Cieslak's Homeschool-journey
It's all about the fun, the craziness, the things we learn and our thoughts!!!
Since we are almost at the end of the school year, our last Geography lesson called for more presentations/ reports. We studied Asia this year and learned a lot about many different things, different countries and how big Asia actually is. Both boys had to pick a country, (in Asia) of their choice, and put together a report/ representation. They both had a blast researching the internet, finding pictures and information and putting it all together. They presented their finished work to us during Family night, and both hubby and I were very impressed. Nathan said afterwards that he wanted to do another presentation because it was so interesting to learn the things he did. He had picked Russia and found out many things he didn't know about. Josh on the other hand picked China and also learned a great deal. They were still excited the next day and were hoping a different lesson would ask for a report as well. ;) I think complimenting your kids on a job well done, surely does the trick of motivating them some more. Today we had our second last music lesson and I have to admit, I am bit sad. I seriously loved every music lesson we had because I love music and we got to listen to a lot of great musical works. The lesson was on "Songs that unify" and we learned about the War of 1812, WWI and WWII. It is always fascinating to me when a song has a special meaning or was created for a special purpose and event. I already knew the story behind the "American Flag", since I learned a lot about American History in my college classes, and also when I prepared for my citizenship test, but the boys didn't really seem to know much about it. The lesson didn't get much into it, but it explained the purpose of our national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". I don't know what it is, but I always choke up and get teary-eyed when I hear that song. It was my favorite anthem even before I moved to the States. Just the melody alone touches me and there is something about it that really goes right through me. I love how, in the following video, they got everyone involved in the presentation of that amazing song. :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4p7V0s3tXI
We also listened to the beautiful song "God bless America". I didn't know the story behind that at all, and so learning about it was a great treat. I am sharing some of the lesson here in this post so you can either be reminded of the story or learn something new. :) The lesson states: "In 1938, Irving Berlin dusted off and improved a song he had previously written in 1917 to celebrate the end of 'The Great War' or the 'War to End All Wars'. Americans throughout the country heard it on the radio for the first time on November 10, 1938, the twenty-first anniversary of the end of World War I." "God Bless America" is another song that touches me and I love the video version they added to the lesson. I am very proud of myself for recognizing Ronald Reagan, as one of the actors, right away even though you only see him for a moment in that scene. ;) Kate Smith is the singer, and is singing this so beautifully. :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zF7a0wB-Lg Music, like the above, makes me grateful that there were (and are) so many talented composers who, used their talents, and did not let it go to waste. It makes me realize how important each of us is, and that Heavenly Father gave us different gifts and talents on purpose. I always believed that music can tell stories and touch our hearts, but I am also thankful that it has the power of uniting us and that it can help us through challenges and tough times.
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AuthorI am a sarcastic German-born American citizen who loves life and enjoys writing. I am a mother of two boys and we are now experiencing the freakiest adventure of our lives. Archives
November 2017
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