We learned that a baby kangaroo is called a joey and that kangaroos use their thick tails to help them balance and their large feet to help them jump. (I have a sneaky suspicion that after you read the next sentence, you're going to think I made a typo; so let me assure you in advance that, although what you are about to read is shocking, it is 100% accurate.) We learned this week that in a single jump a kangaroo can hop 42 feet. Yes, 42 feet! And just in case you're spatially challenged, this is what that looks like:
Before we took this picture, Hannah and Camille stood at the edge of the driveway and jumped the farthest they could. Then we measured 42 feet to see how far a kangaroo can jump. Needless to say, the kangaroo won.
Some new vocabulary words during our study this week were herbivore and marsupial. We talked about some different kinds of marsupials, such as kangaroos (obviously), opossums, and koala bears. Then Hannah put on a jacket and made a pocket by only zipping it up halfway. She put Cupcake (her favorite stuffed animal) inside and carried her around for a while.
As we studied Australia, we started with the essentials: This is where The Wiggles and The Crocodile Hunter are from. After we got that out of the way, we went on to more mundane things such as locating it on the globe and discussing what an island is (another new vocabulary word). I have been teaching Hannah the names of the continents using a song I learned in elementary school, and this week she was able to recite them all from memory!
We made a little booklet with pictures of animals that travel by hopping. The only ones we could think of were crickets, rabbits, grasshoppers, frogs, and of course kangaroos. Surely there are more than that! If you know of any others, please leave a comment so I can add to these when Millie does Kindergarten in a few years.
We read some great books this week, including I Love It When You Smile; Norma Jean, Jumping Bean; Animals Should Definitely NOT Wear Clothing; and Katy No-Pocket. They were all books worth reading, but I think our favorites were Animals Should Definitely NOT Wear Clothing and Katy No-Pocket.
Our special words this week were "I am safe in God."
We discussed how God desires to protect us and keep us safe, but He can only do that when we stay close to Him. I used the old umbrella illustration and told Hannah that, just like we get wet when step out from under the protection of an umbrella, life can hit us pretty hard when we step out from under the protection of the rules God has established for us. It was a very sweet conversation.
I love the way this curriculum kind of puts the lessons out there for her to claim. It does't just say, "We obey God because that's what the Bible says to do." Instead, it explains the heart behind the requirement, which I pray is what will ultimately draw my children to their Savior and want them to remain tucked away safely in His pocket forever!
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