Friday, March 18, 2011

Passport to India

This month our Geography Club is sailing to India -- figuratively, of course.

Last month we covered subSaharan Africa, and our meeting included a delightful visit from Leslee and her children, including the three adopted from Ethiopia. Our own family's explorations included, but were not limited to:

GeoToys Africa & The Middle East GeoPuzzleGeoToys Africa & The Middle East GeoPuzzle
Lots of African folktales pulled from the library -- like Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock. Fact: There is an abundance of Anansi stories in this world.
Watching Families of Ghana (Families of the World). We've discovered this series at the library and LOVE it. It's such a great way to get a glimpse at how a "typical" family of any given country lives, and each video is narrated by two children.
Eating at Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant (No utensils! So yummy! And spicy!)
We All Went On SafariLearning to count in Swahili using Moja Means One and We All Went On Safari
Coloring each country we read about on a printed map of the continent
Listening to Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Waiting for Africa: The Serengeti to come from Netflix. Not sure whence the backlog.

Oh, and the Professor and I watched Invictus. Not really for the kiddies, you know?


So, now it's on to India. So far we've enjoyed:

Taj Mahal (I had no idea such a beautiful romance gave birth to this monument!)
Balarama: A Royal ElephantBalarama: A Royal Elephant (LOVE the husband-wife collaboration on this book)
Peacock's Pride, The
Gandhi
Relevant pages from Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World
Families of India (Families of the World) DVD (Same series as the above)

Eating at Curry in Hurry (how endearing is that dropped article?) and browsing its adjacent grocery. (Spicy again!)

I'd love to find some saris for the girls to try, or henna for their hands, or some other cool craft.

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?

4 comments:

Danica Newton said...

I'm watching 'The Story of India' right now, it's a 6 episode series by PBS on Netflix. Only watched ep. 1, but so far have learned a lot about its origins! Very interesting, covers science (they looked at the DNA of the people there), archaeology (of course), religion, politics, and ties in India's history w/ world history. Not sure how old your kids are? It might be above their heads, but you might find a segment or two to reinforce your teaching. Your geography unit 'Around the World' sounds like fun! Did you know that the summer reading theme for libraries this summer is 'Read around the world'? At least, ours is, and I think we follow a national program. Enjoying reading your blog :)

Raji P. said...

Hannah, I'm back. I have lots of clothes & jewellery for kiddos < 7. Let me know if you want to have a cooking day.

Galex said...

Thanks for putting me onto the "Families of the World" series! I'll be checking those out.

Vanessa said...

very cool. Geography club sounds like hit!