The Giraffe That Walked to Paris




Two weeks ago we read The Giraffe That Walked to Paris, by Nancy Milton. We also read Zarafa, the giraffe that walked to the king, by Judith St. George. These two books tell the story of the giraffe that was given to France from Egypt. We really enjoyed these stories, and it was nice to compare the books. Essentially they tell the same story, though details differ slightly and the illustrations are very different. At the pre-k/k level, I've noticed how much the illustrations speak to the children. Adding so much to the story that is not in the text. Even Tristan gleans a lot of context from illustrations, and I enjoyed comparing these stories and hearing the children's opinions and take-away from each.

Vocabulary- Stagecoach, Citizen, Impatient, patient. monocot, dicot. Tristan and I are also reviewing what we learned throughout the year in Language. This week we played with our sentence cubes.
This is our last week of Saxon Math Lessons.
In History/Geography we learned about Egypt. The kids enjoyed making a pinpoint map of Africa.
Science involved learning about Monocots and Dicots and starting seeds in jars so that we could view the sprouting. We also learned about droughts/deserts and Giraffes.
For a field trip this week the kids came to an appointment at the Birth Center. They were all so amazed and captivated by listening to baby's heartbeat. Super fun!
Art involved drawing a giraffe, painting and making up our own hieroglyphics.




Other books we enjoyed this week:
Ms. Frizzles Adventures in Ancient Egypt, Joanna Cole
Egypt, Ann Heinrichs
Wind, Marion Dane Bauer (A science book Tristan could read)
The Story of the Statue of Liberty, Betsy and Guilo Maestro
Droughts,  Nathan Olsen
Hello, Baby Beluga Whale, Darrin Lunde

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No other gods

Exodus 20:2-3 I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. As much as idolatry is pooh-poohed  and I really know better, I still struggle to keep my adoration on Christ. I realized this week that there are certain people on earth that I idolize, put on pedestals and look at as "super". I do this with Navy Seals, and Olympians (and let's not forget Olympians who used to be Navy seals!). Anyway, the news this week about Oscar Pistorius really shook me up. I have been so inspired by his story and his determination and physical prowess. I have put him up on a "superhuman" pedestal and now I am shattered. This has made me realize that Jesus Christ is the only "superman" (thank you Cadet for pointing that out so eloquently 12 years ago) and that no human can stand up to any perfection on their own. Yes, we can achieve physical prowess, super intelligence, we ca...
Read more

Catoctin Mountain Park, Thurmont MD

Image
I'm back, after a long break. I wanted to share this awesome park with you. Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, Maryland. Located right off of Route 15 this park is just down the Highway from Gettysburg and is worth the trip! The park offers hiking for various skill levels and is free admission. The kids had a lovely time creek walking along the Blue Blazes Whiskey Still trail, which is accessible from the visitor center parking lot. They were all able to become junior rangers as well. The visitor center has a history and nature display. I've never seen a beaver that close, even if it was stuffed, it was cool!  Catoctin Mountain park borders Cunningham falls state park . Cunningham falls state park charges a small fee for parking, but has great hiking,- yes to a waterfall- a playground/picnic area by the lake; it is really lovely.  Before I end this post, I must share a picture book recommendation.  We enjoyed The Wild Woods, by Simon James this week. This sto...
Read more

Lewis and Clark

Image
" Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction " Thomas Jefferson of Merriweather Lewis This summer the kids and I have studied the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It began with our being half-way through the book on the Louisiana purchase on the last day of school. Our interest was peaked and I hated to skip the books about Lewis and Clark that we did not have time to read during last school year, so... The book about the Louisiana Purchase is titled: What's the Deal Jefferson and Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase , by Rhoda Blumberg. I would classify this book as a textbook. We read it in small portions each day. Then we read a few chapter books about Lewis and Clark and some of the other characters in the Corps of Discovery, namely, Seaman, Meriweather Lewis' Newfoundland dog. Patricia Reader Eubank's book, Seaman's Journal: On the Trail with Lewis and Clark is a beautifully...
Read more