We are studying two different Sonlight Cores this year, and I’m trying to coordinate them so we are all at least learning about the same countries or cultures at the same time.
All three boys are listening to the read-alouds from both Cores, but my oldest is reading his Core 5 readers on his own.To make the books more accessible, I’m incorporating lots of picture books and hands-on activities.
One great resource I am using is the Ancient Far East history kit from Hands and Hearts.The boys especially enjoyed making the Gyotaku (fish prints) and the Kokeshi dolls from this kit.
Three Samurai Cats is a fun picture book to read after reading A Grain of Rice (from Sonlight Core K.) The boys want me to make jasmine (sticky) rice for them, because they said these books made them crave it!
We are reading The Story About Ping (for the umpteenth time) and then trying our hand at making some origami wild ducks. This classic picture book is an all-time favorite.
We’re halfway into The Master Puppeteer (from Sonlight Core 5.) It isn’t an easy book, but I did some searching for ideas for making the setting and story easier for the boys to grasp.We are making a cardboard box pop-up Bunraku Japanese puppet theater and puppets out of card stock. I also found some videos on YouTube that show actual Bunraku puppet shows of Japan.
Click here to see what our Real Kids Read group did with The House of Sixty Fathers.
Hands-on projects, supplementary picture books, and visuals have helped my boys connect with this book and opened their eyes and hearts to a different culture.
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