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 […]
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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The next section in our study of American history was the Age of Exploration. We happened to be studying Portugal simultaneously which matched up perfectly! The Age of Exploration My older kids read Around the World in a Hundred Years: from Henry the Navigator to Magellan. In twelve chapters, it discusses the following explorers: Prince
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We began our study of American History with the first non-native explorers who reached the shores of America: the Vikings. Sail like a Viking Your Life as an Explorer on a Viking Ship is a fun book that puts the reader in the shoes of a new Viking recruit. It is a gentle introduction to
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Discover Finland: A Norse Land of Sisu and Sauna A land of extremes, Finland has topped the charts as the happiest country in the world for the past five years! Is it their concept of sisu, or resilience? It is due to the practice of taking a sauna, alternated with an icy cold water dip?
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The Backstory The Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated in most Asian countries at the Autumn Equinox. Many cultures have various celebrations that coincide, such as the Jewish celebration of the “Festival of Booths,” also known as Sukkot. The full moon that occurs at the Autumn Equinox is known as the “Harvest Moon.” In most Asian countries,
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