This is the second time we have rowed the book, Another Celebrated Dancing Bear, by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk. The first time we rowed this book was two years ago and just my oldest son and I read through the book together. We both had a terrible time getting through the book, and I think we even cut our week short because we disliked the book so much. I was really going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to read this book again, but I am so glad I gave it another chance.
This story is set in Russia and is about two bear friends. It is a story about jealousy, friendship, and never thinking that you are too old to try something new or make a change in your life.
Geography
We started out with learning a little about Russia. We read a book on Russia and looked at our Children Just Like Me book. Really, if you do not have this book, you should think about getting it!
The boys then worked on their lapbook pages on Russia. We found Russia on the map, colored the flag and read a book on famous landmarks in Russia. The boys worked on drawing and coloring in oil pastels, their own drawings based on St. Basils Cathedral.
Culture:
The Nutcracker & Tchaikovsky
Since I picked up a nutcracker and some jumping jacks while I was in Austria this summer, we decided to study The Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky. I read them Tchaikovsky's biography by Mike Venezia. He has a great series on composers and artists and they are a great series to add to your homeschool library. We love his books! I found a great website that had podcasts talking about Tchaikovsky's life and the Nutcracker. We listened to the Nutcracker podcast and then colored a picture of the nutcracker. We also watched a clip on youtube of the ballet. I read them the DK Nutcracker book, which was amazing. It had background information on what exactly would have been going on in Russia during this time period. We even got out our "jumping jack" toys because they were a popular toy during this time. The boys also watch the "new" Nutcracker movie.
Russian Nesting Dolls
We watched a clip on how the nesting dolls are made on youtube. These happened to be Discovery Channel nesting dolls, but it was still interesting to see how they are made. This had a great clip discussing what a Samovar was after the nesting doll segment. (I thought it was a type of tea!) The boys also made their own (paper) Russian Nesting Dolls. We also made Russian Tea cakes to try.
Science
We just barley touched the topic of boiling. The boys watched a BrainPop on freezing and boiling points of water.
I am so glad we gave this book another try. We had a great time discussing the book. One of my favorite conversations was talking about how we are never too old to make a change in our lives. We brought up our move to Thailand and why we initially decided to move here. We were feeling very stuck and also that our life was going to stay on the same path forever. We decided to take that leap and are very thankful we didn't let feeling "too old or stuck" interfere with one of the best decisions we have made for our family.
Inspiration:
Russia Lapbook
Russian Cathedral Craft
Nutcracker Podcast
Tchaikovsky Resource
Nutcracker Worksheet
Paper Nesting Dolls
Russian Tea Cake Recipe
My "Another Celebrated Dancing Bear" Pinterest Page
Linking up with Delightful Learnings FIAR Vol. 1 Link-up
Up Next: Owl Moon
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