Xapa to the World

Tag: read aloud

  • FIAR Vol. 1 – Cranberry Thanksgiving

    FIAR Vol. 1 – Cranberry Thanksgiving

    This book is a sweet lesson in judging others and community. We timed this right before Thanksgiving so we were well in the mindset of gratitude and inclusion and extending kindness to others. The kids loved the character of Mr. Whiskers – isn’t that just the way with kids? They often gravitate to those who adults might write-off and can see a bit of goodness in them when others just see bristle.

    I found a great video on YouTube, showing how cranberries are grown and harvested these days. We talk a lot about how different foods we eat grow – things that grow in the dirt, on top the grown (leaves and stems), from shrubs or bushes, and from trees. But cranberries defy all these! The plants need to be waterlogged and that definitely makes it easier to harvest because these plants naturally grow by boggy waterways where the berries can fall off the plant and float downstream to find new places to take root and grow. The way seeds spread is so fascinating!

    Social Studies

    This book was handy to learn more about the state of Massachusetts. When we get into the United States part of our historical studies, I plan to go through each state in order of admission. Years ago, I invested in a series of activity books Highlights published of each US state and I’ve managed to keep them pristine up to this point. I’m just as surprised as you are.

    There are many options for picture books on Thanksgiving and some day I will create a list of books I recommend for children. This one seemed to match up well with the main picture book. I include some others in the full list below.

    Math

    Baking is an excellent way to learn about volume and measurements. My kiddos were still too young to be much help, but as an introductory lesson, this book was enough.

    Science

    We see their shells and have collected our share when at the beach, but the creatures that build and live inside them are fascinating! I also found some YouTube videos of clamdiggers. One by Saltyhead right at 19 minutes. And another by The Fisherman Magazine, just over 7 minutes long. It’s neat to see the specialized tools made for certain tasks and jobs.

    Other Books

    Disclaimer: This site uses some affiliate links. This costs you nothing, but helps supplement our homeschooling costs.

    Find the complete list on and .

  • FIAR Vol 1. – Madeline

    FIAR Vol 1. – Madeline

    A classic, a favorite, my 3 year old in particular loved this book. We also have a couple of the old shows on DVD and watched those throughout the week. It was fun to continue a visit in France and have further reminders of landmarks in Paris, in particular. The Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower are the first landmarks my kids have learned and can say where they are located, which does my heart proud!

    Social Studies

    Up, Up and Away is a fantastic book of cut-out silhouette art and very pleasing to the eye as you travel throughout the city of Paris. I highly recommend this one as there are such amazing details throughout for the kids to discover.

    Art

    When I think of art, of course I think of Italy and THEN, I think of France! And there is no shortage of picture books demonstrating that reputation. At this age, we’re not memorizing artists and techniques, but it is great fun to watch my kids incorporate some of the styles into their own artwork or to recognize it out in the wild.

    Additional Books

    Hidden Hope is a book about the German occupation in France during WWII. You should use your own judgment, of course, as to the readiness of your child to a difficult topic. My kids were very interested in the idea of toys being used as a secret keeper.

    Happy to find another book about flying to incorporate as well as this amazing little story of a postman who collected rocks on his route and built himself a palace. Our imaginations were lit up!

    For this week’s poem, I chose a simple French song that I grew up learning, “Frère Jacques.”

    Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
    Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
    Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
    Din, din, don. Din, din, don.

    Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
    Brother John. Brother John.
    Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
    Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

    Disclaimer: This site uses some affiliate links. This costs you nothing, but helps supplement our homeschooling costs.

    Complete Booklist:

    Find the complete list on or .

  • FIAR Vol. 1 – Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

    FIAR Vol. 1 – Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

    I went ahead and splurged on the treasury edition that has 4 of Virginia Lee Burton’s classic stories. We’ve borrowed it from the library enough that it was time to add it to our home library. The kids love this story and the personification of Mary Anne the steam shovel. They could help me finish the repetitive lines throughout by the end of the week, and my 5 year old even wanted to say the little boy’s lines when we got to them. He said them from memory and wasn’t too far off from the text.

    We went on a train ride the last day of the week with my sister, to experience what a real steam engine would be like. Alas, it was pulled by a diesel, but the conductor had a side by side illustration of a diesel and a steam so we could see the differences. It was a super fun experience for the kiddos regardless, especially trying to walk around while it was moving and going between cars. We’re also blessed to live close a river and there used to be a canal running alongside the river throughout our side of the state. Sunday afternoon, we visited a museum with all sorts of artifacts of the time of the canal and the river boat culture.

    Social Studies

    “Superpower” has amazingly detailed pen drawings of steam trains and the various engineering aspects of it. We spent a lot of time inspecting the pictures, but the text was very much beyond our abilities. “Creekfinding” was a really great true story about a man who re-wilds a farm, describing the process of restoring a creek that ran through it, enough for trout to thrive again. I recently took an EPA class on wetlands so this really checked some boxes for me – wetlands are amazing!

    We have a short passenger train line nearby and while the engine is diesel, the engineer was happy to talk to us about the difference between that and a steam engine. It was loud, but a lot of fun to try a new way of travel. I spent a lot of time on the train when I lived in Japan, but there are few opportunities in Ohio except on novelty lines. This particular rail has several themed events through the year, seasonal and special rides for kids.

    Art

    These books are very cool, even though my kiddos don’t have the skills to draw with this kind of detail or sight. It’s valuable to see the stages of a drawing, from simple shapes to gradual adding of details and then definition and bolder markings. I almost always learn something more about art when we do these exercises and read these books.

    Science

    “Engineer it!” books are awesome! They are “super simple” and, practically, would be great for older elementary. My kids just don’t have the skills yet to do this kind of stuff on their own, but my engineering-minded 5 year old was really inspired just looking at the pictures.

    “Make Way for Animals!” was such a neat read! All about wildlife crossing of various kinds across the world. These kinds of books awaken your mind to problems that you would never know existed unless you were right there dealing with it. We’ve been thinking of all kinds of crossings that could be implemented when we’re out driving and what animals they would serve.

    The Erie Canal extended far down between Lake Erie and the Ohio River, traveling along the Great Miami River. There is a small Canal Museum nearby with interesting artifacts and pictures to view. It is such fun to learn how people lived their lives through history.

    This week’s poem is a classic, The Song of the Engine:

    When you travel on the railways,
    And the line goes up a hill,
    Just listen to the engine,
    As it pulls you with a will,
    Though it goes so very slowly
    It sings this little song,
    “I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN,”
    And so it goes along.

    But later on the journey,
    When you’re going down a hill,
    The train requires no pulling,
    And the engine’s singing still,
    If you listen very quietly,
    You will hear this little song,
    “I THOUGHT I COULD. I THOUGHT I COULD!”
    And so it speeds along.

    “The Song of the Engine” by Christine Weatherly

    Disclaimer: This site uses some affiliate links. This costs you nothing, but helps supplement our homeschooling costs.

    Complete Booklist:

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