Learning is Taking a Flight

Just a few days ago we ventured over to the airport for a field trip with some other homeschoolers. The kids enjoyed going into the hangars to see the planes up close and watch a few take off.





In the training center they had coloring, historical and dot to dot plane books for the kids to work on. It was a nice addition.
      

  
  Little trooper who stayed with me and napped in the training center.
   
It’s a lot of fun for the parents too!

    

Add to your day with paper air planes, propeller science, and a lesson in the history of air travel!

Festival of Nations: Brazil

Our local homeschool group had their first Festival of Nations.  It was a hit with my kids and 15-20 other families. I highly recommend it for other groups, or families who like the idea of focusing on one area and really diving deep into the culture, geography and history.  Our family traveled to Brazil in South America via books, videos and music. Here is just some of our favorite resources to get you started on your journey!

 

The Display Board

The board covered almost everything we learned about. We featured Country Facts, Geography, Resources, Sightseeing, Rainforest and Natives. Dozens of fun facts are all over the board. I think we learned the most while making the board, as the kids had to re-research the tidbits of information to add. But how did we piece it together?

I started by looking up images online of rainforest animals, Yanomami natives, Brazil maps and flag, Rio De Janeiro, Carnival, Amazon River, Amazon Proper, Amazon Rainforest, The Pantanal, Iguacu Falls, etc. Saving the images, I resized them onto MS Publisher pages and printed them out for the kids to color.  I labeled the sections of the board, added basic line drawings of trees, a river, falls, parade float, etc and they filled in the rest. The Natives section is wood craft sticks and raffia. Most of it is colored pencil or marker.

Did you know that most of our oceans fresh water comes from the Amazon River?

Did you know that most of our fresh air comes from rainforests, such as the one in Brazil?

Did you know that mahogany and teak wood is taken from rainforests in Brazil [deforestation], endangering the hundreds of species of animals and insects that live there, as well as our air?

Did you know that the city Curitiba was built to be a global model for future cities? The most "livable" city.

Top Destinations

Rio de Janeiro

Rio hosts popular beaches, such as Ipanema and Copacabana, as sung by Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow. Just about anywhere you'll bump into people dancing the Samba or Capoiera (Judo/Dance Fighting), especially at Carnival the week before Lent. Visit one of the seven wonders of the world when you see the Christ the Redeemer statue. It is also becoming popular to walk the streets of the hillside favelas which are homes to the lower class citizens.

The long panorama is a line drawing from IllustratedMaps.info of Rio de Janeiro that I stretched to a few pages. Each child plus myself colored one section.

[Photo credit to Mystery Wallpaper]

[Photo Credit RioDeJaneiro4u.com]

The Amazon Proper

Where the Negro River and Amazon River meet, the two do not mix waters for 4 miles!

Iguacu Falls

Miles of waterfalls can be found in southern Brazil.

A Taste of Brazil

We sampled a trail mix of cashews, chocolate and coconut. We also featured "guess that food" jars with fabric lids, inside was coconut, cashews, coffee and cocoa powder. Brazil is a natural resource for many fruits, nuts and beans (cacao and coffee).

 

Traditions

The people of Brazil cherish their time spent sunning, dancing, playing music, playing futebol (soccer), visiting wildlife, and hosting thousands of guests from all over the world. Tourism and Exports of food/wood/latex/coffee are their main sources of economy, (aside from illegal drug smuggling.) Their main religion is Catholicism, seconded by African spirituality. The natives are the most unique, left almost untouched by modern society, people of our time.

After reading 123 Suddenly in Brazil: The Ribbons of Bonfim,  we did some research about the ribbons. It began as a Catholic tradition of honoring saints and Jesus by wearing these ribbons as a witness to prayers answered. Recently they've become more of a lucky charm or wish ribbon. But we had fun sharing this history and opportunity with those who stopped by! I did not order the ribbons from Brazil because I thought it up too late. So I made ours from satin ribbons from the craft store and added the words in permanent marker. Everyone got a ribbon tied on with the history and explanation on a flyer (in the resources & ideas section below entitled "Wishes for You").

Poster I made (with Patron Saints I chose reflected the desire):

 

Craft Ideas

http://www.squidoo.com/around-the-world-crafts-for-kids

Carnival Masks (eye masks with feathers and gems)

Beaded Necklaces (Colorful beads or macaroni on string)

Maracas (dried beans or macaroni between paper plates)

Christ the Redeemer paper statue (link to printable at website)

A few favorite coloring pages to get you started!

 

 

 

RESOURCES & IDEAS

 

Books about Brazil, the Rainforest and the Amazon River

Non-Fiction

Amazon River by Anne Fitzpatrick

Brazil ABC’s by David Seidman

Brazil: Enchantment of the world by Ann Flieinrichs

Brazil: Faces and Places by Elma Schemenauer

Countries of the world: Brazil by Leslie Jermyn

Count Your Way Through Brazil by James Jaskins

Cultures of the world: Brazil by Leslie Jermyn

The Rainforest Grew All Around

Rio De Janeiro by Deborah Kent

Fiction

1,2,3 Suddenly in Brazil: The Ribbons of Bonfim by Maldonado

Amazon Fever by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Grk and the Pelotti Gang by Joshua Doder

Magic Tree House: Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne

Terror on the Amazon: The Quest for El Dorado by Phil Gates

 

Great Websites for Kids

Brazil

http://www.kidscornerbrazil.org/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/brazil/

http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/brazil

http://www.brazilintheschool.org/p/brazil-for-kids.html

Check out this Virtual Tour which features one of the seven wonders of the world - Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio!

The Rainforest

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids

 

Teacher Resources

http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1080.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/

 

Nossa Turne da Netflix!

Amazon & Brazil Based Movies

Go Diego Go (TV Series)

Rio (G)

Barney: Celebrating Around the World (G)

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (G)

Three Caballeros (G)

IMAX: Amazon (NR)

IMAX: Tropical Rainforest (NR)

The Mission (R)

Anaconda (R)

The Emerald Forest (R)

 

Movies with scenes in Brazil

Jungle 2 Jungle (PG)

Moonraker [Bond] (PG)

The Incredible Hulk (2003) (PG-13)

Fast Five (PG-13)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (PG-13)

St. Patrick and the Holy Trinity

 

Have a special day with your children on St. Patrick's Day! There is a plethora of resources online, but here are some of my favorites. Why on earth would I make up any more of my own with so many to choose from?!

>> Visit this post Homegrown Catholics: St. Patrick's Day Activities

Hide gold coins around the house for children to find - with the intention that they have to clean up as they go! :)

 

Pin the Shamrock on Saint Patrick

 

Celebrate with an Irish Party - Green and Rainbows

and maybe some Corned Beef & Cabbage?

Food Fun

 

Other Ideas from…

Catholic Mom: St. Patricks Day Resources

Catholic Icing: St. Patrick's Day Activities & Crafts

Homeschool Classroom: St. Patricks's Day Resources

HotChalk Lesson Plans: St. Patricks Day School Lessons (Art, Math, Science…)

Spoonful: St. Patricks Day Crafts

 

Shamrock and Rainbow Placemats

 

THE HOLY TRINITY

Homegrown Catholics: St. Patrick's Day Activities

Catholic Icing: Shamrock Trinity Craft (all "Trinity" activities on CI)

 

GOD THE FATHER

Young children connect best with God the Father as our creator. There are so many lessons about creation and Genesis, I suggest starting there.

 

JESUS THE SON

With Palm Sunday the following week, I suggest this lesson on Palm Sunday for a lesson about Jesus.

Ministry to Children: Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Crafts on Pinterest, my favorite being the Hosanna Palms from Mustard Seeds' blog

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT

During Lent, we are preparing our souls to be worthy of Christ's Mercy. "Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" I would suggest a lesson plan on the Holy Spirit: Our Life, His Home.

Ministry to Children: 4 Lessons Plans on the Holy Spirit

Wonderfully Made CD by Rob Evans, The Donut Man (includes "Our Body is a Temple" song)

You Tube: MelSoulTree's This Body is a Temple song

 

Preparing for Lent 2013

Its been several years of the same Lenten activities. I really want to shake it up a bit, revive some old favorites, and such.  Now I have tweens and toddlers that need solid traditions. So while I'm thinking this through, I thought I'd type it out and share it with you too!

Think of Lent as a time to prepare your soul for true mercy and repentance. These 40 days of sorrow precede our celebration of Holy Week and Easter. It is a good time in the liturgical calendar to be serious with your family's commitment to your Catholic faith. But it doesn't have to be dreaded or mournful. I hope the activities you find here and elsewhere promote the lessons of forgiveness and love, which bring about joy! Make your "Faithful Friday" about giving alms, bible study, prayerful Stations of the Cross, alongside your meatless mealtime.

Gluten Free Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) Celebration

American Catholic: Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras

Activity
Brazil's Carnival and New Orleans' Mardi Gras are the same festivity that occurs the week before Lent begins. This year we are studying the (75% Roman Catholic) Brazil, so we will be celebrating with music, dancing and food! Youtube will be our first stop for watching/learning Samba dancing. And a children's movie "Rio." I am sensing the girls will want to wear the masks they made last fall.


Breakfast

Gluten Free Pancakes from Catholic Cuisine (or buy a box)
>Just add the royal gold, purple and green colors to your batter. purple, a symbol of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to signify power.
Or perhaps: Sweet Potato Pancakes, green onions and purple grapes with sausage.

Lunch

Turkey Lettuce Wraps, with Blueberries/Blackberries with mandarin oranges & Kiwi

Snack

This year we need to get dirty. We'll dig our hands into some GF DUST CAKE we spotted on Catholic Cuisine. I'll modify using A gluten free box mix, sugar free chocolate pudding and gluten free pretzels (the "arms in prayer" shaped pretzels). After the cake is cooled, have the children break it up, add some pudding and crush the pretzels on top. We'll discuss the dirtiness of sin as we eat, then wash up with our soap bottle, labeled with a quote about repentance from my post in progress HOLY HOUSEHOLD.

Supper

Sage Ground Beef with Sautéed Rosemary Red Cabbage, Apple & Onion. Mix Together - mmm delish!


ASH WEDNESDAY

Activity

  Ash Wed we begin by taking out our JESUS TREE cards. These I created a few years ago and have been a hit with many families. Each has a picture to go with the bible verse of the day. Take one out, read, discuss and hang up each day (except Sundays) during Lent.


  We will also open up a SACRIFICE BIN to hold at least one item we will promise not to use during Lent. This has been very effective in the past. It is brought back out on Easter morning!

Food
On Ash Wed, Catholics traditionally fast and abstain from meat.  Those of us on a nutritious diet know that fasting isn't for everyone, especially diabetics.  Children under 16 and those with health issues are not required to fast. So while we will abstain from meat on Ash Wed and Fridays during Lent, there are some great choices we will humbly enjoy in small portions. As you can see, these are small servings with no snacks in-between.

>BREAKFAST: Egg white omelets

>LUNCH: Cucumber Canoes w/ Tuna  from The Michalek Kitchen

>SUPPER: Salmon Patties over steamed asparagus and quinoa

40 DAYS of LENT

Loyola Press: 40 Activities for 40 Days of Lent

Bible Study
Countdowns are the most effective way to teach children when you are awaiting something. That is why we have Our Forever Tree that hosts all of our countdown activities. The Jesus Tree is a printable I created to use as flashcards during the 40 days of Lent. Complete with Bible verse, title and image. Have children hang the cards in a special place after you read them.

Something new this year, we got a sample of The Jesse Box which we will be reviewing. I am very excited about this fun pre-planned way to tell the stories of Jesus to our children in an interactive format. The paper characters are cut by the children, and slid over wood cones. I like that you can reprint the images if they wear out, or to cut again next year. We set the scene together in the quality diorama boxes, and then read the story aloud while they play. It's very family friendly.


It is very similar to the one we have from Catholic Icing which I wrote about in this post.

Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross are such a perfect tool for sharing the story of Jesus' journey towards Mt. Calvary. To aid with a visual, you might consider this Stations of the Cross Printable  I created, with directions. As you can see, we have our stations lined up in a prominant place, along with our crown of thorns, Jesus Tree cards, and Stations flash cards. The toothpick thorns will be removed and placed in the center when a sacrifice has been made, or family prayer time is kept. The purple placemat  with the Stations images and prayer is available at Sanctus Simplicitus.

Another Cross activity that was very meaningful for our children was "The Crosses We Carry." They actually carried wood crosses during Lent, then gave them new life during Easter. It is meant to be a humbling experience, and the children grew to love their dirty cross and brought it often to town. What a chance to be a witness!

For my toddlers, they enjoy matching up objects with the Stations pictures. This hands-on activity has been a favorite for a few years. Stored quickly away in a file folder and egg carton. I just reprinted and laminated the cards this week. The ones we have are no longer avail to print for free, but CatholicIcing.com has a few other options. More at The Kids Bulletin .

Reconciliation
I encourage everyone to have at least one family visit to confessions. By going together, you set a good example as parents and older kids to the younger ones that this is something we NEED to do. The activities below are great for all ages.
1st Reconciliation Activities (great for review too)
Are You Prepared? Wisdom & Virtue for the last days

Dry Erase Board: Have you children make fingerprints across a sheet of paper as a border. Write "God Wipes Away Our Sins." Laminate and use dry erase markers to write on it and wipe off clean. (from the Our Father VBS lesson)

 

 

Keeping LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013

 Hosted by Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families.
We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE. Click on the logo to check it out!

Also, you can follow me and others at the Catholic Bloggers' Network

**NEW HOLY WEEK & EASTER IDEAS will be in another post. Until then, see Holy Week & Easter 2012