Our South America/Brazil Unit

The last three weeks we have been studying South America with an emphasis on Brazil.   Along with that we have been studying the rain forest for science.  The kids secretly put together a large rain forest mural, labeling the layers of the forest (emergent, canopy, understory, floor) and gave a presentation to Russ when he got home from school today.  They also graphed the difference in monthly rainfall in Michigan and the rain forest in the Amazon area in Brazil.  The best part of the project was listening to them work on the project from the other room.  It was so cute to hear the excitement in their voices as they planned what they would draw, how they would color it, and all their other ideas.  This, truly, is when homeschooling is fun.  Then I can forget that I had a 7 foot mural on the floor of my dining room all week (put away discreetly when dad came home at night) with rain forest books, colored pencils, and crayons all over the place.   I can shut my eyes to the other "clutter" caused by homeschooling:  the pumpkin seeds growing on the kitchen window sill, the world map hanging on the living room wall, geography game pieces strewn over the family room floor, and math flash cards scattered in various places throughout the house.

Just to show the size of their mural.  Caleb, Nicolas, and Anna each took a 1/3.

Caleb's third

Anna's third

Nicolas' third

Kids insisted I post some closeups of their favorite animals.  This is one of Nicolas'.

Nicolas' gorilla family.  All animals drawn are rain forest animals, not necessarily Amazon rain forest animals (or so I was told!)

Anna's sloth

Anna's gorilla

Caleb's tapir, capybara, backside of an okapi.  Note Seth's peacock in the bottom corner and his tiger near the okapi's backside.

Caleb's spider monkey tree

A better shot of Caleb's tapirs, capybara and ibis in the water hole

We always try to end a unit making and eating a recipe from the country we have studied.  Tonight we had Abacate Batido or Whipped Avocado Dessert.