Europe: Germany & Romania

While studying Europe we had the pleasure of "visiting" Germany.... the origin of my Ancestors. My mother's maternal and paternal Grandparents were from that area (and Poland). I remember my Grandpa reading to us out of his old German Bible and Grandma teaching us how to count in German and say our A(h) B(eh) C(eh) 's .
During our study we enjoyed the "echo harp" (harmonica) and beer stein (not filled ha ha) passed down from my grandpa and the gifts our friends (Ingo's family) from Bavaria sent to us... (German playing cards, a singing polka greeting card, a Christmas Advent tree, and more.) Ingo was our family's exchange student over 20 years ago when we were in high school. We have kept in touch ever since as we have all married and started families. We keep saying that some day we will all meet up and have a reunion.... the hard part is my brother is in Japan, Ingo is in Germany, and I am here in the States.. hmmm... Hawaii would be a fun mid point! ha ha

Our visit to the Disney World Showcase reminded me how we really should visit Germany in person and get in touch with long lost relatives! :)
The kids had their passports stamped and signed in German! (If only we knew what it said! Guess we need to brush up on our German language again!)

Those Germans really know how to have a good time! We found a Bavarian Grill near our home and visited during a great accordion show! Can you say "Chicken Dance"? Love the Schnitzel! Now I understand my Grandma's inspiration in her cooking. :)

Yah.... our kids are shy... NOT! ha ha

We had the joy of bringing our friend Diana, from Romania, with us. (She was the kids' piano teacher last semester). She speaks about 7 languages and has traveled all over Europe! What a joy to have her translate and tell us about the dishes on the menu.

Later we "kidnapped" her, took her home with us and stayed up into the wee hours laughing and learning about growing up in Romania. She brought her laptop full of photos from her most recent trip back home to visit family. It was so interesting!! She was even sweet enough to remember the kids on her trip, bringing them each a traditional ceramic spoon and painted wooden "egg". She has promised to teach me how to cook a traditional Romanian dish. (I need all the help I can get! :))

We said "Auf Wiedersehen" to Germany and Romania for now... and headed off to France and Italy! Stayed tuned for more adventure!

(More photos as I find them....)

Europe: The British Isles & Scandinavia

Studying Europe was so fascinating! It was so rich and full of variety even though it is relatively small compared to the other continents.

(You can click on the slide show to the upper right of the blog to enlarge the photos for a better look at all the interesting resources.)

(France to the left) (British Isles center) (Scandinavia upper right) (Germany on back poster)

We made a quick stop in the British Isles as we studied several missionaries who came from there or who served there. England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, The United Kingdom... it gets kind of confusing with all the names for such a small area.

Our trip to the Disney World Showcase led us to the United Kingdom:

The land of Kings & Queens....

.. where the Disney staff stamped the kid's passports and signed them

"Welcome to the home of football, cricket & Robin Hood, Cheers!!"

... aren't the kilts cute?! Besides, who could pass up holding the "BraveHeart" sword!
We look forward to studying the time period of the knights and fair maidens...

Medieval castles and tales of heroism!

Our next stop was Scandinavia... Norway, Swedan, Finland, Denmark, Iceland...

At Disney World last summer, we experienced Norway... Disney-style!

We learned about the Vikings through a Norwegian water ride!

The children had their passports stamped and signed in Norwegian!

Closer to home, we visited a museum where everyone could dress up in native costumes or stand behind fun cultural costume cut outs.....

During our study of Norway, we learned to speak Norwegian (not fluently.. :)) and tried some dishes... (mostly fish and eggs which the kiddos are not so keen on at this time.)

Later we had a dear friend, Beth, share her experience in Swedan with us. She gave us some Swedish money, brochures, and maps.

We ate at IKEA (a Swedish company) and had Swedish Meatballs along with other traditional foods after we toured the store looking at traditional Swedish furniture, toys, and decor. (I will add photos as soon as I figure out how to get them off of the phone... )

Wouldn't it be fun to ride the rails and visit all of the British Isles and Scandinavia? I just love the accents and traditions. Someday...... sigh....

We can't wait to learn more!

South America: Brazil, Columbia, & Trinidad

Our visit to South America was short with a stop in Brazil and Columbia. We visited our friends from Colombia who taught us how to cook plantains (those strange looking banana like produce that tastes more like a potato...). Their sister was visiting from Colombia and brought us a traditional dessert called _____________. It was served in a half coconut shell which was a fun treat. She said it is made from milk and sugar and is cooked slowly (6 hours) over low heat. It tastes like a soft caramel and was a hit with the kids.... even the big kids! :)

We also learned a little about a small country called Trinidad in South America. Our friends from there shared photos and memories from fun times spent on the islands around there. They made a traditional Trinidadian (spelling?) drink for us which was like a sort of warm juice/tea with spices in it. Yum! We also listened to the lively dance music and shared interesting stories about the way of life there & celebrations. It is a very social society with lots of parties traveling from home to home, late night get togethers for the whole family, and an open door policy for friends passing by. Beautiful country!!

(Photos to come when I find them.)

Central America: Mexico

Our 2009-2010 School Year would take us around the world with the My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures curriculum! (We are enjoying the journey so much that we have extended the curriculum into this school year.) To catch you up on our adventures we will take you with us one Continent & country at a time.

To increase our learning and make the journey extra fun, we play "the Geography Game" to reinforce the country names and locations with each continent we visit. We also listen to "Wee Sing Around the World" folk songs from different countries and especially love the CD/workbook of "Geography Songs: Sing Around the World" by Larry & Kathy Troxel. We catch ourselves singing these songs as we drive around or whenever we hear a name of a country on TV. Fun!

For each country we "visit", we pretend to fly in a plane (one of the kids is the pilot and the other the gate agent), get our passports stamped, then dress in the native costumes while eating traditional meals and listening to the region's music. We "immerse" ourselves in the country for the whole week or two during our "visit". We read tons of books, fiction and non-fiction, which help us learn the richness of each country. It is so much fun!

We began in North America learning about Canada, Greenland, and the USA. (that will have to be another post because I cannot find the photos yet)

Next we went to Central America with a special stop in Mexico!

We studied about how people in Mexico live, eat, dress, celebrate, worship, speak, and so much more. We learned about the Mexican flag and a little of it's history.

We had gone to Disney World earlier in the year and saw the Mexico section of Epcot.

(Look for the tiny sombreros!)

The building was a replica of a temple in Mexico

Our oldest, Obi-Wan, decided to climb the stairs... from the outside!

Inside were stores, crafts and information about Mexico

The kids got their passports stamped and signed in Spanish!

At home, we wanted to really experience the culture so we planned a Mexican Fiesta for our friends and family. The kids made the decorations for the party and even planned a craft for the attendees to do (make paper flowers).

We visited a Mexican grocery store in our town to feel and smell all different kinds of produce and items offered there. The manager was so nice and gave the kids a BINGO type game to play at the fiesta with Spanish words and symbols on it. He said the children always play it in Mexico during celebrations. Some of the shoppers also helped us by telling us about the different foods. (We bought a cactus leaf but never got the nerve to cook it to eat. We just played with it for awhile. ha ha) The highlight of the trip was finding the perfect Pinata... it looked just like Nemo!! The kids had fun filling it with Mexican candy & treats.

We set up a display in the dining room with some of the fun things we collected from Mexico and borrowed from our friends. We had an authentic guacamole/salsa bowl which can also be used to grind grain for homemade tortillas. We had a metal tortilla press and a straw sombrero in addition to maracas, puppets, and more! The kids made their very own ponchos to wear during the fiesta.

We had our dear friends, the Gonzalas', come to speak about being missionaries in Mexico. We learned so much, played, made paper flowers, broke the Pinata, ate, and FIESTAed!!!
A great time was had by all!

To wrap up our study of Mexico, the kids presented a student display to our homeschool group during the Fall Family Fellowship dinner.

(They also played the piano for the talent show that night. What little entertainers!)

We aren't finished with Mexico yet, because we are sponsoring a little boy named Octavio, who lives in Mexico. We are learning Spanish so that we can communicate with him. The kids use some of their English and Handwriting time to write him letters and send small gifts. This is a great way for them to really connect with Mexico and the people.

Stay tuned for our next country adventure!!

I have joined the 21st Century!

Greetings to all!

Allow me to introduce myself and my family. I am a follower of Jesus, wife to the best husband in the world (aka Qui-Gon Jin), and homeschooling mom (aka YODA) to 2 wonderful blessings at home (aka Padame & Luke Skywalker) and one amazing young man in college (aka Obi-Wan)!

It is difficult to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world so I thought I would join the 21st century and try my hand at blogging. I can't guarantee it will be very up to date. There may be months between entries but the photos will make up for it! This is my first attempt so please be patient with me. :)

Our children have had so many exciting adventures homeschooling! We would love to share them with our friends and family. Welcome to our Adventures in Life!