Friday, February 26, 2010

From Civil Rights to Chinese New Year

February, the tiniest of all the months, is jam packed with great
topics to explore. From inspiring individuals to world class
atheletes and fascinating cultures there is no shortage of learning
adventures.
Yesterday the boys and I read a wonderful picture book entitled "Let
Freedom Sing". The text was an adaptation of the song "this Little
Light of Mine" and it provided a timeline of important events during
the fight for civil rights. It is a great springboard for studying
this time period. While we read my children discussed the people they
already knew about and I have them explinations for things we hadn't
covered yet. We had a great time singing the song and made a plan to
lookup some of the topics on the Internet.
We found this book at the library but I plan to buy it and use it as a
spin, pick a different date and event and researching it. Followed by
watching PBS specials on the topic. I could stretch the lesson out to
include a trip to the African American history museum, endless
possiblities.
After our reading and dicussion we headed out to the library for a
Chinese New Year celebration. Our library puts on this event annually
and we definitly take advantage. I'm a huge believer in out sourcing
education :). If I am not familiar with a subject I find someone or
someplace that it. The library and muesum events are my go to source.
We learned an old Chinese folktale explianing the order of the animals
in the zodiac. The children paraded around the library with their
crafts and came to a spot where the ground was covered in bubble wrap.
Popping, stomping and cheering ensued. I have to admit I got in a few
good stomps too I couldn't resist. That event was followed by a
puppetshow and a great Chinese food dinner. You have to love the
library, Edutainment and dinner!

Sent from my iPhone

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