Geography Travels: Czech Republic

I always enjoy choosing a little-known country (one that often gets skipped in most geography studies) and discovering all sorts of interesting things about that country.  Czech Republic is one of those.  Czech Republic is pretty cool.  (By the way, we did this unit last school year…I’m still plugging away at finishing up last year so I can start on this year’s!)

Speaking as someone who has loved studying other countries and maps since I was a tot, I have to say that I was sorely disappointed when Czechoslovakia split up.  While I understand the reasons they decided to split into two countries (Czech Republic and Slovakia), MY reason for disappointment is simply that they also split up the ultra-cool country name CZECHOSLOVAKIA!  I loved saying it.  I loved spelling it.  Anyway.

Let’s get on to the details of what we did during this geography unit.

Week 1

Located Czech Republic on the globe, map, and atlas; discuss capital city and other major cities.  Discussed Bohemia, which is in present-day Czech Republic.

See how amazing this country is!

Listened to Eastern Europe song (from Geography Songs)

Colored the flag of Czech Republic (Best Coloring Pages)

Listened to the national anthem:

Here’s another version of the national anthem.  This one is partly instrumental/partly choir and includes a slide show:  Czech Republic National Anthem

Watched YouTube videos on the capital city, Prague:

Read from Geography From A to Z  about features found in Czech Republic:  hills, rivers, basin, forests, mountains

Labeled a map of Czech Republic (Enchanted Learning)

Look HERE for another interesting map of the divisions of Czech Republic.

Learned some of the Czech language and listened to a Toy Story 2 song sung in Czech:

Discussed religion and also learned about the Moravian Church and Jan Hus.  Checked out this bio:  Jan Hus.  Read more about the Moravian Church.

Learned about the currency, government, and history

Week 2

Music Focus:  Antonín Dvořák (listened to some of his music)

Looked at Classics for Kids-Dvořák’s Biography

Czech Republic is known for its puppets and marionettes.  We watched a cool video on marionette carving in Prague (see below), and we tried making our own puppets.  I did this simply by giving the kids a box full of craft and recycled supplies and let them design their own.

Looked at Czech Republic’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites (you have to scroll through the listing of Eastern European sites, as they no longer have a listing of JUST Czech Republic on Wikipedia).

Learned about the story of the song “Good King Wenceslaus,” which was in reference to Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia.  Here’s an interesting version of the song:

Okay, so here is a version of the actual song we sing:

Focused on Czech Castles.  Oh.my.word.  Czech Republic has some pretty amazing castles…I mean LOTS and LOTS of pretty amazing castles.  I’ve been to all kinds of castles in England, Wales, and Scotland, but I really want to go to Czech Republic to see those castles! 

Did our notebook page (Homeschool Creations)

LINKS:

Travel for Kids-Czech Republic

Kids Culture Corner (Au Pair in America)

Fun Kids: Where in the World?

Czech Republic-Manors, Castles, Historical Towns

Castles of Czech Republic

Kids.Net.Au—Czech Republic

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.