Summer World Travel: Eastern Europe/Central Asia

Hello again, and welcome here!  Are you travelling with us around the world with Focus on the Family?  If not, why not join in?  It is fun, and can be as simple as just following the itinerary they have themselves, or as complex as you wish to make it.  I decided to post the links to recipes and youtube videos that I am using with my own kids, as well as the maps and printables I made to go with the 'program' myself.  You can view those by clicking the links below.

Time for a Summer Adventure!
Summer World Travel: Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Summer World Travel:  Australia, New Zealand, PNG
Summer World Travel:  Asia
Summer World Travel:  Caribbean


And so, our fifth week of our 'travels' took us to Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  Here we visit Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

August 1&2 - Armenia

We read the clues, found Armenia on the map, colored our flags and stamps, and listened to the national anthem called 'Our Fatherland'.  mɛɾ hɑjɾɛnikʰ

We did the activity where we rearranged our alphabet by making a prayer with it.

We also played egg jousting (had the eggs for supper afterwards)

We prayed - everyone basically prayed the same thing... that they'd 'stand firm'

For our 'recipe', I made armenian flatbread with cheese.

• 1 cup flour,
• salt,
• 1/2 cup water
• Mix and let sit 15 minutes.  Divide into four and roll into about 12 inch diameter circles.  Spread olive oil on it, and sprinkle on cheese, dried mint, and pepper.  Bake 400F for 7minutes.

We watched a video to see Mount Ararat

We watched a short Armenia travel guide video. 

Aug3&4 - Kazakhstan

Once again we read the clues, found Kazakhstan on our map, colored the flag/stamp, and listened to the national anthem

We named as many fruits as we could think of. 32 total - apples, oranges, peaches, plums, bananas, lemons, limes, kiwi, tomato, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, papaya, plantain, pineapple, mango, coconut, chokecherries, mandarins, pears, starfruit, dragonfruit, durian, honeydew, apricots, grapes, cranberries, pomegranates

We made fruit salad using what we had... bananas, strawberries, canaloupe, blueberries, apples, pineapple, and lemon juice.

We played the anklebone shooting game.  With dice.

We prayed:

• M - That the people in Kazakhstan would understand your truth, love, and freedom
• Bram - that the people would have faith in you and understand you created everything, and they would come to know you.
• A - I don't know what she said.

We watched a commercial tourism video and a tourism video.

Aug 5&7 Russia

Once again we colored flags, found Russia on the map, and colored and glued our stamps.

We did the 'swapping meals' activity and ate denvers for breakfast and cereal for supper.  (I liked this one... cereal for supper means less work, haha)

We played Gorodki in the office (another of the activities).

We listened to the national anthem

Государственный гимн Российской Федерации, "Gosudarstvenny Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii

Bram tells me there are lots of z's in it

We watched a video or two of schools in Russia

We also looked at churches in Russia.

Sorry this has been taking so long to update.  I have sort of been doing it as I scrapbook, and I am very behind.  I will get everything up here yet.  Hopefully before the end of the year!

Summer World Travel: Caribbean

Hello again, and welcome here!  Are you travelling with us around the world with Focus on the Family?  If not, why not join in?  It is fun, and can be as simple as just following the itinerary they have themselves, or as complex as you wish to make it.  I decided to post the links to recipes and youtube videos that I am using with my own kids, as well as the maps and printables I made to go with the 'program' myself.  You can view those by clicking the links below.

Time for a Summer Adventure!
Summer World Travel: Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Summer World Travel:  Australia, New Zealand, PNG
Summer World Travel:  Asia

And so, our fourth week of our 'travels' took us to the Caribbean.  Here we visit Costa Rica, the Bahamas, and Colombia.

July 25 and 16 - Costa Rica

We read the clues.  Then we colored our flags and stamps.

Listened to the national anthem. 

Did the 'find and name animals/plants' activity at the splash park.  Found more than 10 things.

Lunch was Casado... a plate/dish that has fried plantain, white rice, cooked black beans (I fried mine with some sauteed onions, garlic, and in fat with salt and pepper, fried fish, and a cabbage salad (used a mixture of equal parts oil and cider vinegar with added sugar, salt, and pepper, and garlic powder.  I didn't measure).  The links I used for this are here, here, and here.

I made a version of Refrescos using field berries (instead of just blackberries) and milk.

We watched 'Cristo Me Ama' or Jesus Loves me in Spanish.  Here is one of kids, and here is an animated one

Bahamas July 27 and 28

After reading the clues, we colored stamps and flags, found country on the map.

We watched video on sloop sailing and another with kids.

We looked and listened to my conch shell

I made Caribbean Peas and Rice .

We told stories around a 'fake fire':

• A -  "I cannot tell a story."
• So, I told a story first.  I told the kids about when a friend and I found a red log.  Well... she thought it might be a good idea to walk on it, but I was scared to.  When she stepped onto the log, the red started moving, and she started screaming.  They were red ants.  My mom had to put her in the tub to get rid of them all.
• Bram -  Doing my best to quote his story... "At (a friend)'s party, there was a little boy there, and he took my sucker out of my mouth and put it in his mouth, and I needed a new sucker.  Then he gave mine back.  After it had been in his mouth!  And we had a pillow fight."
• M - Once again, the story is best straight from their mouths, but this will have to do."At (a friend)'s house we found an old laptop, so we had the idea to draw our own laptops, and that's how I got so many paper laptops.  And we made a fort.  It was fun."  And yes, she has many a paper laptop, paper phone, paper everything.
• A - This was the most imaginative!  "M is a dragon.  No.  Bram is a dragon.  Yeah, Bram is a dragon."  I love her matter of fact way of saying it, too.

I made coconut cookies.

I made a Johnny Cake for breakfast 

Listened to the national anthem - 'March on, Bahamaland' (and we noticed it sounds very similar to 'Oh Canada')

The kids made paper/cardboard fish with paperclips, fishing rods with sticks/string/magnets, and fished in the living room 'blanket pond'.  For hours.

We prayed:

• M - that the Christians will tell others about God, like missionaries.
• Bram - that they will believe in God and become Christians and believe the Bible.
• A- sounded like another language.

We made crab sandwiches for supper.

Jamaica - July 29 and 30

The kids colored maps and stamps after reading the clues and finding the country on our map.

We watched the Jamaica National Anthem, Jamaica, Land We Love.

I made Jamaican banana bread ( don't follow the baking directions of 375 for 1 hour.  Do 350 for 45 minutes to start.  Mine burned terribly at this rate)

We bought Jamaican Beef Patties but there is a recipe for them here.

We made Caribbean chicken.

We also had the Jamaican drinks we bought (pineapple soda, and ginger beer) and hubby bought a Caribbean jerk sauce for his chicken.

We played Dandy Shandy a little bit.

We read some of a book in the Library with pictures about Jamaica

We did the activity of guessing what some Patois expressions were in English.

We prayed.

We watched a tourist video with written info and pictures about 14 tourist attractions

We looked up the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (they stay in Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park).



I really hope that these links are useful to anyone looking for a little extra fun to use in this 'excursion'.  Please let me know in the comments.

Summer World Travel: Asia

Hello again, and welcome here!  Are you travelling with us around the world with Focus on the Family?  If not, why not join in?  It is fun, and can be as simple as just following the itinerary they have themselves, or as complex as you wish to make it.  I decided to post the links to recipes and youtube videos that I am using with my own kids, as well as the maps and printables I made to go with the 'program' myself.  You can view those by clicking the links below.

Time for a Summer Adventure!
Summer World Travel: Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Summer World Travel:  Australia, New Zealand, PNG

And so, our third week of our 'travels' took us to Asia.  I know this is super late to post, but I finally blogged about it.  I need to do this more frequently.  I hope the links to the videos we watched and the recipes we found help you in your 'travels' as well... even if you do this at another time. 

I am trying to keep up with scrapbooking these days as well.  I'm further behind on that than I am on blogging about it.  Oops. 

July 18+19 India

First, after reading the clues above, we found India on our map and colored our flags and stamps.  We also took note that our sponsored child is from India.
We made curry and rice.

We also prayed for India according to the 'tour guide' Focus on the Family provided.
M - For them to have food and water, for them to accept Jesus in their hearts

Bram - for them to have Bibles and not follow Islam but Jesus instead
A - India, OK.  Amen.

Went outside and played Seven Stones (also called Pitthu) (kids preferred knocking down the stones, not so much the stacking part) and pretended to be rickshaws.  They got bored and wanted to fly a kite instead.

We  also watched a variety of videos:

• a game of pitthu
• a video about monsoons
• a cricket video
• 2 videos about the cows.  Click here and here.
• Some of the National Geographic video for the Secrets of the Taj Mahal (long, 45 minute video.  I don't recommend making your kids watch all of it.  We skipped parts) 
• the national anthem Jana Gana Mana

Japan - July 20 and 21

After reading the clues, once again, we found the country on our map and colored our flags and stamps.  The kids love coloring the flags, even ones as simple as Japan's.

We watched national anthem Kimi Ga Yo

We practiced bowing.  To the floor.  Giggles all around.

We watched a variety of videos:

• Japanese Table manners here and here.
• Japanese vs American appliances
• Treatment of an American in rural Japan
• school lunches in Japan
• Japanese street food vendors (long video... I skipped lots as well)

We even looked at what Japanese breakfasts are like.

We watched Totoro with supper.  Got to see and talk a bit about how the Japanese people live in the country.

I made a Japanese breakfast and lunch, using this site to see some of the things they have as breakfasts.  We had a fried egg on rice and miso soup with toast for breakfast, and lunch was homemade chicken ramen with rice noodles and purchased california rolls.

We also made origami cranes, using this video to help us.

We then prayed for Japan.

July 23- China

We once again read the clues, found China on our map, colored the flag and stamp, and watched the national anthem

We prayed that more people would become Christians in China.

I then played the game '5, 10, 15, 20' with M.  Bram didn't want to play.

We all drew the symbol for righteousness

I made chicken/broccoli/bell peppers stir fry with rice and Costco's pot stickers for supper, and a coconut milk/orange jello concoction for dessert (no real recipe... I just used leftover coconut milk to replace some of the cold water and used gelatin molds for extra fun).

There were two vids I watched later with the kids (did them on the 26th).  They are about the Great Wall of China.  You can see them here and here.

Summer World Travel: Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Sorry for not posting sooner!  We're already heading into our 5th week of the summer 'World Travel'  from Focus on the Family.  You can see my previous posts on it, here.

My first post had flags which I've been using with my kids to color each day.  They also look for the country on the map, find the flag that corresponds and then use that as their 'color key' to color their own map.  I have not been following the itinerary as laid out page by page that focus on the family has, mostly because my kids are still so young and don't remember too much about the countries from the previous time we did this, so I'm doing it page by page as in the passports.  First page I did was actually page 7... South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia.  Since I watched a variety of Youtube videos with the kids, I thought that maybe I'd help you all out by posting links to the videos and recipes I used to help enhance the experience with each country.  So, without further adieu, here is an 'itinerary' of what we have done with the links to go with them.  I hope you enjoy them and find them useful in your own journey with your kiddos.

Ethiopia - July 4

Colored the flag and stamp

Went outside and carried water in an obstacle course on our heads.  M's stayed pretty full, Bram lost most of his, and A spilled some and proceeded to carry it next to her tummy.  We figured this would not be enough water for us, and we would need much more for an entire day.
Prayed for clean water and easier ways to carry it for the people.

Ethiopia - July 5

I attempted making Almond Sweetmeat (Kashata Ya Lozi).  Didn't work as I messed up the syrup (no listing as to how much water, so I found another syrup recipe and followed that, not realizing I needed to cook it much longer and probably should have halved the water as well)  3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water (probably should have been less), tiny amount cinnamon and nutmeg, cooked until thick and sticky, then added 1 2/3 cup almond flour (or ground almond meal) and spread in a buttered 8x8 dish until cooled.  Broken up and served.  I ended up not cooking the syrup long enough.  It tastes good, and the gooey centre will work well with ice cream.

Listened to national anthem "Wodefit Gesgeshi, WiddInnat Ityopp'ya'

Made crafts from things we normally trash.  Kids made toys of varying types.

Prayed for the people to have enough rain, water, and food.

 

South Africa - July 6

Made beetroot crepes for breakfast
Watched a videos of the language here and here
Watched the anthem called "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"
Kids talked in gibberish to each other.

South Africa - July 7

made Bobotie and South African Yellow Rice for lunch. 
Set up a time to have someone over for lunch.  Ended up on a different day.
Prayed for SAfrica to have enough food and to remember that all people are made in God's image, no matter their culture.

Zimbabwe - July 8

Made a cookie recipe from Zimbabwe
Kids colored their flags and stamps.
listened to the national anthem, known as Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe
played Tsoro Yematatu on paper
watched a video of Victoria falls
 
Zimbabwe - July 9

looked at the balancing rocks here and here.

Prayed for the people.  We did not build anything with rocks ourselves as we were gone that day.

I hope that some of my own research can help you with the things you wish to do with your own families.  Probably for another year, though... as I posted these late yet again.  It really is a lot of fun!  I highly recommend this for even homeschooling as family activities.  My daughter asks me every day which country we are visiting next.  :)

Until next week!  God Bless.

Summer World Travel: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea

Hello again, and welcome here!  Are you travelling with us around the world with Focus on the Family?  If not, why not join in?  It is fun, and can be as simple as just following the itinerary they have themselves, or as complex as you wish to make it.  I decided to post the links to recipes and youtube videos that I am using with my own kids, as well as the maps and printables I made to go with the 'program' myself.  You can view those by clicking the links below.

Time for a Summer Adventure!
Summer World Travel: Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

And so, our second week had us visiting Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.  Here are the links to the videos and things that we did.

Australia - July 11

made 'porridge', but had no bananas to go on, so used apple cinnamon

made aussie meat pies

did the listed activity, but not with clay

kids colored flags, stamps, and found Australia on the map

Australia - July 12

watched a video about Uluru

watched national anthem 'Australia Fair'
did the activity on the book
Prayed for Australia
Supper - made banana lassies and hamburgers with 'the lot'.

New Zealand - July 13

colored stamp and flag after finding NZ on the map

watched a video of Milford sound
made a paper 'earthquake' diorama
supper was beer battered fish n chips

New Zealand - July 14

played the game Mu torere outside.

prayed for the people
watched national anthem God Defend New Zealand / Aotearoa.

Papua New Guinea - July 15

did the day one language activity

watched national anthem Apange and another version.
watched culturalfestival sing sing video
watched a vid ofthe mall in their capital
vid of landiungin airport

July 16 - made and ate Coconut Kau Kau

July 18 - did the second day activity and prayer a bit later than we'd have liked.

Enjoy your journey!  And God Bless!