Learning about Australia. Part 2

Our days are pretty chaotic as we prepare for my parents to leave for the summer.
Nevertheless we managed to finish our Australian studies (for now :). I mean they could go on and on, the interesting country it is :)) Maybe more next year :)
Part 1 of our studies can be found here
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We read some wonderful books that taught us about this amazing country and the culture of aboriginal people:

Anya's bookshelf: children-books-australia




More of Anya's books »

We learned about amazing wildlife. This particular short movie was especially fascinating:

We did Australia inspired art:

We listened to the music:

We did a card for our "destination" box:

What I love most about homeschooling that it gives me an opportunity to discover more about the world. I read a great book Dreamkeepers:A Spirit-Journey into Aboriginal Australia by Harvey Arden I learned a lot and will definitely continue learning.
I watched some great australian movies and again, can't wait to see more, so un-hollywood they are.
The journey will definintely continue :)

Sweet and lazy Wednesday

Well, lazy for D. anyway, he only did couple of worksheets under Grandma's supervision while I was out on errands and he read a lot  as usual. He couldn't wait to "make something", because mommy said it was "art every day" and  "we made a poster that says so " :)) He was pretty impatient. He decided that we needed some forest people for his new  playscape and we created this crazy pair.

The "daddy's" hat had to be modeled after the one from "Children of the forest" which we read yesterday (I was getting this book from amazon today and got a little crazy, ugh, well at least I can write it off as a holiday shopping, can't I)

I'm currently re-reading "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris and couldn't resist making the candy of my childhood - chocolate covered almond -stuffed prunes  and dried apricots. There isn't really a recipe, I just bough chocolate chunks from Whole Foods (bittersweet and milk), melted it in double boiler (3 parts bittersweet and one part milk). I believe the correct term for the process should be "tempering", but I didn't take a temperature or anything , I just warmed chocolate up until it looked nice and glossy. I stuffed prunes and dried apricots with whole roasted almonds and dipped the fruit in chocolate. Picked it out with chopsticks and chilled on the parchment paper covered plate overnight. YUM!

Inspirational quote

"On the seashore of endless worlds children meet.

The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances.

They build their houses with sand, and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.

They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.

The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby’s cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach.

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships are wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting of children."
—Rabindranath Tagore (Gitanjali)

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Every October I re-read this short fairy tale by Selma Lagerlof, it is called The Changeling . This story is incredibly moving, I read it first when I was 10 or so, and it has been with me ever since. It's that story that made me feel  for the first time what it means to be a mother.