International/USA Cultural Exchange Update

Thanks to everyone who is participating in the International/USA Cultural Exchange.  I need to clarify about a few things...

This exchange will be ONGOING...if you have not received an email with your group members information, that does not mean that you will not be put into a group.  I am forming the groups as I get participants.  I am NOT setting a cut-off date.  After you are placed in a group, you are encouraged to communicate with your group members as to when you should send your packages.  So, if you would like to participate and have not emailed me yet, please do so at chasingcheerioscultureexchange@gmail.com.  

I am trying to make the international groups as diverse as possible...which means that I need 3 international participants for every 1 American.  This is why the forming of the groups is slow-going.  Also, it takes a while to sort through the emails to put people from different countries together (PLEASE put your country in the subject line of your email...this makes it SO much faster to organize groups).  So far, I have formed 17 International Culture Exchange Groups.  I have not yet started to form the USA only groups.  If you would like to be in a USA only group, please put USA only in your subject line along with your state.

If you are representing a country other than America and would like to be placed in more than 1 group, please let me know.  This is VERY do-able :)  Also, please spread the word about the exchange among your family and friends.  Having very diverse groups, makes this so fun and exciting.  I'm excited to have participants from the following countries:  France, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, Turkey, Argentina, Israel, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Austria, Poland, Italy, India, Philippines, Brazil, Canada, and the USA.

Thanks again to everyone who is participating!

Thank You to Everyone Who Voted!

Emma won a bike!!!  We are SO excited for Emma and her family!  What a blessing this will be for this sweet girl!

Only 1 and Half Hours Left!

When you go to the Friendship Circle of Michigan FB page, click "like" then "Vote" and then look for this picture!  Check the vote box by Emma's picture. There's not much time left, and she is close to winning a bike!  Thank you!

Only 8 Hours Left...

Please go Vote for Emma!!!

Vote for Emma!!!

Please click on this fb page (Friendship Circle of Michigan) and vote for Emma!  She is a very special little girl who would love an adaptive bike for her 3rd birthday!!!  All you have to do is "like" the page, and then click on "vote".  Then find Emma's picture, and check the vote box under Emma's picture and her mom's name (Cassie).  You will be helping make a super sweet little girl and her parents very happy!  Here's is the write-up that is beside her picture...

Emma has CP and works so hard everyday. She always finds a way to laugh through the tears when her body aches or doesn't cooperate. An adaptive trike would give her some much needed freedom to move and to be the social little girl she is!


THank you!!!

International Cultural Exchange Update

I've formed the 1st 10 international cultural exchange groups and have sent the emails to the participants!  So far, I've only put one American into each group, but I may need to form groups with just Americans.  Please let me know if you are willing to be a part of a USA exchange or if you only want to be a part of an international exchange.  Also, PLEASE put the country that you represent in your subject heading...it makes it SO much easier for me to organize the groups if I can quickly see the country of origin without having to click in to read the email.  THank you!

It's MRI Day!

We're about to go for Elliott's follow-up MRI.  I'm a little nervous, but fairly confident that it will be fine.  Tomorrow we find out the likelihood of tumor regrowth, and the plan if/when that happens...

More Cultural Exchange Information...

So, just to let you know how I'm setting up the cultural exchange (scroll down to previous posts if you don't know what I'm talking about)...

As I get the emails with your complete information (please send your info to chasingcheerioscultureexchange@gmail.com), I am immediately forming the groups and sending out the emails with your group members names and addresses.  The group members should correspond via email to coordinate times that the packages should be sent and to discuss the specifics of the contents of the packages.

So far, I have many more Americans than anyone else.  I really don't want to put more than one American into each group, so I am forming the groups as soon as I get 3 non-Americans and then I am working my way up the list of Americans to add to the groups...the ones who emailed first will get first priority.

This seems to be a quick and easy way to organize the groups.  If it works as well as I'm hoping, I'll just keep organizing groups indefinitely.    Please link to the exchange on your blogs in order to get the word out...I really need more international participants!!!

Thank you!!!

1st Exchange Group Created!

I've just created the first cultural exchange group and sent the email to the first 4 members!  We need more international participants (a lot more!), and please put your country in the subject line of the email.  Thank you!

Cultural Exchange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's time!  I've been telling everyone for more than 6 months that the next cultural exchange would start around February, but we got derailed by Elliott's brain tumor.  So, now it's time!!!   Here's how it will go...


I will group people into groups of 4.  Each person (family) will send out 3 packages and will receive 3 packages to their group members from around the world.


Each package should include the following:

- a letter from a child describing his/her life in his/her country...favorite foods, sports, activities, religious activities, daily schedule, school, vacations...anything that you or your child think would be interesting to a child in another country.

- Pics of your child in his home, etc.  You don't have to send close-up face pics if you are not comfortable doing so.

- Postcards, stamps, coins,

- craft, coloring sheets, small toys or games, small books

- cds of your child's favorite music or books on cd (we received several of these and LOVE them)

- recipes, pics of food specific to your region

- anything else that you think would be fun for a child to receive


PLEASE do not sign up if you do not intend to send any packages!!!!   In the last exchange we sent 19 packages (WAY too many and it was very overwhelming), and only received 15.   We want everyone to receive the same number that they send, especially since the groups are smaller this time.


If you would like to participate please email me at chasingcheerioscultureexchange@gmail.com.  Please send your name and address and your child's name and age.

I'm hoping to organize the groups as I receive the emails rather than waiting to get all of the names and arranging the groups.  I think (hope) it will be more manageable this way.  Please make sure to email me at the cultural exchange address and not my typical email address.   Please ask questions in the comments section, but send your information via email only!

Click here to see our posts about our cultural exchange packages and cultural activities.


Thanks!

Edit to add:  45 minutes in and we have LOTS of Americans and only 1 international participant!  International readers we NEED you!!!!   PLEASE sign up for the exchange.  It's fun!  I promise!!!

Free Homeschooling Materials for Mother's Day!

Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is offering 1 free homeschooling product to homeschooling member mother's for Mother's Day!  I just ordered an Evan-Moor Ocean Thematic Unit e-book that the girls and I will have fun with this summer.

Joining Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is free and if you put Cheerios in as your referral code, I'll earn a small bounty when you make your first purchase!  Go check it out here!

It's a Beautiful Life...

Elliott's time off from work following his brain tumor removal surgery is coming to an end, and we have been enjoying our family time together...


Flying kites from our boat



Baiting a hook and going fishing



Nature walks



Hugging trees



Kayaking



Swimming



Exploring our cultural exchange package from Scotland



Finding extra large lily pads



and so much more!  It's a beautiful life.

We are hoping and praying for good news next week when Elliott has his MRI and follow-up appt with his neurosurgeon.  We are hopeful that brain tumors and MRIs are a things of our past and not of our futures.

Balloon Surprise Gift

Our niece turned 8 a few weeks ago, and I wanted to make something special and exciting for her.  It's harder and harder to think of handmade gifts for as she gets older, so when I saw this balloon surprise idea on Pinterest I was very excited!



To make this gift, you need balloons, a small gift (money or coupons for activities), and confetti.




The girls LOVED participating in making this special gift for their cousin!  E(2) and I worked on it while O(5) was at school one morning.

First, E(2) pushed confetti into the balloon using a funnel and a pen.  She was SO proud!



We put a dollar or a coupon for an activity into each balloon with the confetti.  After E put the confetti and money (or coupon) in the balloon, I blew up the balloon and tied it.



O(5) and I finished putting the surprise gift balloons together after she got home from school.  She also loved making the balloons.  We forgot to bring the confetti with us (we were at the girls' grandparents house), so we put sprinkles in each balloon along with money or a coupon for an activity.

O rolled each dollar before sliding it into the balloon.



She had fun pouring in LOTS of sprinkles into each balloon!



Here is our finished gift...a bag full of balloons!



The birthday girl and her cousins had SO much fun popping the balloons to find the surprises inside!


This gift was a huge hit, and I'm looking forward to making a slightly modified version for my girls' birthdays this summer!!!

Monet Inspired Art Project

My mom, E(2), and I joined O(5) and her friends at her school last week to complete a Monet inspired art project.  The idea for the project came from this book.

On the night before the project, my mom and I spent about an hour tearing strips of blue, green, and purple tissure paper to represent the water in the project.  We also tore green and pink tissue paper into circles to use for lily pads and flowers. 



When we got to the school, we put out a piece of blue construction paper at each child's place along with a bunch of strips of tisue paper and several circles of tissue paper.  They had cups of glue and q-tips for spreading the glue.  The q-tips didn't work that well, so we switched to paintbrushes.





The children glued down the strips to represent water and then glued the lily pads and flowers on top of the water.  This was a simple and fun project. 

Here's is E(2)'s masterpiece.






E(2) REALLY enjoyed this project, and she worked on her art longer than most of the Montessori students. She said that the bigger lily pads were the mamas and the smaller ones were the babies. That night at supper, when I asked her what her "treasure" of the day was, she said "making lily pads." When I asked which artist we studied, she quickly said "Monet!"

Here is O(5)'s masterpiece.   O also loved this activity...I think it's one of the most successful art projects we've done at O's school this year!



We have really enjoyed studying famous artists with O and her friends at school, and we are looking forward to continuing these projects with the Montessori children next school year!


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The "School" Plan for E(2)

I realized as I was writing the post about O(5)'s first grade curriculum that I should also share my plan for E(2).  Then after getting countless emails and a few comments asking about it, I realized I should write it sooner rather than later!  So, here is the plan for E(2)...


I will have several Montessori shelves set up for E...practical life, sensorial, math, reading, etc.  The girls will have some shelves with shared items (science, art, music), and some shelves that are just for one or the other (although I'm sure they'll go back and forth with them).  I'll give E lessons on any new "work" and she will be able to choose the work that interest her.  I plan to put out lots of work involving animals since she really loves animals.  (I'm hoping that she'll work independently while O and I do her math and reading lessons.  If not, she can join us and we'll make it work.)


E will participate in the art lessons and projects and the composers study.  She has REALLY enjoyed studying the various artist each month so far, and I think she has enjoyed it as much (or more) than O!  I am anticipating that she will LOVE the composer study and will probably dance her way through the study.  (she instantly becomes "Clara" from The Nutcracker anytime she hears classical music).


E will participate in all of the Spanish lessons and Sign Language lessons.  She LOVES Little Pim, and she loves learning sign language.  She stands in front of our ASL ABC poster and tries to make the hand signs for the various letters. 


I'm sure that E will also want to join in when we are reading the books that go along with O's Ancient History and American History curriculum.  She enjoys listening to chapter books and asks tons of questions as I read (which is sometimes frustrating for O).   I'm sure she will also participate in our science experiments and nature study.  I'll adapt the materials for her and give her a nature notebook and crayons so that she can do her own work while O is working. 


E has been receiving ABC Fun Packs this year (a subscription that I put together as part of her 2nd bday gift), and next year she will receive a weekly or bi-weekly book and activity in the "mail."  I'll use the books and activities from BFIAR, Peak with Books, and FIAR Volume 2.


I'll use Montessori at Home by John Bowman as a guide for activities for E, and I'll also look back to Chasing Cheerios 2009 for activities (unfortunately a lot of the pics are missing from that year, but maybe I'll get them restored this summer...). 


E will spend the vast majority of her time listening to books read aloud, playing outside and digging in the dirt, and playing pretend with whatever she chooses  (boxes, straws, dress-up clothes, play food, blocks, etc. ).   Although there are so many tempting printables out in blogland, I am going to try to avoid worksheet type activities for E as much as possible.