I thoroughly enjoyed our Peru unit. Maybe it’s because the Andes are so spectacular and Machu Picchu so fascinating…or maybe it’s because llamas and alpacas are so stinkin’ cute! Peru was the 3rd country we studied this past school year.
Week 1
Located Peru on a wall map, globe, and in a world atlas. Located capital city and major cities (Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, Chiclayo).
Listened to “South America Song” (Geography Songs) and also the national anthem:
Colored a flag page (Homeschool Creations):
Discussed government and currency of Peru
Labeled a map of Peru (Homeschool Creations):
Discussed terms from Geography from A to Z: mountain, mountain range, pass, coast, plains, rainforest, basin, river, desert, jungle, lake, volcano, canyon
YouTube videos:
Week 2
Discussed Peruvian history: Norte Chico and Inca civilizations, Pizarro, Spanish conquest and colonization (The Incas for Kids website), Power Point on Inca empire
Discussed Machu Picchu and did a sketch:
YouTube videos:
Machu Picchu Peru Travel Video
Discussed Peruvian culture: Spanish, music, dance, clothing, and crafts.
Charango and cajón (musical instruments)
YouTube videos:
Toro Mata (Susana Baca)—song, no video (see song explanation HERE).
Colca Canyon, Peru: Traditional Dancing
Inca Traditional Dance:
We recently visited Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO during the World Fest, and we got to watch Peruvian Scissor Dancers. Accompanied by Peruvian folk music, this group danced with large pairs of scissors…very interesting. Although this happened months after we studied Peru, the kids really enjoyed it.
I took this video:
“Collecting Firewood” story
Discussed animals of Peru: alpaca, llama, Andean condor, chinchilla, vicuña, Andean cat, Guinea pigs, jaguar (Discover Peru website for more)
“The Frog and the Condor” story
Notebook Page (Homeschool Creations)
“Wish Upon a Star” from Around the World in 80 Tales
Field trip to Oaklyn Alpacas—I knew there were some alpaca farms in England, so I looked online for a local farm. I emailed one about a possible visit, and we arranged it. This ended up being one of my favorite field trips. The owner of the farm did an excellent job of showing us around, and she let us feed some of the alpacas. Hers weren’t from Peru, but they were still alpacas! We learned lots of interesting information. When we finished, we visited her little shop where she sells things made of alpaca wool. We bought each of the kids an alpaca finger puppet.
I ordered two children’s books that take place in Peru. We loved these!
Websites:
How to Draw a Cartoon Llama (we didn’t do this, but it looks neat)
I’m linking this post to “History and Geography” at All Things Beautiful.
