Today is the first official day of summer break since the kids have gotten out of school - yeah!!! I felt like we kind of skipped spring - it felt more like winter in Narnia - freezing cold, but never Christmas! :) I personally am more of a fall/spring girl - I live for jeans and sweatshirt weather - but I'm really looking forward to being with the kids and enjoying a more relaxed schedule.
This morning I was thinking about how I want our summer to look. Like I said, I want it to be relaxed, but I also don't want the next few months to just slip away without being somewhat intentional with our time. I updated my June calendar with the few activities we have - T-ball/soccer for Miles, Tennis for Josie and Maggie, and Horseback riding for Ellie....add a couple of weeks of swimming lessons for all of them and ongoing piano...ok, looking pretty good - just one-two hours most mornings and still lots of time to just be kids (and the opportunity to be bored and to use their imaginations.) But then I started thinking about the "intentional with our time part"...I began scheming...
We just finished our dossier, turned it in, and are officially waiting for our child/children in Ethiopia. Ross and I have just been itching to be done with our year-long paper chase so we can dive into the fun stuff - researching and reading more about Ethiopia's culture, history, etc. Then it hit me! We could totally do this as a family. I decided I'm going to attempt to make a very basic curriculum that spans 8 wks. - our lessons will be on Friday. I'm hunting for great books, recipes, and crafty ideas. I want to do one topic a week. So far, without doing any research, I've come up with food, geography, and history. Obviously, I need some help. I'm calling out to my blogging friends to give me some good ideas for our "Ethiopia 101: Summer Session."
Also, some accountability. I figure if we do our lessons on Friday, we'll post what we learned sometime over the weekend.
After I get going on my research and curriculum planning (and glean from all of your great ideas), we'll hopefully get started next Friday. Stay tuned!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ethiopia 101
Posted by Erin at 1:21 PM
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8 comments:
What a great idea Erin! I can't wait to hear about what you do! One Ethiopian folk story that we have enjoyed is The Perfect Orange. Even though it is a short story it is an interesting glimpse into their culture and the illustrations are beautiful.
OK well I don't know much but I think some topics that I would like and being a girl maybe your 3 will like too CLOTHES. What do they usually wear (if anything at all=)) Which could lead to the climate, do they have seasons there, how often does it rain, (I hear they are in a drought) What are some customs. And with food you could break that one up from what do they harvest or eat from the wild...ok so I could go on but I will give others a chance to share. Can't wait to hear about it and learn along with you....You know I have to know this stuff too considering your child will be Orlando or Uan's friend;o)
I came across a website with some fabulous images of Ethiopia & information specifically about some of the different tribes of ET; where they live, what language they speak, some common customs, etc. Here is the link, if interested: http://www.pbase.com/sergio_pes/ethiopia_special. The images are quite 'National Geographical' in nature (show's it like it is) so some censorship may be warranted.
What about coming up with a way to raise money for Ethiopia, or sponsor a child from Ethiopia, something to connect them even more with the country. Great idea - I hope you give updates on how it goes.
Can't wait to steal your lessons!:)
Love it- I'm totally copying off of you!
Hi, found your blog today. Rainbowkids.com has every country the US adopts from with country links, coloring pages,(see free stuff link) and resource websites. Congratulations on moving the process along!
Hi Erin,
This is Meg, one of Sarah's friends. I don't know if you remember me from the wedding (I was a bridesmaid) or Pumpkin fests of the past, but I just adore your kids! Thanks for letting me play with them so much.
Anyway, I live and work in new york with a variety of children from every country in the world practically, and time and time again one of my best resources has been children's literature. Often, it has helped me to understand a culture by learning what they teach their children, and how. How is history passed down? How are morals imparted? What values emerge as the metanarrative for healthy and conscious development? Who are the heroes? What is our relationship to one another? And so on and so on.
I have read lots of different kids books, and shared them WITH lots of different kids, and it has always, at the very least, provided a talking point to help us learn about each other, and to love what is special and unique to each person, and to love what commonalities bring us together. So though you've probably already thought about this, I wanted to post it anyway, because sometimes when a child arrives in your life from a place very different than your own, it is reassuring, calming, and beautiful to sit down together and see geography and time zones and languages melt away, leaving the essence: love, caring, understanding, and gratitude.
This is the most epic comment in the whole world, I'm terribly sorry! But I love your blog and I am so excited for this next chapter for your family.
Love,
Meg
PS- Here's a book recommendation- I haven't read it, but my friend (who adopted an ethiopian child a while ago) found it very helpful.
http://tinyurl.com/6ywkeb
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