In early April, Dylan and I took our monthly walk to the library to stock up on some homeschooling material for the first half of April. Here is what we found;
In our house we believe that learning about all religions of the world, as well as all cultures, is fundamental to breeding peace and tolerance of other’s belief systems. Our son knows that there is a God, but he is also learning that there are many names for HIM. We also want Dylan to know how and why some religions were even founded in the first place.
Since we were only weeks out from Easter, and we have plenty of children’s books about the true meaning of such, I set out to search for books about Passover. Turns out that my search was very easy since there are so many good ones! This one in particular became a fast favorite as mine,
Passover – celebrating now, remembering then by Harriet Ziefert
I myself learned a few things! It’s easy to read, and it goes into specific traditions, prayers, and food of the Passover Seder. I was delighted that the book explained each food at the Seder and it’s meaning. I was having a challenging time pronouncing the Yiddish pronuciations, but note to self: find some audio material next year so that Dylan and I can learn together 🙂
Dylan is still too young to understand a lot about religions of the world and how other’s view our Creator, but every year we will follow these programs and go deeper. This is what is commonly referred to by conscience parents as “planting seeds”. It’s daily life and setting an example of peace and tolerance, as well as further education on topics – especially controversial ones – that will continue to nurture those seeds.
To increase Dylan’s awareness of his surroundings, such as the weather, I thought that we would “study” typical spring season conditions. We found two great books that pretty much encompass springtime;
Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray
And
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlenson
Both books are just easy colorful reads that bring awareness to how the trees change during this time of year, and how you can have a fun time in the rain when you grab your red rubber boots and go out anyway!
Tonight is library night for Dylan and I. I am sure that since today is Earth Day we will look into books related to the topic. I can’t wait to see what else we can fine and themes I can conjure up.
Until we meet agan…happy exploring!
Jenna Prosceno 