Review: Away We Go Media: If You Were Me (children's books)

This fall our school has been inadvertently themed towards missionaries and international studies. It's been a theme we have thoroughly enjoyed, so this review fit in quite perfectly. This series of children's books from Carole P. Roman focus on the experience of growing up in other countries around the world. We had the opportunity to receive and review these four books, geared to anyone under age 10 (but really my 11 and 12 year old enjoyed them too).

The books we received included:

• If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in France $8.99
• If You Were Me and Lived in Norway $8.63

All of the books are under 30 pages and the word counts (per two-page spread) ranged from 10 to 60 words.  The reading level is about 3rd to 4th grade, but it might not be meaty enough to hold their attention. We found it was a best fit as a read-aloud to my 6 and 7 year old children. Each book describes:

• The country capital and global location
  
• Major sight-seeing destinations near or in the capital region of that country
• Common children's names in that country
• Common family member names, and illustrations of the interiors of traditional homes
• Names of currency
• Major historical sites
• Local ethnic foods
• Recreational past-times
• Major holidays unique to that country
• The word for "school" is always the final detail
• Each book ends with the phrase "So now you see, if you were me, how life in _______ could really be."
• The last page is a list of words or phrases with their correct pronunciation

If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico is 24 pages long and has been awarded the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. We read this book immediately after receiving it, since we were headed to a International Food night planned by our homeschool group, featuring Mexico! It was hosted by a family who had just returned from a missions trip to Mexico, so this really brought home for us what life in Mexico might really be like. We were so impressed to hear how our young friend had given a pair of his own shoes away while serving other children in an orphanage there. We all brought yummy Mexican dishes to share that helped bring alive the pages of the book where the author describes tamales. Our family brought Spanish rice and  empanadas to share.

Words defined and pronounced in the book include:

• Peso
• Fútbol
• Tamale
• Muñeca
• Descubrimiento
• Escuela
• and more...

If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea is 26 pages long and describes life in this eastern country. My kids found this one the most interesting, since the words seemed so different to them. We have friends who enjoy eating and making kimchee, so that was a familiar word. Other words defined and pronounced included:

• Min Sok Chon
• Youngin-si
• Taekwando
• Agi Inhyeaong
• Seol-nal
• Hanbok
• Haggya

If You Were Me and Lived in France is 22 pages long and gives a glimpse of central Europe. After reading it we talked about how many European countries touched the Mediterranean Sea and made a Mediterranean styled fennel and onion savory tart for supper. Some of the words defined and pronounced included:

• Boulangerie
• Eiffel
• Gustave
• Poupée
• Bastille Day
• école

If You Were Me and Lived in Norway is 28 pages long and explores this colder arctic country. The stories of the snow hotel experience and the strange and hard to pronounce words really captured my children's attention. This book was the one where I really relied on the pronunciation key in the back. As is true with all of the books, the words are used in a English context, so you easily know what they are talking about.

Some of the words that were defined and pronounced in this book included:

• Oslo
• Din velkommen
• Kirkenes
• Vafler
• Krem
• Skiis
• Sytten Mai
• Skole

Bottom Line:
These books were fun and just right for my younger kids. They would be a perfect addition to any unit study, and are quite affordable in their Kindle editions. I look forward to seeing what other countries Carole P. Roman publishes next.

To read all of the reviews of these four books, and for purchasing information, be sure to visit the Crew Blog:



©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

*Prices and links are accurate at the time this is published, and are subject to change

3 Thrifty Day Trips for Homeschoolers

When you homeschool, the budget isn't always there for big vacations. Day trips are a great solution, and you can count it as a school day! Our family loves to take advantage these to break the educational doldrums; we just can't let them break the bank.

Today I'm a guest author over at Thrift Schooling. Click through to read the entire article, and find 3 fun and thrifty day trips!

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Adventure in Philadelphia: Downtown History

A couple of summers ago we spent some time in Pennsylvania for my sister's wedding, and while there took a few day trips to the local attractions. One of the days was spent in downtown historic Philadelphia. It was an absolutely fun time, and the only expenses were the parking and the cheesesteaks we just HAD to have. :)

There were two fun and free things we enjoyed there. The first was a visit to the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell Center is located in the National Historic Park, and it has free admission. Because it is in a National Park, there is a fun free program families can take advantage of: the Junior Ranger Program. (This is offered at nearly all National Parks!) We love to pick up a Junior Ranger book and use the things we are learning at that particular park to fill it out. Then the kids can be "sworn in" as junior rangers!

The other free attraction(s) we loved were the Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches!

From the website, the schedule for 2013 is:

• Storytelling Benches will operate on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27.
• From June 18 through August 10, Storytelling Benches will operate Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• From August 16 through August 31, Storytelling Benches will operate Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Storytelling Benches will operate for Labor Day Weekend, Sunday, September 1, and Monday, September 2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bench Locations

• Independence Visitor Center, 6th & Market Streets
• Historic Philadelphia Center, 6th & Chestnut Streets
• Independence Square, behind Independence Hall
• Signers' Garden presented by the Avery Foundation, 5th & Chestnut Streets
• The ACE INA Foundation Storytelling Bench at Carpenters' Hall, Carpenters' Hall, on Chestnut between 3rd & 4th Streets
• Franklin Court, on Market between 3rd & 4th Streets
• Christ Church, 2nd & Market Streets
• Betsy Ross House, 3rd & Arch Streets
• The Lincoln Storytelling Bench at the National Constitution Center, 6th & Arch Streets
• Franklin Square, 6th & Race Streets

They had local theater students performing/telling the stories of each historic location. We had a great time traveling from bench to bench to catch each performance. It brought the city's history to life! I hope you too can enjoy them. :)

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This post is part of our Adventure Fridays series. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you return every Friday for something new!

As always, I would welcome a guest post here on my blog about some place fun you've been. If you have something yet-unpublished to submit, please use the contact tab above to let me know. 

Also linked at:

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Adventure in Kansas City: Johnson County Museum - KidScape!

We recently had the joy of visiting Kansas City, MO, for three days. While Ben was in work meetings, the kids and I explored the city. My only requirement for our outings were that they would be free and educational. This is the fourth installment of our adventures there. 

One of the stops we made in Kansas City that surprised me the most: the Johnson County Museum. I expected a local historical society and a gathering of local artifacts to be housed in the historical looking old building, but I had no idea what fun we were in for! I really could not believe it was free, and by the end of my tour, I was all too happy to drop some cash in the donation box.

We entered into their lobby/gift store, and were quickly drawn into the first exhibit by colorful signs and the sounds of children laughing and playing. The very first hall, called KidScape, was a "hands on suburban street-scape, where kids can explore community." I couldn't really describe it any better than that!

There was a hall lined with playhouse sized buildings that looked like any small downtown. Each one had hands on things to do that made the kids feel like they were part of the city. It was complete with a city park that had golf (via a Wii) and fishing (magnetic fish on a painted pond). Tyler loved this part the best. Wyatt's favorite was the post office, where he quickly figured out that the little wooden letters all fit in the mail bag on the wall, which he donned and began delivering mail up and down the "street". Emma and Mayda worked away making beaded jewelry in the "boutique" and then wandered down to the "hospital" where Emma performed surgery while Mayda attended to some sick baby-dolls.

We enjoyed the KidScape exhibit hall for over an hour. Then we looked around the corner and saw that the whole museum wound around through a maze of exhibits and actually ended at KidScape. We had gotten ahead of the game. :) We backtracked to the lobby and checked out a free iPod audio tour "board" and began the tour at the beginning.

Through period artifacts and photos, the story of the local area unfolded in a way that is repeatable in any now-suburban, once-frontier county. The kids learned of the local American-Indian tribes and the ways in which the local settlers negotiated and re-negotiated the land use. There were hands on exhibits like a puzzle with pieces that didn't all fit, showing how they couldn't cut up the county in any way that made farmers, developers, and natives all happy. The path followed the history of development from wild prairie to Kansas City suburb in a colorful and interesting way that my kids were able to follow. Every juncture there was a clearly posted number for the audio tour track.

The coolest part were the "KidScape" type exhibits scattered throughout the museum. At every turn was a hands on corner or small playhouse where the kids could step into that moment in history and play the part.

• A farmhouse complete with gingham aprons and chicken hutch by the door. 
• A railway station platform where you could experience sitting on the bench waiting for the commuter train to the city. 
• A play store where kids can shop for goods from the farms.

After following the story to the present day, where the exhibit asks lots of good questions about our consumeristic lifestyles today, then the whole thing wraps up by ending at KidScape, where the kids can play at suburban life for a while.

I visited with the curator for a while, and he told me that the Funville exhibit downtown (see last week's post about Hallmark and the Crown Center) was a copy of the idea, and was built by the same man who designed their one-of-a-kind exhibit. He is evidently a Broadway set designer and created these wonderful scenes for children to interact within.

We picked up some postcards and were on our way, and were SO very glad we didn't write this stop off as "too locally oriented". So, check out the local museums, even if you aren't a local person. You may just be surprised what you find!

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This post is part of our Adventure Fridays series. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you return every Friday for something new! If you have a field trip to share, add the button on the right to your post and feel free to link up HERE. 

As always, I would welcome a guest post here on my blog about some place fun you've been. If you have something yet-unpublished to submit, please use the contact tab above to let me know. 

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Adventure in Kansas City: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

We recently had the joy of visiting Kansas City, MO, for three days. While Ben was in work meetings, the kids and I explored the city. My only requirement for our outings were that they would be free and educational. It turned out that Kansas City has plenty to offer in either realm!

One of our favorite stops was the The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. As an art museum, this place is amazing, and that it was free was mind-boggling. The only cost was the parking garage, and that was well worth the $5 to walk right in and be greeted by the friendly staff. No walking blocks to arrive, and since we went during bad weather, the garage parking was an even greater blessing.

The first thing we did was visit the coat check. Yes, my kids are easily entertained. After checking Wyatt's coat, we went to the information desk, where we checked out free iPods to listen to the audio tour. They gave each of the kids one, and a headset. It was on a lanyard so we couldn't break it, and whenever we had troubles operating the unit, a nearby security guard was always helpful to figure it out. (Yes, we took advantage of this multiple times. lol!)

The museum had art collections spanning from ancient art to modern. It really covered it all. Categories included:

• African
• American
• American Indian
• Ancient
• Chinese
• Decorative Arts
• European
• Japanese
• Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park
• Modern & Contemporary
• Photography
• Prints
• South & Southeast Asian

We spent the greatest time in the European collection, but really enjoyed it all. When the kids got a bit tired of being quiet and peacefully studying the galleries, we took a breather and walked around a bit on the grounds to see the sculpture park. Due to a late season snow storm we couldn't see much, but we really enjoyed seeing up close the Shuttlecocks and The Thinker. 

I wanted at first to name each of our favorite works. . . but there were too many. If I lived in Kansas City, I would be at this museum on a very regular basis, just to drink it all in. As it was, a day was not enough. My recommendations: 

• Try and clear out a whole day for this one. We were there about 1/2 hour after it opened, and left only 15 minutes before the museum closed. We could have easily spent more time and still not have seen it all. 
• Pack a lunch. Especially if the weather is nice, a picnic on the grounds is a great idea. We just took a break at our van and ate. We discovered the ipods still had a wifi signal there, and we listened to more audio tour clips while we ate. 
• Wear good shoes. Lots of beautiful marble floors are not forgiving to the feet after a whole day. 
• When you pick up your audio tour, grab several of the family gallery guides. They have fun activities for kids to complete in each gallery as well as extra info on exhibits and recommended reading lists.

This was a great day for us, and we hope to go again! With a price-tag of free, there's no reason not to whenever we are in Kansas city. 

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Homeschool Adventures: join us?

Welcome to the launch of a new weekly series,
Adventures Fridays: when learning hits the road!

For the next several Fridays, for as long as I have material to cover, we will be exploring one of my favorite aspects of homeschooling. . . the flexibility to take it with you, and to bring your kids the world. Why Fridays? We schedule our school week so Friday is our day for wiggle room. If all goes well it's a day of adventure and field trips. If it's a bad week, it's a make up day.

Over the past several years of homeschooling, we have had the opportunity to see and visit many wonderful places. Sometimes this means being able to go along on daddy's work trip without missing any school, taking in a major city while visiting family for a wedding, or just taking a day off to be a tourist in our own town. Either way, this is the best part of this education we share, the flexibility to go and do like no one else. The hardest part is the budget, so I'm going to endeavor to share low or no cost adventures in a variety of cities.

Want to come along? Great! Meet us here every Friday! My friends and I will be sharing our adventures here. Have a low cost adventure in your favorite city to share? Contact me (via the tab above) with your idea, and we'd love to host you! I'm always looking for guest authors. Please submit your idea for a, yet unpublished, piece, and I will get the details to you about scheduling.

Finally, we on the last Friday of each month, we will host a link up. You can share any blog post you've written about a field trip in  the past year. I only ask:

• That it be low or no cost, and homeschool family friendly.
• That you include the community graphic (Adventure Fridays Button seen on the right) in your post.
• And that you title your link with the City/Region name so we can quickly find your post when we want to visit that place!

First stop, Portland! Thanks to my friend, Gwen. See you there next week!

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com