Africa - weeks 18-20

The study of Africa was very interesting to me.  I think mostly because it is the most different from our own land that we've studied so far.  Although, this week we are into Saudi Arabia and that's way different as well.  The focus country for Africa was Kenya, but we learned bits about other countries as well and alot about the different climates.  We added 3 families to our prayer wall and map.   Just a few weeks before we started studying Africa a missionary family came to our church that serve in Mauritania. It was perfect timing and made it alot more real to the kids to meet them and speak with Mr. W and his son.   When we played our countries game, you better believe the knew right where Mauritania was!  Do you?  teehee.   We also added two pastors and their families from Uganda to our map that are affiliated with our church's denomination. 

For our hands-on activities, we made a royalty hanging, did face painting, and made drums.   The royalty hanging is a tradition of Nigeria and a few other nations.  Artists would make an elaborate art object to show that royalty lived there and they would be attached to the door posts or pillars.  Since we are all children of the King of Kings, that makes us royalty, so we made our own.   We chose objects that represented our family - a US flag, a seashell for Florida, a cross, our birthstones, a heart, etc.   I am editing the picture slightly to remove our last name.  

This face paint was very easy to make and use.  Simply mix hand or body lotion with liquid tempera paint.  It takes a bit longer to dry than regular face paint, but it lasted all day and was extremely easy to get off.  It wiped off with a baby wipe.

Bookgirl decorated her drum with things that were important to her and Mathboy decorated his with an African animal scene.  Little Sponge just scribbled of course, but he told me there was a tree with a bicycle on top of it! 

Here's a little video of them having fun with their drums. 

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Our Nutrilite Protein Powder containers worked great for these drums.  They are shorter than an oat container so were easier for Little Sponge, and they have a metal bottom so they made cool noise on the hard ground.

For Little Sponge's birthday Grammy gave him a Busy Box full of crafts he could do.  He's been doing one or two a week.  The crafts are pretty good for school time because he enjoys them, it helps with fine motor skills, it occupies him and he only needs a little guidance from me for most of the crafts.   The only challenge is they look like so much fun that Mathboy and Bookgirl get distracte and want to watch him or do what he's doing :)  Here are a few he's done so far:

 

I have one more picture I want to share.  One day last week for reading time, I asked Mathboy if he wanted to read to Baby New Year instead of to me.  Of course, he said "Yes" and honestly he read to him longer than he did for me, so this might be a regular thing.

It's been quite the interesting few weeks around here.  Baby New Year had Roseola, everyone except me has had some form of cold symptoms, and then 2 of the kids got lice! Amazing.  I'm still picking through all that hair every night.  So here's to a drama-free week! :)

Blessings! and Happy Valentine's Day!