When he was a teenager, he was taken from his home and family and brought to Ireland as a slave. While serving as a pig keeper, he gave hope to his fellow slaves by sharing about the love of God. One day he had a chance to escape and returned to England. He did not forget the people of Ireland though. Patrick went back, this time as a missionary, and shared the Love of Christ in Ireland for the rest of his life. It is an exciting story from the history of Ireland and Christianity. 


We loved hearing stories of Saint Patrick here in Ireland. Maybe the wind will be right and we can see where he grew up next month!





 

Cliffs of Moher Photo via businessinsider.com

If you began your study in January, it is perfect timing to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in March. What better time to learn more about a great missionary and Irish culture. You can find many green goodies to go along with your study. You can also use your flag stickers, Cardline card, and maps.

Written by Michelle Morgan for her son

For private use only, you may print and use in your own homeschool. Do not copy or replicate without express permission. Copyright Michelle Morgan 2015

Find the rest of our series here.

World Travels France Letter

 

World Travels With

Written by Michelle Morgan for her son

For private use only, you may print and use in your own homeschool. Do not copy or replicate without express permission. Copyright Michelle Morgan 2015

Find the rest of our series here.

 

Hello!

Dinah and I enjoyed our first trip on the hot air balloon so much! It was amazing seeing the earth from so high up. We floated through the sky for a very long time, going wherever the wind blew. The wind brought us from the United States of America, across the Atlantic Ocean, to a huge city!


Standing in the middle of the skyline was an incredible tower, the Eiffel Tower. We saw so many cafes, bakeries, and architecture. In Paris, France there is so much to see and I wanted to see it all.


Dinah reminded me that not everyone can see the sights that we were able to see. She told me that about 200 years ago there was a boy named Louis Braille. He lived here in France. When he was just three years old, he had an accident in his father's workshop that caused him to be blind. As he grew up, the one thing he wanted to do was read. Louis left his family to attend a school for the blind in Paris.


In Paris, he was able to learn to read. The letters were raised so he could read with his fingers. There weren't many books to read though. Louis began to think of a new way for the blind to read, a way that could make books for the blind easier to make and to read. He created the Braille Alphabet Code. Each letter was made with a series of dots that are easy to create, feel, and read. Braille's alphabet is still being used by the blind today.


I can't wait to learn more about countries all over the world. They are all bound to have their own amazing stories.


Till next time,





 

Image via Nicole Codega


 

France is our first stop on our study around the world. Netflix and Amazon Instant Video should be great resources to find documentaries about Paris and France as a whole. This is your chance to break out your flag sticker book for the first time too. At my house, we put the big flag for the country in our passport and the little flag on or near the country in the book. Then we color in the country. Here are some other things you can add to make your study of France more enjoyable and hands on.

World Travels Introduction Letter

World Travels With

Written by Michelle Morgan for her son

For private use only, you may print and use in your own homeschool. Do not copy or replicate without express permission. Copyright Michelle Morgan 2015

Find the rest of our series here.

Hello!

My name is Delbert. My good friend Dinah got a very special Christmas gift this year, a hot air balloon! Can you believe it? It is beautiful, with gold, red, and black stripes. Dinah had a great idea of how to use her special gift. I bet you can't wait to hear her idea! Well, she thought we should travel around the world in her balloon. I thought it was a great idea and said yes right away.

I came up with a great idea of my own too. I knew we would learn so many new things about lots of countries we have never seen. Then I thought we should share what we learned with someone. We thought long and hard about who we should share our adventures with, and we thought of you!

Dinah and I are going to have so much fun traveling all over the world in the hot air balloon. We hope that you have fun learning along with us too. I will write again soon when we land in our first country!

 

 

Balloon photo © Walleyelj | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

 

This introduction letter is a great opportunity to share some items with your kids that they can enjoy for their whole journey. We use a play passport, which would be easy to make. We also introduced these items into our study.

World Travels Geography Series

World Travels With

Written by Michelle Morgan for her son

For private use only, you may print and use in your own homeschool. Do not copy or replicate without express permission. Copyright Michelle Morgan 2015

Welcome to World Travels! We are so excited to learn about the world with you. In this series you will find an introduction and 16 country studies. Delbert and Dinah will be flying around the world in their hot air balloon, learning about the countries they visit and how Christianity has impacted them along the way. Here are the stops we will be making. We will begin in France, then head to Ireland, England, Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, Mongolia, China/Hong Kong, Australia, Guatemala, Mexico, and finish in the United States of America. Click the country to find the post when it is available. The introduction letter can be found here.

In addition to the letters from Delbert and Dinah, we will be using several materials. You can choose to use these to further your study or use your own ideas that will spark your children's desire to learn. I will share country specific items after each letter, but the following we use in our home for all or nearly all of the countries.

 

Introduction Letter

France Letter

Ireland Letter

England Letter

Netherlands Letter

Italy Letter

Greece Letter

Egypt Letter

Saudi Arabia Letter

India Letter

Mongolia Letter

China/Hong Kong Letter

Australia Letter

Easter Island Letter

Guatemala Letter

Mexico Letter

United States of America Letter

World Travels in the Works

World Travels with Delbert and Dinah has been a very fun part of our homeschool in the past. I already mentioned that I will be bringing the series back. I have spent a long time thinking about what I want to do with it. There are countries to choose, artwork to make, and words to write. I made the decision to re-write the previous posts, add the new countries, and make it into a pdf book. I still plan to post it on the blog, but a pdf book will put all the information into one easy to read spot.

There will be some other changes as well. Instead of using photos, I will be creating original artwork for each country. Delbert and Dinah will be sharing geography from a Biblical view. They will share stories of missionaries, historical significance of the areas they visit, and Christianity in the area. Not all of these will be in every story, but I want it to be the underlying theme that binds them all together. The letters will still be fun to read and not too heavy for smaller kids. I may also rearrange the countries so they follow a more route like flight instead of the random line they once were.

It will take a while to put them all together, but I hope to post the studies along the way. Did you want to know the countries we will be covering? Here they are:

England

Italy

USA

Mexico

Egypt

Easter Island

China

Hong Kong (possibly, since they are technically part of China)

France

Greece

India

Mongolia

*Guatemala

*Netherlands

*Ireland

*Saudi Arabia

*Australia

*Starting Letter

 

*(from first series)

This would make a total of 18 months of geography letters. I hope you are excited about them as I am!

A Week of Fun Leading Up to Roald Dahl Day

I actually didn't know Roald Dahl had a day. A few weeks ago I found out that September 13th is Roald Dahl day and I knew we could have a lot of fun with that in our homeschool.

Diary of a First Child has a great list of things to do, eat, and watch. Her list includes a link to the entire BFG movie on youtube, which I didn't even know existed. We watched BFG On Monday. On Tuesday we ate peach cups for snack while watching James and the Giant peach on Netflix. We also checked out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (that's the newer one) and Matilda from the library. We are planning to watch Chocolate factory as a family and have a candy extravaganza. I picked up some peanut butter M&M's and Sour Patch Kids for the occasion. Unfortunately, Willy Wonka candy is not gluten free.

We also read The Enormous Crocodile and are reading Matilda because it is mister's favorite. We haven't read either before and they have been so much fun. The Enormous Crocodile is a quick read and is very silly. It is a great Roald Dahl book if you are reading with younger kids with shorter attention spans.



 

World Travels With Delbert and Dinah

When we did kindergarten we selected Little Passports as part of our curriculum. We really loved it and Jayne loved getting a package in the mail every month. Then we had some big life changes and knew that it just wasn't in our budget. So we finished the second half of the school year by creating a DIY Little Passports type series called World Travels With Delbert and Dinah. It was a hit with our son and with our readers.

We stopped when kindergarten was over because our little guy's interests had moved from geography to math, go figure. Below I have the entire series linked. As we near our move to a new country, geography is beginning to perk our son's interests again. So, we are considering bringing the series back. What do you think? Would you like to see us bring it back?

World Travels: Introduction

World Travels: Guatemala

World Travels: The Netherlands

World Travels: Ireland

World Travels: Saudi Arabia

World Travels: Australia

 

 

If You Give a Kid a Camera

[caption id="attachment_2056" align="aligncenter" width="770"] If you give a kid a camera, he'll capture a Lego man with the longest legs he's ever seen. He'll hear a jingle and notice the dog hopped on top of the bed.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2058" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will capture a close up picture of the dog laying on Daddy's pillow. Seeing Daddy's pillow will remind him that he has a pillow too.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2060" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will photograph his pillow. By his pillow he will see his maze ball. He will sit on the pillow and play with it till he finishes the maze.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2057" align="aligncenter" width="770"] When he finishes the maze he will remember that he was taking pictures. He will take a proud and somewhat smug photo of himself with his completed maze ball. When he gets up he will step on his Lego man with the longest legs.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2059" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Stepping on the Lego man will remind him that he has more Lego people he could capture, and he does.[/caption]

Books My 6 Year Old Loves to Read

I am going to stick with my reading theme today and share some of my six year old son's favorite books.

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

These books are his number one favorite right now. They are easy for him to read. They don't pose much of a challenge for him. They are so funny and silly though. He reads them over and over again. Anyone who is willing to listen will be read one or six of these books. The enjoyment level is high and his reading fluency has improved drastically from reading and rereading this wonderful series.  

 

Little Bear By Else Holmelund Minarik

This series is a classic and a TV show. My little guy doesn't remember the show but has fallen in love with the Little Bear books. This series introduced him to the joy of chapter books. Each book has four stories/chapters that add to one cohesive theme throughout the book. The text is difficult enough to challenge him but not hard enough to frustrate him. He loves the stories and the characters. We even enjoyed a chapter this morning from Little Bear's Visit.

 

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

This chapter book series is short and easy to read. It is easier and shorter than Little Bear. That is one of the reasons my little guy loves Fly Guy. He really enjoys all the silly adventures that Fly Guy goes on. Sometimes Fly Guy simply goes on a road trip, but sometimes things get more wild like in Fly Guy and the Frankenfly.  

 

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

To be fair he hasn't actually finished one of these. Book one was the first chapter book he attempted. He is at least five chapters in though and really gets into the story. The text is challenging for him quite often but he makes it through each page quite well. One of the reasons he has shelved this book for a while is that he really needed to feel the accomplishment of finishing books and this one will take quite a long time for him to finish. He is really drawn in by the story and characters. I think this book will be back in his hands soon because he really wants to see what happens to these four orphans living in a boxcar.

What are some of your kiddos favorite books to read? I know my little guy would love some recommendations!

The Reading Prize

One of my goals in Jayne's education is to instill in him a love of reading. I love to read and I want him to also. I taught him to read, so it is time to start instilling.

The reading prize was born!

It started off that we would give him a prize if he read. We had no idea how it would go so we basically made it 1 book for every dollar that the prize cost, a chapter book counts for 3. It turns out that the prizes were very motivating and we knew that we needed to change tactics or we would go broke in no time at all. So we modified our plan to be more sustainable.

How it works:

He reads X amount of chapter books (3 regular books = 1 chapter book) and he receives a prize. Each time the goal goes up one more chapter book.

Right now Jayne needs to read 6 chapter books or 18 non-chapter books. We realized that the price of the prize was not the key factor so much as the desirability of the prize. Now, instead of spending $5-10 on each prize we selected a Lego education minifig set. We can separate them into tiny themed sets and he can earn one at a time. The one we ordered is the community figures. We will split it into 17 separate prizes. Since we used some Amazon rewards on it we got it for $40 and that makes each prize $2.35 each. That is a much better deal and is a quality toy.So how is this all working out for that love of reading? He is reading like a maniac to get his prizes. His biggest reading day he read 10 books and 1 chapter from a chapter book. He has also been reading for fun. He loves the Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books. The rule is that it has to be a book he has never read before to count toward the goal. He has been reading these books over and over though, simply because he loves them so much. The goal is to eventually phase out the program, but for now it is really inspiring him and I can see his love for reading grow.



How have you helped your kids develop a love for reading?

 

 

The Lego Project

We find every year that Jayne suddenly changes in the last month before his birthday. It is almost like he saves all his emotional growth till the last minute. One of the things that has changed this year is his desire for structure. This led to the Lego project. He wants to separate out all of his Lego sets and reconstruct them. It has been quite a process and we are a good week into it already.

Adam has resorted to painstakingly sorting out the colors down to the tiniest pieces. Jayne on the other hand has decided he would rather just enjoy the fruits of our labor. He has become bored and has decided to just play with the Legos again. Oh well, he is 6 so it is to be expected.