Read the World Summer Book Club
Asia Week
“Give Your Child the World” is a treasury of children’s books that helps your family journey around the world without ever leaving home.
Jamie of www.simplehomeschool.net has been celebrating the release of her amazing armchair family travel book with the Read the World Summer Book Club. Our family has been reading along all summer and enjoying every minute! Here are a few of the ways we enjoyed learning about Asia this week.
Inviting the World Into Our Home
Give Your Child the World encourages families to invite the world into our homes in a variety of ways.
- During the multicultural week, we collected a globe and new maps (including a shower curtain map) to add a global touch to our home decor.
- During Africa week, I shared photographs and memories with my family.
- During Europe week we started using all those maps we had collected.
- As we read about the Middle East we started using a positivity jar to encourage kindness to others.
This week we concentrated on “Place a Prayer Bowl in the Center of Your Table.”
Prayer
One of my favorite messages in Jamie’s book is that as parents we are able to empower our children to make good change.
Teaching them about the world can be challenging. Our countries are full of bad and scary stuff that weigh heavily on adult minds everyday.
While there is no need to overwhelm small children with those messages, there is a definite need to arm them with a good understanding of the many wonderful parts of our world and all the beauty it contains, so they have that knowledge in place when inevitably evil finds them.
Prayer is a warrior against evil and a champion of hope that our children can learn and use.
My kids aren’t old enough to write prayers as suggested for the prayer bowl, but they are certainly old enough to ask for God’s help for themselves and for others.
Each week we have been saying prayers specifically for the areas of the world that we are covering in our story books. This week we added a new element. Each night at prayer time before bed, the children offer up a prayer for themselves and for someone else in the world.
The prayers have ranged from wishing other children a good meal or a warm bed to a new toy car or some fun art supplies.
I’m thrilled to watch them continue to develop a sense of charity for others and to watch them begin to understand that there is always something they can do when bad things happen – even if it’s simply sending up a prayer.
Reading the World: Asia Week
We’ve been tracking the Asia Books we’ve read from Jamie’s book on Instagram using the tags #giveyourchildtheworld and #booksbeforebreakfast
Creating Global Art
Ladybug has a passion for watercolors. She paints almost everyday. Sometimes I convince her to use another art tool or medium, but inevitably watercolors remains her favorite.
Ladybug created a beautiful watercolor painting – she worked using several pictures of one of her favorite themes common in Asian art – a dragon.
We then folded the paper into a fan for her to use during imaginary play.
Bringing the World To Our Table
Ever had one of those weeks? The weeks you are so glad for loved ones who can magically show up with take out that fits your needs and gets you out of the overly complicated plans you had for dinner?
My husband filled that need this week with an awesome assortment of Chinese Take Out!
We have a teething baby in the house and this kindness may have saved my sanity and our kitchen 🙂
Exploring the Globe
Tanagrams traditionally uses seven flat shapes called tans to create shapes. This invention is believed to have originated in China. Ladybug is a huge fan of this tanagram-like game from Haba, which allows her to hammer the shapes into a cork board. You’ll note her version is not traditional and includes circles. Lewo offers an inexpensive and more traditional version of Tanagrams.
This game has been a fabulous find for us; Ladybug loves working with wood to create things and I’m excited to get her started with wood carving soon!
Singing Around the World
We found this great list of Nursery Rhymes meant to help children learn Mandarin. Here are some of our favorites!
The songs are listed in pinyin. “In Mandarin Chinese, the phrase “Pin Yin” literally translates into “spell sound.” In other words, spelling out Chinese phrases with letters from the English alphabet.
1. Chinese Nursery Rhyme – Two Little Tigers
2. Chinese Nursery Rhyme – Rain
3. Taiwanese Nursery Rhyme – An Old Train Song
Joining the World in Prayer
Asia is rich in history and culture, but oppression and poverty have also been long time companions of many Asian peoples.
“Dear Lord, please bring justice and hope to those who need it most.”
We are having an amazing time learning more about the world through the Read the World Summer Book Club!
Want to join us? You can find all the details about the club on Simple Home School!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, add the tag #giveyourchildtheworld, and share in the fun!
Happy Adventures!
The image below is perfect for saving on Pinterest!
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