Hands-on Archives - Eva Varga

Where did the summer go?  I completely forgot to summarize our activities each week during our unit study Explore Our World : AFRICA.  We were actively engaged in a variety of learning activities but as the summer progressed, other obligations began to conflict with our plans and my neighbor and I were not able to get together as often.  Not surprisingly, I also neglected to take many photos!

Week 3 :: Western Africa

• Key Points – Region more diverse ecologically than Northern Africa.  Many European nations had colonies in this area.  The cultures are more settled (as opposed to nomadic) and thereby agricultural cultures dominate.
• Read aloud Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears by Verna Aardema and created a crayon resist of a savannah animal
• Did a comparison (Venn diagram) of Little Red Hen by JP Miller and Talking Vegetables by Won-Ldy Paye & Margaret Lippert
• Discussed the meaning of onomatopoeia
• Sampled cassava chips
• Began a mini-book of African animals
• Played several games of Mancala
• Enjoyed listening to music from Western Africa with African Playground CD.

Week 4 :: Western Africa, cont.

• Key Points – Slavery was once prominent here –> huge impact on economy –> formerly rich region now poor.  Masks are a key component/feature in festivals and ceremonies.
• Read aloud In the Rainfield by Ann Grifalconi, Mrs Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile by Won-Ldy Paye, Talk Talk, Why the Sky is Far Away and Anansi and the Talking Melon
• Painted an animal in Naïve style of Ghana and read aloud Man Who Painted the Sky (illustrated in a similar style)
• Began a mini-book of African style homes
• Cooked Benne Cakes (a recipe from the Malinke) and sampled dates and chocolate from West Africa
• Enjoyed listening to music from Western Africa with African Playground CD. 
• Watched a Schlessinger media video on Ancient Africa.

Weeks 5 & 6 :: Eastern Africa

• Key Points – Animal / Wildlife Reserves prominent in Eastern Africa.  Water is a valued resource for life.  Differences and similarities among daily use of water in Africa and in the United States.  Mt. Kilamanjaro.  Lake Victoria – source of the Nile River.  Madagasgar has unique (endemic).
• Did a water comparison study.
• Read aloud Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Trouble, The Good Lion, Young Mouse and the Elephant, The Lonely Lioness, Rain Makes a Monkey of Lion, We All Want a Safari, Count Your Way Through Kenya and Kenya A-Z
• Enjoyed listening to music from Western Africa with African Playground CD. 
• Created beaded bracelets inspired by Maasai.

Week 7 :: Central Africa

• Key Points – Ethiopia considered the cradle of civility, so many fossils, etc.  Birthplace of coffee.  Region is dominated by rainforest.  All countries are former colonies of European countries.
• Played a thumb piano or mbira on PBS Kids.
• Read aloud The Elephant’s Wrestling Match
• The kids wrote their own African fable.
  

Week 8 :: Southern Africa

• Key Points – Apartheid.  Nelson Mandela.  Desmond Tutu.
• Read aloud Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, A Child’s Day in a South African City, Marriage of the Rain Goddess, Count Your Way Through Zimbabwe, The Girl Who Spun Gold
• Put together lapbooks with all the mini-books we had begun

This past week, we focused upon the countries in Northern Africa.  In doing so, we learned that the countries in the northern region of Africa are characterized by the desert biome and thereby many of the cultural groups that reside in this area are nomadic.  As such, for many, cattle are very important in their lives.

We also discovered that along the coastal areas, the populations are very dense and as you proceed south, the populations become more sparse due to the climate and environmental conditions (desert).  Throughout the first centuries (633-732 AD), Arabs spread their culture and religion across the northern countries and even into the southern parts of Spain.  To this day, their influence is very strong though Christian and Jewish faiths are also prominent.

Africa Unit Study :: Week Two

Listed below are the key activities we coordinated for the second week of our study. Join me each week as I outline the many hands-on activities and projects we implement to introduce the kids to the beauty and culture of Africa.

• Read aloud Living in the Sahara by Nicola Barber, Houses & Homes by Ann Morris & Ken Heyman, and A is for Africa by Ifeoma Onyefulu
• Read about the Tuarag of the Sahara
• Began a flip-book illustrating many of the cultural groups of Northern Africa (Tuarag, Berbers, Copts & Nubian)
• Illustrated on a map the cultural regions of a variety of ethnic groups in Northern Africa
• Prepared a few Northern African recipes:
  • Saffron & Raisin Couscous (National dish of Algeria)
  • Carthagenian Flank Steak (Morocco)
  • Chick Pea Tagine (Morocco)
• Discussed differences between soils (potting soil/dirt, clay, and sand) and took part in a soil erosion experiment

My neighbor is a retired teacher and the grandparent of two girls the same age as my children. This summer we are venturing on a journey through the continent of Africa together; team-teaching a variety of lessons to engage our kids in the culture and geography of the continent.

We will meet three mornings a week for approximately 90 minutes. In that time, we will do a variety of activities that will incorporate the art, language, music, science and history of the region. Each day, the children will also journal about what they learned each day in illustrations and words.

This first week, our focus was to introduce the kids to the 7 continents, assuring they were able to locate each on a globe and printed map. We also discussed the overall geography of the continent of Africa – emphasizing the three main ecosystems in Africa (savannas, deserts, and rain forests). While the kids worked in their journals or between activities, we also introduced the kids to African music.

Africa Unit Study :: Week One

Listed below are the key activities we coordinated for the first week of our study. Join me each week as I outline the many hands-on activities and projects we implement to introduce the kids to the beauty and culture of Africa.

• Overview of the 7 Continents
• Practiced identifying Africa on the globe & on a printed map
• Shared what we know about Africa and what questions we have
• Salt Dough Map of the African Continent (MeiLi’s is shown above)
• Put together a floor puzzle of the world, identifying the continents as we did so
• Read aloud Atlas of Africa by Karen Foster and Africa by Mary Lindeen
• Drew a map of the continent showing the three major ecosystems (Savannah, Desert & Rainforest)
• Listened & danced to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

Ready for more? Jump over to see what we did during week two.