Sunday, June 27, 2021

Summer Homeschooling - Arctic Scandinavia Week


Anna and Chayton with a Nordic Cave Troll

ARCTIC SCANDINAVIA WEEK -

Monday: Tour of Scandinavia

  • World Map to show and color in where Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle are on the Earth
  • Santa Claus isn't the only one who lives at the North Pole!
  • See the natural beauty of Scandinavia
  • P.E.: The kids loved the VR chase games, so I had to find another one of those -
  • Media: Watch Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Episode 1, "Iceland" (the kids loved this show, so I used it again)
    • We made some "Thunder Bread," smoked some salmon, and scrambled some eggs because the kids were so excited about what was eaten in this episode


Tuesday: Arctic Animals
  • Literature/Reading: Read Here Is the Arctic Winter by Madeleine Dunphy (this one can be picked up from the library)
  • Media: Watch Disney+'s (National Geographic's) Wild Nordic, Episode 3, "Land of Ice and Snow" (this documentary is long but covers most of the arctic animals, so feel free to fast forward through some parts) or the hyperlinks for each animal below. 
  • How People and Nature Work Together in Scandinavia:
    • The Sami and the Reindeer - they depend on the reindeer, and the reindeer depend on them (If you've seen Frozen, Kristoff was a Sami with his reindeer, Sven, and Hans' horse is a real kind of horse called a Fjord)
    • Dog sledding - man has to depend on dogs to take them where cars and even snowmobiles can't (I love telling the story of Balto; a whole village was brought lifesaving medicine because of that dog and team)
    • Orcas and Fisherman
    • STEM: Repurposing Project (recycling, repurposing, and using every part of something is a huge part of Scandinavian culture) -
      • Repurpose a used or disposed of item to make something new (examples: pallets, old furniture, milk jugs, etc.); I saw this while watching a tourist's video blog on YouTube of his trip through Norway: In Norway, they have little roadside gardens that are made completely of decorated old tires, so you could use spray-paint to decorate an old tire, and then use it as a planter for flowers the kids can care for. I've also seen this done with old bathtubs, old wheelbarrows, etc. 
      • Take old toys to Goodwill or old furniture to a consignment store instead of throwing them away

We used an old kitchen sink to make a planter for our herbs and spices!

Wednesday: The History of the Vikings
  • History/Culture: The Vikings - A Viking Village
  • Vikings were some of the best sailors of their time:
  • Norse Creation Story - Norse Gods
  • The Legends of Trolls:
    • Forest or mountain trolls - big, dumb, offish creatures that uproot trees to use as clubs; have to solve a riddle to cross their bridge 
    • Cave or rock trolls - magical and mischievous (these would have been the ones seen in Frozen); not usually kind to humans and use their powers to deceive and confuse them 
    • Activity/Game: Can you make it across all the troll bridges? You can lay out couch cushions or dog beds along the floor for the kids to jump from one to the other. Then, solve the riddle to pass each bridge -
      • What has hands, but can't clap? A clock
      • What is as big as an elephant, but weights nothing? It's shadow
      • Why are teddy bears never hungry? Because they're always stuffed
      • Why isn't your nose 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot
      • What is yours, but others use it more than you? Your name
      • I have a head and a tail, but no body. What am I? A coin. 
    • Art: Troll Mask Craft (maybe you can make your own troll bridge with riddles to pass)

Replica Viking Church in Epcot

Troll Mask Craft

Thursday: The Scandinavian People
  • Art: Learn the art of Rosemaling (designs used to beautify ordinary things, such as buildings, silverware, furniture, etc. - show photos of authentic rosemaling, and then you can use this template to create your own; Swedish Dala Horse design (you could get a wooden horse at Hobby Lobby or one of the paper mache ones at Target, so the kids can design their own Dala horses)
  • History/Culture: Can you dance like a Norwegian? You will need a broomstick and a hat!
  • Language: Learn to speak Norwegian
  • What do they eat?
    • National Dish: Mutton Stew
    • Staple Foods: Fish, wild game, lamb, cabbage, potatoes, flatbread
    • Most Famous: Seafood, cheese, lefse, and hard cider
    • Brunost (brown cheese) - they usually eat this on waffles

The Norwegian Hat Dance ("Hallingdans")

Friday: Things To Do in Scandinavia

Our Igloo!

Saturday: Scandinavia is big on being in and one with nature, so you could head to a secluded AirBNB on some land, or since they're so big on sauna, you could also head to your local spa, i.e. Spa Castle outside Dallas has sauna, spa, and a water park for the kids (many of these spas even have rooms for you to stay overnight)
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Thanks for reading Blue Sky Days! XOXO, Kyrstie.

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