This blog is a way to examine my many adventures as I try to make the most of this life, and teach my boys how truly magical every moment can be. We may have ups and downs, but either way we are learning through exploration. My job is to try to make learning enjoyable so they always have a thirst for it.
Yesterday, at the Portland Japanese Gardens, we celebrated O-Shogatsu New Year Festival! "A" and I have been studying Japan a lot this year because my sister moved to Okinawa last year. We have had fun receiving care packages from her and researching here at home. You can see our Japan Lapbook in my post here. When I saw the New Year Festival I knew we had to go.
I don't know what the arraignment represents but my sister says all her neighbors have the same thing on their doors.
We had a great time. They offer a scavenger hunt for young kids with pictures of garden features. For the festival we saw a calligraphy demonstration, "A" got to write in Japanese "New Spring", and I got to try some traditional Matcha (Green Tea) with sugar cookies made in the traditional Japanese way and served by kimono wearing ladies. I love introducing the boys to different cultures and am so lucky to live in an area where that is a possibility. Not to mention by learning about Japan it makes us feel a little closer to Aunt Katie!
ShiShi Dogs
Zen Garden
Learning Japanese Calligraphy
New Spring (or close too ;o)
Making Green Tea
Kimono in motion
I love these Cherry Blossom buds hanging on during Winter
I had mentioned in earlier posts that my sister moved to Okinawa, Japan this year. She reconnected with a high school friend who was stationed over there and they got married over Christmas time. "A" and I have really missed his Aunt. We have had fun learning about Japan and getting fun gift-boxes from her with Japanese toys and coloring books-oh and lots of really weird chips and candy! This week we got the best gift of all from Japan-she is home visiting for 5 weeks!!!
My sister is always one to come bearing gifts and she bought "A" this cool picture book called Miki Mongoose and the Boy From Itoman by Clemente. We even got a plush Miki Mongoose to go along with the story. It is a cute story told in both English and Japanese about Miki, his parents, his best friend Hiro (a habu-snake in Japanese), and a boy name Kazuma. In the story the group travels from the Shuri Castle to Futenma Shrine. At the end of the book are photographs and facts about the two locations that are in Okinawa. Now I just need to come up with the money to visit her and the temples for myself. A girl can dream!!! What can I say... it is good to have my sister home-"A" thinks so too!
I discovered lapbooks back in February. I can't get enough of them. The homeschooling community uses these as tools for their curriculum. I may not homeschool, but I find them perfect for supplemental learning with my preschooler. A lapbook is a folded up file folder that you put pocket books studying a theme in. One of my favorite things is how you can have a keepsake of your learning that touches all subjects in one folder. I get almost all of my lapbook ideas and printables at Homeschool Share, an amazing free resource. There are tons of websites and ideas out there if you Google lapbooks, I just think Homeschool Share is the best. The ideas are endless and it's fun trying to find ways to be creative and add more to the lesson.
I wanted to include some of the lapbooks I have done with "A". I have done more than the ones included but they were a study on holidays, so I will save them for other posts. I hope this gives you an idea of what lapbooks are and what you can do with them. To get started on how to make a lapbook watch this YouTube tutorial.
No supplemental text for this one, since it is just about your little one.
These are the ones we have done so far. Phew, that was a lot!!! I am trying to find ways to incorporate these into my classroom with older children. I think lapbooks may be a fun way organize and teach social studies units. I am thinking in particular The Colonies, Native Americans, Revolutionary War, etc. Let you know if I complete one. They also have them for older children literature studies. In fact, "A" and I are doing one now for our read-aloud of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
A note on storing these bad boys: They are pretty compact but they can pile up. I have seen some people put duct tape on the edge and then three-ring hole punch the tape. I don't really like that. I think it takes away from the look of them. Let's face it, duct tape is ugly (except the cool new ones in craft stores). I saw one person who didn't keep them in a lapbook form but put each individual page in a plastic page protector, so all the books where in a binder. I like that idea and may switch to it later on down the road. I tried to put them in the page protectors as they are now and they don't fit, so I need to do some problem solving...another day!
