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My oldest girl turned seven this month. For the past year, she's been saying she wants a pool party and I kept telling her it might not be able to happen in October! But we just so happened to join the YMCA in September and they offer great rates on indoor pool parties. Even though it seemed a bit out of season, we had a blast celebrating with an Under the Sea Mermaid theme. There are so many cute ideas out there and I couldn't help but do more themed food than I usually do. Of course, first things first, I had to come up with a new invitation design. It was a good excuse to play around with my new iPad Pro and Pencil. I've been using the Astropad App to draw directly into Illustrator and it has been life-changing! The invitation is in my Etsy shop here!  I know party favors can get out of hand, but I do like to do something. The trouble is I always end up inviting tons of kids and it can get expensive! I knew I was on to something when I saw this great tutorial for homemade Sea Glass Candy. I put my own twist on the packaging and wha-la, party favors for about $10 total! I had to make 2 batches to fill 18 bags. For the couple of really young kids that came, I filled their bags with fish-shaped fruit snacks. You can download and print the tail template for FREE. 
Then there was the food. I have to admit, after being away from the US for several years and not having access to Hobby Lobby, I was so amazed at all of the creative stuff you can buy now and had to control myself from buying EVERYTHING. But I couldn't pass up food spray paint. Apparently the kids had never seen it before either and were unsure about the gold oreos that I was inspired to make from this post. One of my friends was so quick in her wits to explain to the kids that ALL the food they were eating had some sort of artificial coloring and that they didn't need to worry.
The adorable crab sandwiches were inspired by All That Glitters and the jello oceans cups I put my own spin on after seeing a bunch of different versions. The seaweed celery sticks were my last minute attempt to provide something healthy for the adults!  There are a lot of really amazing mermaid cakes out there! Most of them are far beyond my cake decorating talents! I was inspired by this simple, yet cute cake done by RoseBakes.com. I avoid fondant at all costs, so I made the mermaid using the "Frozen Buttercream Transfer" Method. I have done it for one other cake in the past. Its a great option if you feel confident with piping, but not with fondant.
I hope that you found some helpful tips and party ideas!
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 RHYMES Jolly Phonics - Letter L We lick the lollipop We lick the lollipop /l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ We lick the lollipop Mary Had a Little Lamb Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow. This Little Light of Mine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. BOOKS
ACTIVITIES Leaf rubbing is a great activity to get the kids outside and could be integrated easily with a science or art lesson. You don't need anything but a blank piece of paper and a crayon (and leaves of course!), but I have included a worksheet that you can use that reinforced the letter L and the spelling of leaf. After collecting and tracing all of our leaves, we even incorporated some math by organizing them from the biggest to smallest!
 The letter L coloring sheet is another great way to reinforce vocabulary. And the picture story reviews vocabulary from i to L. Not only is this a fun activity to read aloud together. But if you are teaching a class, you can print copies for the kids to take home and practice with their parents. This is a great pre-reading activity that will help build their confidence for further skills.
FLASHCARDS Print these letter L flashcards for easy practice of the L sound and vocabulary. You can use the black and white to let the kids make and color their own for practice outside the classroom. They are free to use, but do not advertise them as your own and do give proper credit when linking to them.
 Luke's great-grandparents immigrated to the US from Sweden, so I thought I should include it on my country list and learn a thing or two. I hardly scratched the surface of what there is to know about this rich and complex country, but I really enjoyed the month!
MUSIC I really dropped the ball on this one and actually forgot to listen to anything throughout the month! I did come across this video that has gone viral in the past few weeks, a parody inviting all world leaders over for fika, the Swedish word for a sweets/coffee break. CURRENT EVENTS There is tension in Sweden over racial and refugee issues like there are all over Europe and the US. Recently a Muslim school has come under fire for allegedly separating girls and boys on the school bus. They also reinstated their draft for both men and women due to the decrease in volunteers, but growing threat from Russia.
LANGUAGE
In honor of Allan Karlsson (the hundred year old man...) and his love for vodka, Skal! Cheers!
He struggles through his life being misunderstood, depressed, weak, lonely and afraid. His devotion to his work was often a means to escape the dark feelings that haunted him. If we were his contemporaries, we would surely criticize him for being a workaholic and unable to appreciate the important things in life. The book was also not a captivating story, it was pretty dry and boring, at least saved by the controversial letters from Alfred to his mistress of twenty years. I trudged through (for the sake of the challenge, mostly), and ultimately I’m glad I did because it has made me think about a few things more deeply.
In our obsession with enjoying life to the fullest, traveling, exploring and staying connected, do we forget that there were men and women throughout history that had to invent these things that we so casually enjoy? When we travel with ease across countries and borders, do we stop to appreciate the millions of people that have done something to make that possible? Alfred Nobel’s dynamite gave a huge advantage to the travel industry by greatly reducing the time to construct railways. Can I condemn him for creating something so destructive while enjoying the obvious benefits of it? I have often sat at airports, gazing out the window as the planes are taxied, bags are loaded and passengers accommodated. So many people have to work hard at their jobs day in and day out to make my choice of life possible. This goes for almost everything I enjoy - the food I eat, the clothes I wear and even the books that I read. With all of the social strife that is raging today, maybe we should all stop and think about how the people that we judge, accuse and hate, might play an integral role behind the scenes of our daily lives and the luxuries we enjoy. Are we contributing to the future or just enjoying the fruit of other people’s past labors? I wonder what Alfred Nobel would have thought if he had lived to see the twentieth century, the most barbaric and deadly of all time. His last will and testament, which established the Nobel Peace Prize, was not just a last ditch attempt to make up for devoting his life to destruction. He actually had a keen desire for peace all of his life, and his greatest ambition was to create something so destructive and deadly that nations would be forced to live peacefully. As anti-social as he was, he had a deep concern for world peace that we would do well to emulate, first and foremost in our daily interactions with one another.  RHYMES Jolly Phonics - Letter K Kites are flying in the sky /k/ /k/ /k/ Kites are flying in the sky /k/ /k/ /k/ Kites are flying in the sky, flying in the sky Kites are flying in the sky /k/ /k/ /k/ Kick the Ball Kick, Kick, Kick The Ball. Kick it very high! Kick it over the garden Wall. Kick it to the Sky. Kangaroo Kangaroo, Kangaroo, hop up and down Kangaroo, Kangaroo, turn around! You jump so high, That you reach the sky! Hold your Joey tight! BOOKS
ACTIVITIES
"K is for Kick" coloring sheet -Reinforces vocabulary and practice handwriting skills. Letter K Coloring Book - Reinforces vocabulary and develops an interest and confidence in reading books. 1. Fold along the middle dotted line. 2. Fold back and forth along the dotted lines like a fan, ensuring the title page is on the outside. 3. Put two staples to secure the spine. 4. Cut along the open edge so that all the pages open. "K is for Kite" Craft - Develop fine motor and problem solving skills 1. Print the template on various colors of card stock. There are three kites per template and I've done my best to set it up in a way that minimizes cutting. 2. Cut the triangle pieces out (or if you have older kids, you can let them give it a go.) You can use this as a good teaching opportunity both for triangles, and for "Big, Medium, Small" since there are three sizes of triangles. 3. Mix up the colors, so that each student can get a variety of pieces for their kite craft. 4. Children can glue the pieces in the correct spaces on their kite picture.
DOWNLOADS Download the preschool letter K vocabulary flashcards and activity worksheets to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them. The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself.
 Having picked Botswana completely at random, I couldn't have been more interested and impressed by this little country! A population of just 2 million, it is an example for the entire continent being the least corrupt, least violent and most politically stable country on the continent.
MUSIC My favorite music was this guy Ronnie on his guitar. Overall the music was beautiful and soothing to listen to. I listened to some very traditional songs where they were singing accapella as a group and it honestly sounded like a choir of angels. CURRENT EVENTS While the country has been peacefully and democratically ruled by the Khamas since independence in 1966, more political parties are forming and the current government has been blamed for slow economic growth and for high unemployment about the youth. The next elections will be held in 2019 and prior to that a coalition has united against the current government. I hope that they can continue to maintain peace even if such a massive transition of power takes place. Also this month, Botswana was hit by a cyclone which has left flash floods and many damaged homes. It is hard to believe there are flash floods in a country that is 70% desert!
LANGUAGE
Laleme le le lengwe ga le a lekanela - One language is never enough! So true, I wish I knew more!  My very favorite thing to buy when I travel is EARRINGS! It is completely possible to have too many coffee mugs and magnets, but I don't think it is possible to have too many earrings, especially when each one has a story. However, packing earrings when traveling can be a nightmare. I usually put them in a small pouch and they end up in a tangled mess. Knowing we will be on the road for roughly 7 months of 2017, I knew I needed a better solution. I scoured the house for something I could repurpose, and I ended up with this great solution without buying anything new! STEP ONE : Find a pouch that is the perfect size for your earring collection. If you travel a lot, you will probably have something like this lying around. Otherwise you could sew something with scrap fabric, or pick up an inexpensive one at the store.  STEP TWO : Cut a piece of extra-thick card stock to fit easily inside your pouch. I cut out the side of a cereal box and it was the perfect thickness.  STEP THREE : Lay out all of the earrings you want to bring on your trip. You'll want to organize them by length on your diy earring rack, so its good to be able to see everything you are working with.  STEP FOUR : When organizing your earrings, you will inevitably find that one who's match has completely disappeared. I used this to punch my holes. It will work best if it is a straight, thick stud. It will probably end up bent in the end, so don't use a good earring. You could also poke your holes with a thick sewing needle. After punching each pair of holes, go ahead and put the earrings in the holes, so that you can get accurate spacing for the next pair.  STEP FIVE :Continue until your card is completely full.  STEP SIX : Slide the card easily into your pouch and you are ready to go!  BONUS : Add a mini-binder clip and hang up your earrings at home or on-the-go for easy access anywhere.   It seems like just yesterday we celebrated New Year's, but we are already winding up the first destination of the 2017 Travel by the Book Challenge! This month took me to Cameroon, a small country on the western coast of Africa. When I began the challenge, I didn't realize how difficult it might be to find books and movies without a proper library and without Netflix... so I took whatever I could find. Here's my Cameroon Travel Log :
MUSIC I listened to some Cameroonian radio stations online, which mostly resembled R 'n B music that you hear in the United States. CURRENT EVENTS The current situation in Cameroon is fragile. There is a huge division between the French speakers and the English speakers. Late last year, the predominately French-speaking government passed laws that were seen as discriminatory to the English-speakers. While protests have been largely peaceful, the government has taken measures against them including blocking the internet in the English-speaking regions and jailing some activists who have been blamed for stirring up the protests.
FOOD
One of Cameroon's signatures dishes is Ndole Soup. More than a soup, it is similar to an Indian curry, with a thick gravy and meat. I had fun cooking it and it tasted good enough for us to finish all in one sitting! Traditionally it would be eaten with a fermented tapioca dumpling called fufu. We ate it with rice. I made a variation of the recipe here, using shrimp for the meat and leaving out the dried crayfish since I had no idea where to find it. LANGUAGE Along with French and English over 200 other tribal languages are also spoken in Cameroon! In Pidgin English, Dis chop too sweet means This food is delicious! Since it will take me another month to finish Fortunes of Africa, I'll be changing up my schedule and camping in Africa for the next two months. So for February, I'll be visiting Botswana. Happy Traveling!  RHYMESJack and Jill Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water Jack fell down and broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after (Use some good videos/images so that the students understand what is going on in the rhyme. You can do the same learning activities as with Humpty Dumpty.) Johnny Johnny Johnny, Johnny? Yes, Papa Eating sugar? No, Papa Telling lies? No, Papa Open Your mouth! Ha! Ha! Ha! Jolly Phonics - Letter J Jelly and Jam Jelly and Jam Jiggling on a plate Oh what shall I eat it with? /j/ /j/ /j/ /j/ /j/ BOOKS
 DOWNLOADSDownload the preschool letter J coloring sheet and letter J vocabulary flashcards to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them. The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself. 
Even though it was not set in Cameroon, I appreciated the peak into the Cameroonian culture, via the family life, food references, and the characters' reminiscing of their hometown and childhoods. One big cultural dynamic that was highlighted in the story was the relationship between the Cameroonian husband and wife. The main characters had an intense loyalty to one another and took their roles in marriage seriously. The husband was willing to make difficult decisions that he thought were best for the wife, even when he knew it would make her mad. He was willing to go to great lengths to supply for and protect his family. The wife was committed to standing by her man and did so by submitting to decisions she didn't like and forgiving both verbal and physical abuse. I thought it was brave of the author to present this aspect of her own culture, especially to a western audience that might be really put off by it. She highlights this through several characters in the book, other than just Jende and Neni, which made me think she was portraying the normality of it in her culture.
I thought the core theme of the book was "Is the 'American Dream' worth it?" A lot of people around the world believe that America is the promised land of success and happiness. Jende and Neni are willing to pursue that dream at almost any cost because of the lack of opportunity in their own country and their desire to impress everyone back home. Their wealthy employers, the Edwardses, appear to have everything, but are still zealously pursing the same dream at a much higher cost. The ending of the story for everyone is both tragic and hopeful. I hope the author, who is herself an immigrant from Cameroon to New York City, continues to write from her cultural background and experiences. It is such a helpful way for us to get insight that we normally wouldn't have and to be able to relate with people who are different than us. I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for something that will both entertain and enlighten you. |
JulieLuke and I are married and have four little munchkins that travel the world with us. I blog about living overseas, travel, kids, education and graphic design. Archives
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