Geography Travels: Mongolia

Mongolia is another one of those countries rarely studied in geography units.  I found this study very fascinating, and we had a lot of fun with it.  Here’s what we did during our 2-week “travel” to Mongolia:

Week 1

Located Mongolia on the globe, map, atlas; discuss capital city Ulan Bator (Ulaanbaatar) and other major cities

Listened to “Asia Song” from Geography Songs

Looked at a Power Point on Mongolia and another website with great cultural information; unfortunately, both websites have been disabled.  Sorry.

Colored the flag (More Coloring Pages) and listened to the national anthem on YouTube.

Watched a YouTube video on Ulan Bator

Began a vocabulary page (which I made myself) and added terms as we studied them:  zud, pastoral, nomadic, steppe, arid, ger (yurts)

Read from Geography From A to Z (desert, steppes, mountains, basin, lake)

Atlai Mountains

Learned more about the Gobi Desert

Labeled a map of Mongolia (map from Enchanted Learning; I added the places to label).  We used a map at About.com Geography to help us.

Learned about the government, currency, economy(herding, agriculture, mining), climate (term zud), language, religion, and food

Week 2

Children Just Like Me and notebook page (Homeschool Creations)

Animals:  Bactrian camel, Przewalski’s horse, snow leopard

Colored a Bactrian camel printout from Enchanted Learning

National Geographic Kids has a nice page on the Bactrian camel.  Be sure to check out the video!

Check out the videos on the Cincinnati Zoo website.  A few of the videos show a baby camel being born and also the baby being examined 3 days later.  The reason I included this website in the kids’ studies is because I visited this particular zoo in 1993 and actually got to ride a Bactrian camel (I’d show you the picture…but luckily I don’t have it here, ha ha).  I can’t find that they do camel rides anymore.  I feel privileged! 

YouTube video on Przewalski’s Horses:

YouTube video--Traditional Mongolian folk song about horses:

Learned about Ghengis Khan, Kublai Khan and Marco Polo.  We watched the Animated Hero Classics DVD about Marco Polo.  We also learned about Xanadu.

Discussed culture, sports (Naadam), music, architecture, eagle-hunting (see Mongolian Eagle Hunting webpage).  Naadam is a famous sporting event held yearly in Mongolia.  The main focus is the 3 sports of Mongolia wrestling, horse racing, and archery.

Click HERE if you want to see a short YouTube video of Vice President Joe Biden watching an archery and wrestling competitions in Mongolia; also includes dancing, singing, and contortionist performances (and a speech by the Vice President at the end).

This one makes me think “Riders of Rohan” from Lord of the Rings:

Eagle Festival:

Several of the websites and videos we used are no longer available; however, I just came across this 5-part video by actress Julia Roberts, who lived with a nomadic family in Mongolia for a few weeks in 1999.  The focus is on wild horses, but it has plenty of examples of Mongolian nomadic customs, food, dress, language, and more.  Follow links to the other 4 parts of the video.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching this!

Read the Mongolia entry in The Not for Parents Travel Book

A ger, once called yurt (the Russian word), is a moveable tent made of felt or canvas and a wooden lattice frame.  This type of home is normally used by nomadic Mongolians.

To read more about the construction of a ger, visit Mongolia Street Connections (World Vision, NZ).

YouTube video on Mongolian felt making:

I made a model ger out of pipecleaners and felt and used it to make a Mongolia imaginative play set for the kids to play with.  I had intended for the kids to make a ger, but it ended up being way more complicated than I had imagined.  In fact, it’s taller than it ought to be!

Read story from Around the World in 80 Tales, read other Mongolian folktales online (some were on the disabled websites, but you can see one called “The Golden Pitcher” at Activated Story Theatre).

Notebook page (Homeschool Creations)

A few months after this study, we were privileged to visit the Field Museum in Chicago.  Their special exhibit just happened to be on Ghengis Khan.  The exhibit also included a huge collection of Mongolian artifacts and had plenty of exhibits on Mongolian culture and history.  I was so excited!  Unfortunately, photography was strictly banned in this particular exhibit.  I did get one of the exhibit entrance, though.

More Links:

Mongolia Travel Guide: Mongolian Children

National Geographic Kids: Mongolia

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.