One of our favorite aspects of geography is celebrating beautiful traditions of other countries, and how those traditions sometimes become part of ours. Japan’s national flower is the sakura, or cherry blossom. Every springtime, people enjoy the Hanami (flower-viewing) Festival across the country of Japan. I grew up near Washington, D.C. where the Cherry Blossom […]
Cherry Blossoms, from Japan to Washington, D.C. Read More »
When real life interrupts school, shift and think of real life as school! This paradigm shift has been 2 years in the making for this type-A, list making homeschooler! To help, read Peter Gray’s 5-point definition of play. This is from his book, Free to Learn. Carpe Diem This has been my motto since high
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These are the books we read to study the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Who knew that they most likely did not land on Plymouth Rock? Most histories do not mention why the modern-day Thanksgiving celebration is offensive to Native Americans. The last book on the list does good job presenting this side of the story.
The Mayflower and Pilgrims at Plymouth Read More »
You might not think of yourself as a playful parent. Having twins, I certainly do not remember actively sitting down with them for creative and imaginative play. They had each other to play with, as soon as they were old enough to realize it. My next two kids are 18 months apart, so they also
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Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day has me reminiscing about the week I spent on the Emerald Isle, two decades ago! Friends and I traveled around the island for one amazing week, taking buses from the Guinness Storehouse to the house of Waterford Crystal to the Cliffs of Moher. For now, we are getting as close as
Save Money with these Top Twelve Travel Tips Read More »
All the Irish people I know are super proud of their Irish heritage. So it was surprising when my friend recently found out that she has Irish heritage! Her grandmother had hidden that fact from the family. We had lots of interesting thoughts and comments about discrimination, race and assimilation. Naturally, I then wanted to
Books to Learn about Irish American Culture and Immigration Read More »
Did you know there were multiple lost colonies between the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the Jamestown Colony? We’ve all seen the Disney version of Pocahontas, and then heard it was filled with falsehoods. But where is the true story of Pocahontas and Jamestown Colony? I found wonderful living books! These tell the story of
Learning the truth about Pocahontas and Jamestown Colony Read More »
The 2nd grade US history curriculum jumped from Columbus to Jamestown. Hold the phone! Did they forget about the Lost Colony of Roanoke? I can see how that might happen with a name like “the Lost Colony.” So…..how do I know about it? I happen to be an expert at finding things to do while
Resources about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Read More »
What do you remember about Columbus from your own social studies classes? Take an honest look at the real story with these Christopher Columbus books.
Christopher Columbus Books: An Honest Look at the Real Story Read More »
Food ideas for a Lego Ninja, Japan themed Birthday Homemade Fortune Cookies Would it surprise you to find out that fortune cookies are Japanese-American and not Chinese? I certainly was! Read about its Japanese origins. But you didn’t click here for a history lesson. My son wanted a Lego Ninjago birthday party for his 6th
Easy Ideas: The Best Lego Ninja, Japan themed Birthday Read More »