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Wonderful Wednesday #6 - Asia

Today started with singing the Continent Song to remind us of all of the wonderful continents we have covered this summer. Then, the children learned some exciting Asian cultural stories:

 

Our stories included learning about Mt. Everest, spinning silk into thread, cleaning bamboo, harvesting rice, eating with chopsticks and using boats as transportation.

Before we knew it, it was already time for snack! Today, snack consisted of Clementine/Mandarin Oranges and Snapeas (which look a great deal like Edamame, a popular snack in Asia).

 

 After snack, we worked on our art project. This time, we made Tambourines using paper plates, yarn and bells.

 First, we decorated the outside and then we "sewed" the plates together using yarn.

 Here are some of our finished tambourines!

 

Of course, our day wouldn't be complete without lots of time outside, enjoying the sun and playing in the water (and mud!)

Making mudpies

Finding creative ways to empty the pool of the rainwater--using a bucket and a badminton racket.

Stirring some "soup" and pool time!

Loving some time playing with shaving cream dyed with food coloring!

 After a busy day, learning about Asia, we can't believe our Wonderful Wednesdays are done for the summer! See you in a few weeks for Orientation!!

Resting after a busy day.

Wonderful Wednesday #5 - Europe

 Today we studied Europe by exploring the culture of the many different countries that make up this diverse continent.

On our geography maps, the knob is placed in the same location as the capital city.

Did you know hopscotch originated in Europe?

 For our snack we made mini pizzas on bread with tomato sauce and cheese.

 Our art project was making mosaics. We had all kinds of rainbows, flowers, animals, and geometric designs.

 Today the kids discovered they could control the pressure and direction of the water spray on the pool. It was very exciting!

 Back inside we enjoyed lunch.....

 listened to some classical music....

 and learned a new song about fish and chips! A great time was had by all. Next week will be our final Wonderful Wednesday, and we'll be learning about Asia.

Wonderful Wednesday #4 - Africa

 Wonderful Wednesday #4 started by making a favorite snack of children in Africa - frozen fruit mashup. We squeezed the juice from lemons and oranges.....

then we mashed bananas and pineapple. We poured the mixture into paper cups and put it in the freezer to have later.

 Once our snack was ready to go, we listened to some very interesting cultural stories from Ms Claire. Even as an adult I have learned something new about each continent during these Wednesdays. What a 'wonderful' way for children to explore Geography!

women carrying fruit to market, the baobab tree, mama lion and cub, homes, desert, and percussion instruments

 For our art project we made a drum from old coffee cans. The kids had a blast making and playing their instruments

 We sang the traditional harvest song from Ghana - "Tuwe, Tuwe"

The lyrics are giving thanks for the harvest and go like this:
Tuwe, Tuwe, Barmia, Tuwe, Tuwe (x2)
A do fro ba, ama dowa dowa, tuwe, tuwe (x2)
Barima, tuwe, tuwe


Children in Ghana also play this as a clapping game, going faster and faster each time. Come to think of it, this makes almost any song more fun!
Here is a video of our campers singing and playing their drums:

 It was so hot outside today, it felt like we really were in Africa (minus the humidity, of course).

I thought this was a great way to cool off!!

Sweet Sisters! :) 

This Katydid was on the easel for most of the morning

a butterfly on the butterfly bush :)

After lunch, our fruit mash ups were frozen. In Africa, they pour Sprite or 7-up over the mixture but we skipped that step and served in the cups with spoons. It was so delicious and refreshing - perfect for the hot day.

These two little girls were very interested in the mirror today...

 Stay tuned for next week, when we visit Europe!