World Cup Teachable Moments

It is that time again... 

it happens every four years...

Much of the world is glued to the TV 

And reading the news 

To see what is going on with the World Cup.

While many Dads, and some Moms, will be busy with World Cup stuff it is easy to overlook the learning opportunities for little kids. Simple things like playing a "match the flag" game can get 2 and 3 year olds involved. Older kids can follow along with the wins/losses on a chart.  It is a great time to get out the world map to see where the different teams come from. Please share your ideas in the comments!

Books:

Winners Never Quit

Soccer Game

Pele, King of Soccer

B Bears Get Their Kicks

B Bears Play A Good Game

Picture Atlas

People

Small World: Away We Go!

We're Different, We're the Same

Map Work

There's a Map on my Lap

Printables:

World Cup Wall Chart with Japan viewing times and stations

Sister Bear Coloring Page

Soccer Ball Maze

More Mazes

Menu from Tokyo McDonald's featuring flavors from various countries

In Japan it is common to have food deals that match up with major sporing events.  McDonald's has some interesting choices. There is a Brazil BBQ burger with a soccer ball style bun, a German Schnitzel burger, McFlurries with European flavours and a couple of drinks.  

Signs for the World Cup:

Ball

Game

Soccer 

Players signing ;-)

Home School

Since Zilla is gone to school all day Mega requests to do "at home school". While I'm happy to oblige there are some days I need to get work done as well so I need her to be a bit more independent.

Here is a picture of what she spent her morning doing:

A puzzle of textures and colors, lacing cards, ballet DVD and then reading a book as she fell asleep for a nap were all part of a busy, productive and apparently tiring morning!

An Average Bento Lunch

When you look up "bento" or "obento" online the results often look amazing. Many times the ones you'll see take a lot of time and effort to preare. We are a month into making daily bento lunches and in the 3rd year of making them at least a couple of times a week.

To make preparation easier on us we make some things ahead of time, use fresh cut foods and stick to simple arrangements for everyday lunches.

This is Zilla's bento on three average days. He likes tomatoes, cucumbers, and sausages the most so they often are included. Some days Zilla asks to make his bento so we try to accommodate that too.

Morning Well Spent

We've been busy getting Zilla into his new school routine which often has left Mega craving attention. She truly misses playing with him before/after school. I've been trying to be more intentional about setting aside time to play following her lead. Today she decided we'd build. There are so many lessons that can be learned from a morning spent playing with Legos. Fine motor skills, creativity, math skills... It is a classic activity for a reason!

Prepare for Success

Perhaps the most well known line in the movie Field of Dreams is "If you build it, they will come."

In the Montessori method you could say, "If you prepare it, they will do." To encourage writing and drawing we have a number of places around the house ready to display a message. The kids will often take a few minutes to write or draw but there are also times when they will get absorbed in their creations. So we have learned ~ if you prepare it, they will do!