One of the nice things about MFW ECC is that you are given the option to chose your own read aloud for the sections. The teacher's manual gives options in the book basket section but none of the books are required reading. I like getting to chose the read alouds for our family. I try and keep them exciting and interesting while still covering the culture in the country we are studying. For our section on Norway I chose Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. It was recommended reading not only by MFW but also by sonlight. That is like a gold star in our book.
Our kids loved this book and were thrilled to hear that it was based on a true story. You have to love a story that involves children on sleds hiding gold from German occupying forces. There was quite a bit of gasping throughout and groaning when we reached the end of the readings for the day. The kids couldn't wait to hear what happened next!
I like to add in some craft options since our children are still on the young side of things. I did some searching on pinterest and found these cute Norwegian Christmas hearts. I will admit I spent quite a while figuring out how to make these things! A template would have been helpful. Our oldest daughter found my fumbling to be quite funny. Whatever I can do to provide comic relief.....
I had initially planned to drag out the painting supplies and have the children try to reproduce the Rosemaling style artwork that is popular throughout Norway. I however found these very cute coloring pages that reproduced the style of artwork. I decided crayons were safer for my floors.
We found this very cute picture book about The Day Hans Got His Way. We happened to receive a box of treats from my Great Aunt just as we were sitting down to read our story. It seemed fitting to eat chocolate while listening to the trouble Hans got into trying to show his wife how simple her job was. Our 9 year old is currently obsessed with the movie Frozen and found the names sprinkled throughout our readings this month to be quite fascinating. We discovered that the movie could have been set in Norway. The common names, landscapes, animals, and climate all line up with what we have learned of Norway. To say this was a major moment for our daughter would be an understatement.
Of course we had to finish out our study of Norway by trying some Norwegian recipes as well! We decided to try Lapskaus with Flatbrød. Basically this was just beef stew with all the liquid removed and flatbread on the side. Very simple and very yummy!
We had a great deal of fun learning about Norway and are looking forward to learning all about France next week. I have to admit I am a bit biased towards France, it should be an interesting two weeks!
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