Geography Travels: Austria

Austria was the 9th country we studied last year.  Here’s what our unit study looked like:

Week 1

Located Austria on a world map and the capital, Vienna.

Began reading The Night Crossing (Karen Ackerman), a story about a Jewish family escaping Nazi Austria.

Made the Austrian flag out of construction paper.

Listened to the national anthem and watched YouTube videos about Austria and Vienna.

Discussed terms from Geography from A to Z (mountain range, river, foothills, basin, plateau, lowlands).

Labeled a map of Austria (Enchanted Learning), using a map from worldatlas:

Watched and discussed the movie Sound of Music.

Watched Salzburg videos on YouTube:

Salzburg - Austria

Top 5 Attractions Salzburg

Sound of Music Locations in Salzburg

Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg

Salzburg Classic – Lonely Planet

Austria has given us several well-known composers, including Mozart, Strauss, Haydn, and Schubert, so our study included learning about them and listening to some of their works.

First, we studied Mozart, a son of Salzburg:

Week 2

In week 2, we began our studies with Johann Strauss I and II (focusing primarily on the younger Strauss):

Then, we studied Joseph Haydn and listened to his music:

Finally, we learned about Franz Schubert and listened to some of his works:

Discussed Austria’s history, government, currency, language, and religion.

Pez candy was invented in Austria!

Austria is also famous for its Lipizzaner horses.  Check out these videos from YouTube:

The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions (different from the one below)

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna

Filled out our notebook pages (Homeschool Creations).

Read Austrian folk tale from Around the World in 80 Tales.

We ate Wiener Schnitzel for a meal!  Wiener Schnitzel comes to us from Vienna and is the national dish of Austria.  Although traditionally made of veal, we made ours with chicken (it’s cheaper).   I used THIS recipe, which allows chicken or pork to be substituted for the veal.  For dessert, we had apple strudel, also Viennese and very popular in Austria.  However, I was lazy with the strudel and bought a pre-made one from the supermarket.

AND…we listened to the Vienna Boys Choir while we ate!

Links:

Travel for Kids

Classics for Kids (biographies of composers)

I'm linking this post to "History and Geography" at All Things Beautiful.

Kindergarten Fun

We've just finished our 4th week of school, and Moriah is really enjoying kindergarten! She picked up the workbox system quickly, and she is settling into a routine and loving all the fun stuff scattered throughout the schedule. Here are some things she's done the past few weeks:

1. Fun with pattern blocks...she made the design herself!

2. Science experiment...how many fish counters can you fit into a foil boat before it sinks? We used all 200 counters before it began sinking!

3. Another science experiment where she had to test her sense of smell and try to guess what the scent was. Isaac and Daddy both tried it too!


4. History--We're learning about Joseph and Moses in Egypt, so Moriah made an "Egyptian collar" out of a paper plate.

Charity Shops and Yard Sales

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a yard sale junkie! I have been addicted to yard sales since I was a child in Oklahoma, when our normal Saturday activity as a family was going to yard sales! I was so disappointed when I realized that yard sales aren't big in England...what was I to do??? Some friends suggested car boot sales, but they're one morning a week (while I'm doing school), and they're really more like American flea markets. My fix? Charity shops! Charity shops in England are just like thrift stores in America, except that there are way more of them! Because people don't really have yard sales, they give all their unwanted items to charity shops, which resell them at yard sale prices. I can't even begin to tell you all the educational bargains I've found at yard sales AND charity shops! I have loads of educational toys, games, puzzles, and kits of all types, and very few of them were purchased new. Yet, nearly all of them are in good condition and contain all their pieces. I love, love, LOVE yard sales and charity shops! Okay, well, anyway, here is my "find" for the day. It's an Ultimate Explorer kit on Ancient Egypt. I paid 1.99 at Oxfam...and it's like new! I just wish Isaac could have had it last year when he studied Ancient History.