Keeping it Simple

As many of you know, we’ve been traveling all over the world learning about countries, cultures and geography.  It’s been fun.  I feel that it is important to make learning hands-on.   We crawl all over our maps, dress-up, incorporate imaginative play, try to walk in their shoes and create with our hands.  Getting to experience what they are learning about with their whole bodies is so important.  Not only is it fun, it really helps solidify what they are learning about.  But there are seasons where that just doesn’t happen…

I had the grandest plans when we were going into our study of India last month.  But life is never predictable and our explorations of India were a lot less hands-on than I had planned.   My idea to make montessori smelling bottles using Indian spices(and Asian spices in general) never worked out and I quit after the 3rd attempt…  We discovered that our family only likes curry in moderation and my attempt at making Naan just wasn’t as tasty as what we could buy frozen at Lee Lee’s. (Although I’m tempted to try it again after finding this recipe.)

But oh, the books.  We loved the books on this region of the world and enjoyed our internet tour of India via Sonlight’s My Passport to India.

So much learning happens just by reading great books on the couch.  But more than that, relationships are deepened.  I have the fondest memories of curling up with my mom on the couch and diving into book after book.  And I feel warm all over as I cherish every moment I get to curl up with my boys doing the very same thing!  Reading and then discussing what we’ve read is something that can be done at any season…  We read countless books when I was on bedrest with my third.  And lately, it’s been our go-to during our latest trial.  It is amazing how something so simple can reap so many benefits! 

In liu of any fun activities to inspire you, I decided to simply share some of our couch-time favorites with you all.

The Jungle Book: Mowgli’s Story ~ I love to read chapter books to the boys.  Surprisingly, despite the ‘old English’ language, the bigger boys loved this book.  The “thee’s and thou’s” didn’t seem to phase them and they were quickly caught up into the life of little Mowgli!   We loved the illustrations in this one too! 

The Story of Little Babaji ~ Everyone loved this adorable book, even my two year old.  (He pretty well has the story memorized.)  They really could identify with the protaganist in this story.  It is the story of a young Indian boy who wears his new clothes that his mother and father put together and how he cleverly uses them to escape hungry tigers… 

Heart of a Tiger ~ My 4 year old is my animal lover.  This was his favorite book of the bunch.  This delightful tale brings some of the animals of India to life and explored life in rural India.

Monsoon ~ Since we just finished our monsoon season here, the boys found they could really relate to the anticipation of the summer rains as the girl in this book did.  It gave a glimpse of middle-class city life in India.

The Road to Mumbai ~ This fanciful story follows a girl on her make-believe journey with her stuffed animal monkey to the city of Mumbai.  The boys loved hearing about their escapades and the people and animals they met on the way.

Mama’s Saris ~ This one was my favorite.  The boys humored me by letting me read it to them.  For those of you with daughters, I highly recommend this book of a girl who longs to be just like her mama.  It explores the meaning of sari’s and when and why they chose different one’s.

One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale ~ This was another favorite of mine.  Unfortuntately it got stuck under a pile of books and we didn’t really get to explore it very much.  It incorporates rich vocabulary and cultural aspects with a simple exploration of the consequences of not understanding the concept of doubling. A resourceful village girl outsmarts a greedy raja, turning a reward of one grain of rice into a feast for a hungry nation.