Global Greetings Geography

Dear Sis,

I love the idea of literature based curriculum, but I learned last year that the prep work required to keep up with Torchlight was more than I can manage, from week to week. Also we do read aloud as a family for fun, so I don’t want to do too many subjects with a literature approach.

As I’m pieces together a plan for our kindergarten year, I’m finding we lack a fun engaging way to study geography material. This literature based compilation borrows some material from the reading lists of both Torchlight Level K and Build Your Library Level 0, which both have a global theme.

This elementary program can be used for a single student or as a family. Adding the optional cookbook, and using it on the weeks when time allows, will greatly enrich your family experience. In addition to the books below, the curriculum schedule includes prompts for an eight week family geography/history journaling project.

The text: Books will be labeled as consumable (one per student), spine (plan to purchase for reoccurring use), single use (can be borrowed from library to cut cost).

A Story Series (single use)

Greetings from Somewhere by Paris Harper, is an illustrated chapter book mystery series. Ethan and Ella bring adventure into your home as they travel the world with their parents, for their mom’s job as a travel writer for the local paper. Each book can be read in one or two sittings. Your upper elementary students can take turns helping with the reading too! Over this 36 week program we will read all ten books in the series.

Collection of Folktales (spine)

A Year Full of Stories: 52 folktales and legends from around the world by Angela McAllister, provides short stories arrange by the twelve months of the year from a wide variety of places and cultures. Many of the stories cover various holidays from around the world.

The Atlas (spine)

We have the 4th (2013) edition, of the Kids World Atlas by National Geographic, because we got a great deal on it. The layout is consistent between additions, so the 5th (2018) or 6th (2021) editions will work too.

Update: March 19, 2022

I was able to preview the 6th edition, thanks to our local library. Here are the main changes that aren’t cosmetic or stat/map updates!

A two page spread was added in the Physical World section addressing Endangered Species.
A two page spread was added in the Political World section addressing human Migration.
The East Africa spread was divided into two spreads: Eastern and Central Africa.
The games in the back of the book have been removed.

Please note that page numbers on the schedule will be a bit off with newer additions, so work by content instead of page numbers. Also, the games for the final week will not be available to those with newer text.

The Consumable

Ultimate Sticker Book: Flags Around the World by DK

The Cookbook (optional spine)

Cooking Class Global Feast!: 44 recipes that celebrate the world’s cultures by Deanna F. Cook

This is a 36 week homeschool program. We prefer to do all the weekly activities on a single day, but it can be broken into two or three small portions each week, if that is preferable to your family. Print the schedule to get started.

Global Greetings Geography Curriculum Schedule PDF

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

Quilting for Your Kids

Dear Sis,

My craft closet got a good clean out this past week. That is when I realized I still had not backed the cross stitch baby quilts Dad’s mom made for your kiddos. I stopped at the quilt shop to find perfect calico for the job. I hope you like how they turned out!

Grant’s Quilt

Eve’s Quilt

Grant’s Wall Quilt

Since my winter visit, when we personalized your kids rooms, I’ve know I wanted to make a wall quilt for Grant! It will go with all the colors in his room and help add color to that big blank wall across from the bed! Besides every homeschool family needs a world map somewhere:)

I top stitched all the longitude lines.

I can’t wait to see it hanging on the wall in his room:)

Love,

Music Appreciation – Latin

Dear Sis,

This is the seventh of ten parts in our Music Appreciation lesson plan series. If you are just finding us now, the text that corresponds with these lessons is Music is… by Stephen T. Johnson.

Latin Music

A note for parents: Many Latin genres pair music and dance. When a listening sample features a style of music that is also a dance, a video sample is provided in an attempt to bring as much authenticity to your learner as possible.

Week Twenty-Three

Approximately 20 minutes

Read playful narration “Latin is…” text.

Encourage your pre-reader to try to repeat the song and sing along. Being silly with your kids is a great way to catch their interest.
If you have multiple learners you can make a game of it and see who can give the best performance by family vote

Watch Exploring Latin Music movie.

Listen to Sample One: “Mambo No. 5” by Perez Prado (mambo/cha-cha-cha/big band)

Watch The Mambo. This video features “Mambo No. 8,” also by Perez Prado.

Watch The Cha-Cha-Cha. This video features “Ritmando Cha Cha Cha by Orquestra Riverside.

Week Twenty-Four

Approximately 20 minutes

Read “LATIN” history text.

Listen to Sample Two: “Anuas de Marco (waters of March)” by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina (bossa nova/Latin jazz)

Listen to Sample Three: “Volver Volver” by Vicente Fernandez (mariachi/ranchera)

Watch The Instruments of Mariachi Music video.

Week Twenty-Five

Approximately 25 minutes

Listen to Sample Four: “Oye Como Va” by Carlos Santana (Chicano rock/soul)

Listen to Sample Five: “Bamboleo” by Gipsy Kings (rumba/flamenco)

Watch The Rumba. This video features “Faded” by DJ Ice (Alan Walker Cover)

Watch The Flamenco.

Week Twenty-Six

Approximately 15 minutes

Watch and listen to Latin American Instruments video.

Pause the video as needed to read the text to your learner.
Do they recognize any of the instruments from the other listening samples and/or videos?

Listen to Sample Six: “Baila Esta Cumbia” by Selena y Los Dinos (tejano/cumbia)

Please tell us about your experience in the comment section. Stay tuned for the eighth installment: Pop (Weeks 27-30).

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

A New Coat of Paint

Dear Sis,

January marked the four year anniversary of the purchase of our home. Since that time, I’ve been planning to brighten up the master bedroom, but was always too busy with babies to bother.

The timing still wasn’t perfect, but with a new carpet install marked on the calendar, it seemed like a now or never kind of thing.

The kids and I spent the afternoon Thursday, moving the furniture into the center of the room, masking, patching, and sanding.

Our masking was so through we didn’t get any paint on the carpet, which makes me realize it is possible to paint the hallway, despite the new carpet. Good prep work goes a long way!

We brought paint Friday after swim lessons and got right to work. The difference in the two colors is striking!

I purchased single coat paint, hoping it would save me a day of painting, but alas it didn’t quite cover. Additionally, the transition form flat to satin finish revealed a whole new layer of defects that needed to be patched and sanded. That task was tackled on Saturday, along with completion of the accent wall.

Josh wasn’t home while we painted, but when he got home he asked me, “Did you know one of our walls in white?” He doesn’t love it as much as I do! In his defense, accent walls are usually the bold color and the neutral is usually for the remaining walls:) I made this design choice because I wanted a light aqua color in our room, but also knew it clashed with the colors in our wedding guest book wall art.

We purchased an additional gallon of paint Sunday morning, so we could do a second coat. It was nice that Home Depot reduced the price of our second gallon because the single coat didn’t workout, which was nice.

Late Sunday, I we removed all the masked and put everything back in its proper place.

The new carpet went in Wednesday and Thursday. The light color added additional brightness to the space. It’s the tropical oasis I was going for!

Completing this project made me thing of several more I’d like to tackle in the coming years!

Patch and repaint the light yellow walls in the living room.
Paint the hallways something light that isn’t orange!
Patch and repaint the master bath light yellow because it will go with the new bedroom color and the current decor much better. I even want paint the golden oak cabinet dark blue and add a shelf above the toilet like we did in the first floor half bath last year.
Repaint the kids bath and change the miss-match decor to a collection of butterfly decor I collected for Charlotte’s room before we decided to do a piggy/farm theme.
Paint all the closets white inside, repaint any doors and trim that need a fresh coat.

How is it that checking one project off a to-do list always seem to be followed by adding five more projects!?

Love,

Godey’s Volume 71, July-December, 1865

Dear Sis,

This is the final post in our ladies book pattern campaign!

Fancy Crochet Trim

Mitts to Wear Over Gloves in Knit

Lady’s Jacket in Crochet

Little Girl’s Knit Cape

Fashionable Earrings

Handle for a Riding Whip in Crochet

Notes: I made this for a friend, whom is a period rider. Unfortunately, I didn’t write down the pattern at the time. But, hopefully these notes will be of some assistance.

- Take a 2 – 2.5 inch piece of elastic. Cut it long enough to fit over hand, and rest nicely or a little loose (as you are going to crochet over it) at the wrist.
- Sew the elastic together, with some long stitches. I didn’t overlap my elastic, I didn’t want a chunky feel. So, I did some long stitches that smashed the two edges together. Don’t sew close to the edge, because that wouldn’t hold.

Take silk lace yarn, and double crochet a band that is big enough to stretch over the widest part of your hand. Make it twice as wide as the elastic. You can work in the round, or sew it up the side.
Fold in half, put in the elastic, and do a single crochet row to close the band over the elastic.
Swap colors, and do a row of single crochet and chains that are a size you like.
Single crochet the next round, putting enough stitches into the chains for a nice look. Make sure you have an odd number of stitches in the chains, as you need a center stitch for the chevron.
Over the next few rows, you are going to do a chevron. That means 3sc in the center stitch of the loop that you made from the chain. Then you are going to crochet three stitches together in the valley. The last stitch of the chain loop, the sc between it and the next loop, and the first stitch of the next chain loop. Repeat row as many times as you like.
Make a simple braid or other style of cord that isn’t particularly stretchy. Tie the center of it into one of the loops. Add tassels to one end.
Godey’s 1865 Crochet Handle for Riding Whip