Europe

Discovering Europe was a blast.  Almost as much fun as learning with my kiddos, was seeing what they had learned from school this year, and applying it to what we were learning.  "Making Connections" my sons teacher would call it.

After looking at the entire globe and how it all connects,

We started with Russia and France:
Food was first on our list for Russia and France.  While the kids weren't interested in Russian fair, the husband and I explored a little bit.  We found this fantastic website about foods you need to try!
22 Delicious foods from Russia

We thought we would make some golubtsy (which came from russia and migrated into many other countries (I thought they were from Poland) but we waited too long and made deconstructed glumpky because I wasn't willing to eat at 9:30.  One new food I want to try from Russia are these awesome looking dumplings.  Of course I also want to try to make potato pancakes at some point in the summer too!  Bring on the Russian Flare

44 Delicious foods from France
Well we had french toast sticks for breakfast and Clayton helped me make homemade french fries for dinner.  They were actually amazing!  And gluten free! :)  Between our cabbage and sausange cooking and the potatoes frying it was like we were at the Woodstock fair!

As we explored other countries in Europe, we looked at monuments and history in addition to the food!

This week they earned Passport stickers from:
Russia: St Basil's cathedral 
England: London Bridge, London Eye, Big Ben, Notre Dam, Stonehenge
France: Eiffle Tower
Spain: Bull fighting arena
Germany: Berlin Wall
Italy: Gondolas and Leaning Tower of Pisa

In their passports the kids drew a different monument from each country.  While I'm no expert in geography, or culture or history, we all learned a little something from different countries in Europe. 
There were so many more things we wanted to cover, but we had a very busy week doing lots of fun and different things.  With the 4th of July here today, we were able to cover the Revolutionary War and England and why we fought in the war and its importance in our own History of America.

So all in all, we haven't really begun to explore Europe, and I could do a better job at being more thorough, but there was a lot to cover in one continent!!!

I'll leave you all with a few games that French Children Play:

Bilboquet

• Americans will recognize this simple “catch the ball in the cup” game. In France, children make their own ball and cup games by stringing yarn through a large bead or ball and knotting the yarn to a small hole in the bottom of a cup. Play the game by using only one hand to try to swing the ball into the cup.
  

Escargot (Snail)

• Escargot is a different version of what Americans call Hop Scotch. Children draw a snail-shaped course in chalk, with the numbers increasing toward the center. Unlike American hopscotch, children playing escargot do not use a stone or marker. Rather, each player simply hops on the selected foot toward the center. A player loses his turn if he touches any lines or hops in a square more than once. Once a player hops all the way to the center and back out again, she may choose one square as her “house” and place her initials in it. This square becomes a resting place for her so she can take a break mid-turn; other players must avoid the square by hopping over it. All players can rest in the center square. When the board is so full of players’ “houses” that players can no longer make it to the center, the player who has claimed the most squares wins.
  

Petanque

• You might know this traditional French game by its other name, “boules.” This leisurely social activity recalls British lawn bowling, or American horseshoes. The game requires a special sand surface and metal balls. Each player tries to toss her ball closest to the target ball, or tries to hit the target ball to direct it toward her previous tosses.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_5786495_games-children-play-france.html

Bilboquet

• Americans will recognize this simple “catch the ball in the cup” game. In France, children make their own ball and cup games by stringing yarn through a large bead or ball and knotting the yarn to a small hole in the bottom of a cup. Play the game by using only one hand to try to swing the ball into the cup.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_5786495_games-children-play-france.htmlB

Bilboquet: Catch the ball in the cup
Escargot: HopScotch
Petanque: Boules, or lawn bowling
(Read the above link to see the full article and rules to the games!)

Happy Learning!
Adios!

Bilboquet

• Americans will recognize this simple “catch the ball in the cup” game. In France, children make their own ball and cup games by stringing yarn through a large bead or ball and knotting the yarn to a small hole in the bottom of a cup. Play the game by using only one hand to try to swing the ball into the cup.
  

Escargot (Snail)

• Escargot is a different version of what Americans call Hop Scotch. Children draw a snail-shaped course in chalk, with the numbers increasing toward the center. Unlike American hopscotch, children playing escargot do not use a stone or marker. Rather, each player simply hops on the selected foot toward the center. A player loses his turn if he touches any lines or hops in a square more than once. Once a player hops all the way to the center and back out again, she may choose one square as her “house” and place her initials in it. This square becomes a resting place for her so she can take a break mid-turn; other players must avoid the square by hopping over it. All players can rest in the center square. When the board is so full of players’ “houses” that players can no longer make it to the center, the player who has claimed the most squares wins.
  

Petanque

• You might know this traditional French game by its other name, “boules.” This leisurely social activity recalls British lawn bowling, or American horseshoes. The game requires a special sand surface and metal balls. Each player tries to toss her ball closest to the target ball, or tries to hit the target ball to direct it toward her previous tosses.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_5786495_games-children-play-france.html