Each January I try to compile a summary of some of our most poignant moments, experiences and projects of the closing year. As I spent the last month piecing together 2017 in photos and writing and hazy-mom-brain memories, one broad theme emerged.
But first I’ll start with our travel adventures. The year began by welcoming and photographing new babies in New York, Minneapolis and Berkeley. We tracked wild horses on the Outer Banks. We visited family in Minneapolis (again) and explored my old haunts in the city I’ll never stop calling home. We celebrated 20 years of friendship in Utah with my high school Swiss Semester group and their incredible families. We met sea turtles and collected shark teeth at Topsail Island. We hiked peaks in the Blue Ridge to take in the fall foliage spilling across the mountains. We explored frozen waterfalls at Hanging Rock. We spent a lot of time at home too. We cleared a little trail system through the back woods, so we could take short walks without leaving the yard. We began our first landscaping attempts in the front yard to make it a more pleasant space to play and ride bikes. And, most significantly, we embarked on the great experiment of home education. The overarching theme of our year was this: learning. Last year, we watched in deep, jaw-dropping disappointment as the world into which we thought we had brought three lives began to devolve around us. Ignorance won a seat at the head of the table, and with it, the unconscionable willingness—and even insistence—of so many to leave the world significantly worse than they found it for our kids and their peers. Empathy, critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning? Out the window. So as parents, we spent a lot of our year learning what our kids are up against. The blinders came off. On the flip side, we also watched and learned from individuals and organizations who rose up and unified to fight for social justice, for science, for women, for the environment, for our kids and their generation. Now we better understand how to prepare our kids’ hearts and minds for their future, and who our allies and role models are in these efforts. These realizations greatly informed how I defined teaching and learning in our homeschool. A few months ago, I wrote a post about some of my educational goals, which center on empathy, global citizenship and critical thinking. The year reaffirmed our commitment to raising children who value life-long learning, who will seek knowledge over ignorance at every turn, and who will demand no less from the world around them. By removing the noise of schedules imposed on us by the traditional school system, we freed up more time for the girls to immerse themselves in meaningful activities without the rush, without the busyness, and with plenty of time left over for one of the most crucial aspects of childhood: free play. An unexpected high point of our learning experience last year was that the girls decided they wanted to start horseback riding, and we became more of a part of the stable community than we otherwise could have been. (A heart-felt thank you to their wonderful and wonderfully patient instructor, Kelly, and to the owner of the stable, Piper.) The girls also had incredible experiences at writing and arts camps at Duke Lemur Center and Carolina Tiger Rescue—opportunities we may have turned down if we hadn’t started to manage our time in a non-traditional way. Throughout the year, we also began learning how to navigate the peanut-laced world in a slightly different way after Cricket completed her peanut desensitization clinical trial (oral immunotherapy) at UNC in January 2017. For 32 months, the trial was a large and emotional part of our daily lives—a story for another day. The fantastic news was that Cricket passed the last challenge, demonstrating she had increased her ability to tolerate peanuts from a few specks of peanut dust to16 peanuts. The problem is that the immune system is a fickle thing and won’t promise the same results every day. Since the trial, Cricket has reacted twice to the daily dose of peanut she takes to maintain her desensitization, now six Reese’s Pieces, which is far less exposure than the amount she took during the last challenge. These reactions serve as reminders to us that desensitization is not a cure; it simply offers Cricket the best level of protection available from a life-threatening reaction. So with that information we move forward, navigating restaurants and birthday parties and airplanes, operating in that gray area of trying to learn to loosen some of the reigns but never truly knowing where the limits lie that day. Yes, I’d say learning was our grand theme of 2017. We learned a lot about disappointment. We learned a lot from people doing deeply good work. We learned how to buck cultural norms when they stood in the way of our family’s dreams. My goal for the coming year? It’s simple: to keep actively and intentionally learning.
We finished up our study of the African continent just before the holidays with a week-long focus on Egypt. I suspect you'll enjoy reading the books we found. Our favorites were the top two on the list.
North Africa (Egypt)
Activities Located and labeled Egypt on map. Read about contemporary Egypt and the Nile. Wrote stories set in Egypt. Studied Nile crocodiles and painted pictures of them. Studied ancient Egypt and read letter from Isabelle (Letters from Afar) about her exploration of Egypt and the Great Pyramids. Compared and contrasted “The Egyptian Cindarella” and Disney’s “Cinderella” using a Venn diagram. Spent a day studying, drawing and writing about caracals (wild cats) at the Carolina Tiger Rescue. Learn about my intro photography curriculum Documenting Your World Through Photography: An Introductory Course for Elementary and Middle Schoolers
More Around the World Book Lists
East Africa (Part I) East Africa (Part II) and Central Africa North Africa (Egypt) Southern Africa West Africa The Arctic Antarctica I may receive a small commission from the Amazon affiliated link on this page at no additional cost to you. I've been documenting the world around me in writing and photographs since I was 6 years old without understanding exactly why I feel this need. But it's so intensely rooted that I've never shaken it or even tried. Over time I've learned there is something profound in simply bearing witness, in allowing your actions and work to say, "'I am here, and I see you." Along the way, I've witnessed perhaps some of the deepest pain and the greatest joys life can offer, as well as all that good stuff caught in between that makes up daily existence. If we are living well, we are continually bearing witness to those around us in various ways. But when clients specifically ask me to serve as witness to a moment or phase or milestone? It's nothing short of an honor. I've been honored to photograph this family, these friends, on four occasions now. (You can find their previous sessions here, here and here.) Last year was truly one of new beginnings for them. Their new house represents just a small portion of these beginnings, but I wanted to make sure it figured prominently in the images as their base camp. Beyond the obvious beauty of this home and the love this family has for one another, a stunning element I witnessed during this session was one they'll never take for granted: restored energy. To view more lifestyle portraits, click here.
One of my favorite parts of planning portrait sessions is helping each family select a location that is significant to them. Not only is Pittsboro's Fearrington Village a prominent place in this family's current routines, but it's also where the couple hosted their rehearsal dinner years ago. They have so many joyful memories here that it was a natural decision to capture them strolling around the farm and gardens. (And the fact that this family and this place are also special to me made the session particularly meaningful for me too.) To view more lifestyle portraits, click here.
These books about West Africa might just be my favorite batch yet. "One Hen" and "One Plastic Bag" are based on the true stories of incredible people whose innovative ideas, sacrifice and hard work transformed their communities for the better. Warning: When you read these stories, the words may catch in your throat when you understand where they are going. "Yatandou" is a powerful and beautifully illustrated fictional account of how technology can improve the lives of those living in poverty. "Deep in the Sahara" tells the story of a young girl learning that the women in her family wear the mulafa (hijab) because of their faith. It's a simple lesson that may answer a question you didn't realize your children might have. West Africa (Ghana, the Gambia, Mali and Mauritania)
Activities
Inspired by Isatou Ceesay and the women from “One Plastic Bag,” built something useful from our recycling: a picnic basket. Then packed up the basket and took it on a picnic. Inspired by “One Hen,” pooled allowance money and bought a gift for a family in need from Heifer International: a flock of chicks. Wrote fact sheet on the sand cat’s adaptations for desert living. Drew sand cats and their kittens. Visited the NC Zoo's desert dome to visit the sand cat and other desert dwellers. More Around the World Book Lists East Africa (Part I) East Africa (Part II) and Central Africa North Africa (Egypt) Southern Africa West Africa The Arctic This is NOT a sponsored post; there are NO affiliate links. My niece, Holly, turns 1 today. Way back in April, we all flew out to meet her then-3-month-old self, and I got to do a session with her and Big Sister Iris in their beautifully renovated home in the Berkeley Hills. In honor of Holly's first year, I'm finally posting their session. (My goal was to find time to post it before she graduated from high school, so I'm doing pretty well, if I do say so myself.) Holly has grown and changed so much since these photos, but I'm smiling revisiting the sweet memories of our first meeting. One of the funniest things about Holly is that she has already been busy teaching the great life lesson that what goes around comes around; she started to walk at 9 months, just like her mama did. My parents had a deservedly good laugh over the one skill you don't want your child to master early. Happy 1st Birthday, Holly B! I couldn't help taking Iris out to to her iris garden for a few snaps. To view more of my lifestyle portraits, click here.
A thrill of hope. Could any line better describe what the holiday season is supposed to be about? As this year winds to a close, and we anticipate the awakening of the next, I wish you this: that you allow yourself the stillness and space to seek and experience a thrill of hope. Happy Holidays! And a few favorite outtakes.
We took a delightful literary trip across Southern Africa last week with stops through Madagascar and South Africa.
Madagascar captured my heart 14 years ago when I spent a summer there doing primate field research. Little did I know that years down the line, it would capture my kids' hearts too. By this point, between visits to and camp at my old stomping ground, the Duke Lemur Center, plenty of books and photos, and a healthy collection of stuffed lemurs, the girls now know as much as I do about Madagascar and conservation issues. But we still enjoyed spending a day reading and writing about one of our favorite places. South African culture and wildlife also fascinated the girls. Since our cousin just spent the year working with great white sharks in South Africa, we thought it would be interesting to study great whites too. One day we hope to take a closer look at them...from an underwater cage. Southern Africa (South Africa and Madagascar)
Activities
Identified and labeled Madagascar and South Africa on map. Explored Malagasy culture by studying paintings, fabrics, jewelry, crafts, photos and books. Wrote stories about lemurs. Wrote book reports on Nelson Mandela. Inspired by Ndebele women of South Africa in "My Painted House," beaded necklaces and painted our own house drawings. Used "My Painted House" for lesson on nouns and adjectives. Studied and painted pictures of great white sharks. Field trip planned to aquarium to see sharks. Learn about my intro photography curriculum Documenting Your World Through Photography: An Introductory Course for Elementary and Middle Schoolers
More Around the World Book Lists
East Africa (Part I) East Africa (Part II) and Central Africa North Africa (Egypt) Southern Africa West Africa The Arctic Antarctica I may receive a small commission from the Amazon affiliated link on this page at no additional cost to you.
Friends, I’ve gone bananas buying books. While I’m excited to be adding 20 books about Africa to our collection (we’ve also read stacks and stacks of library books), I’ve realized we’ll never make it around the world by the end of the school year at this pace. Once we wrap up Africa, we’ll probably have to limit our studies to about 10 pieces of literature (plus library reference-type books) per continent.
Something I neglected to mention in my first post about our Around the World unit study is that we’ll try to “visit” countries that have significance to our family along the way. Since we have family from Ethiopia, we made sure to stop there on our journey. East (Part II) & Central Africa
I realized after ordering all our books that I failed to find literature from Central Africa. Instead we briefly studied its rainforests and read several books about gorillas and chimpanzees.
Activities
Identified countries of study on map. Drew maps of the Serengeti’s great migration. Painted Lake Tanganyika. Inspired by “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” made models of inventions that could help people: rafts for people living in flood-prone areas. Discussed tropical rainforests (we’ll study them more thoroughly when we get to Central and South America). Wrote brief animal reports about gorillas. Illustrated reports with watercolor paintings of gorillas. Wrote fictional stories set in Ethiopia. Made Ethiopian honey bread (and enjoyed it over tea/coffee). Took field trip to the zoo to visit animals of Africa. Learn about my intro photography curriculum Documenting Your World Through Photography: An Introductory Course for Elementary and Middle Schoolers More Around the World Book Lists East Africa (Part I) East Africa (Part II) and Central Africa North Africa (Egypt) Southern Africa West Africa The Arctic Antarctica I may receive a small commission from the Amazon affiliated link on this page at no additional cost to you.
Yes, I wish my kids joy and happiness. But I also wish them the ability to empathize with their fellow human beings. I wish them the ability to recognize themselves as global citizens—an existence that comes with great responsibility to the Earth and each inhabitant and ecosystem alike, particularly the most vulnerable among us. I wish them the ability to think critically—to fully understand the concept and process of evidence-based reasoning and demand evidence over ignorance at every level they encounter.
But wishing is not enough. Instilling these skills and values will take work. We began homeschooling in August, so my kids’ formal academic instruction sits squarely on my shoulders. Two months in, I started to evaluate how we were spending our time, what was working, what was not. Yes, we were learning to add and read and write in complete sentences—all those necessary stepping stones for academic success. But nothing in our curriculum was edging us toward understanding global citizenship in a meaningful way. So I scrapped some of our curriculum and began to design an “Around the World” unit study, which will take us to a new region each month or two (roughly, but not exactly by continent). Through mostly “living books,” as Charlotte Mason would call them (interesting literature instead of textbooks), we’ll use each region as a framework to study geography, biology, geology, culture, language and history. When I was in school, history and geography studies were usually framed around the same thing: how, when and why men fought men over land and power, and who was victorious. There is plenty of time later to learn all of that. But doesn’t a child deserve to view the world with awe? (I realize that while all children deserve to view the world with awe, many do not have the luxury. We are privileged to be able to offer this viewpoint at this time.) I would like to expose my kids, the older of whom are just 5 and 6, to fascinating aspects of the world and the goodness of so many of its people, despite humanity’s perpetual violence. My goals are to find literature focusing on the following themes: -People, especially women and children, whose sense of empathy for others led them to contribute in interesting and inspirational way to their communities, whether through small, thoughtful actions or in large-scale ways. -The interconnectedness and remarkability of all life forms and our responsibilities as stewards of the Earth, particularly through the exploration of ecosystems and threats to their health, and ways conservationists and citizens can work to reduce these threats. (We do nature and STEM studies beyond the Around the World unit study, as well.) -The celebration of cultures and languages in ways that promote respect for and admiration of diversity, not fear or negativity. As I began to search for literature suggestions, I read a blog post by a woman who admitted that despite trying to teach her kids to celebrate diversity, she realized one day in horror when she looked at her bookshelves that their literature collection was anything but diverse. When I read her words, I felt a knot growing in my stomach. Our bookshelves are not nearly as diverse as they could or should be if we are serious about raising global citizens. We’ve got work to do. Finding age-appropriate literature online can be tricky, since reading levels are not always well labeled. So the first thing I did was buy this reference book: “Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time,” by Jamie C. Martin. She divides her book suggestions by region and age level. The religiosity of her introduction made me worry her recommendation lists would focus on books with a Christian world view instead of incorporating a diversity of viewpoints, but I haven’t found that concern to be true so far. Most of the books below come from Martin’s suggestions.
I decided to start our unit study in Africa, partially because my heart has always been there, but also because Nora is obsessed with lions. I wanted to win her over fast on our new school approach. And I may have gotten a little excited about all the literature Martin suggests (plus more from digging around online) and ordered so many books that we may never reach another continent. (Lesson learned: pick a handful or two of books per region and then move on, or you won’t make it around the world in a year.) We started two weeks ago in East Africa and will work our way around the continent in five sub-units.
East Africa (Part 1: Kenya and Tanzania)
(I should note that not all authors and illustrators from this list are native to the countries or regions about which they write.) You could go in so many directions with these books, and I have a full list of activities and assignments we won’t even get to this round. But here is a quick summary of how we approached our studies. Geography: Identified the continent of Africa on a world map. Identified on a map the country or region where each story takes place and where each animal lives. Language: Produced several creative writing assignments related to the literature and species/ecosystems studied. Compared and contrasted two books based on the life and work of the same woman. Read books with Swahili numbers and phrasing mixed in. (My goal isn’t for them to memorize every language we encounter along our journey, but to understand and respect the use of different languages—to hear or read a word in a different language and think, “I’d like to learn more about that language,” instead of, “Well that sounds funny!”) Biological Sciences: Organized studies around “Savanna Food Chain.” Drew savanna food chain and energy pyramid. Studied plants or animals from each level of the energy pyramid, and drew pictures or wrote stories or reports to reinforce the knowledge. Wrote about the hunting techniques of a specific savanna predator. Learned about the great migration and why animals migrate (food!). Learned about endangered species of the savanna, poaching and environmental degradation. Will be visiting the zoo’s Africa exhibit next week. Culture and Art: Tried hand at painting animals in a traditional style. Made Kenyan pancakes. Painted and drew numerous pictures of African wildlife. Read books set in rural villages. Other: We were all were quite enthralled by the two stories about Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her work that resulted in the planting (or replanting) of more than 30 million trees in Kenya. We will be planting a tree in Wangari’s memory in our front yard. One night, Nora asked me to read the books about Wangari again and then said, “Mom, I want to do something to help EVERYONE in the world, like how Wangari helped Kenya. What can I do?” I knew in that moment we were on the right track. And I’ll be clinging to that moment as we move forward. Whether you’re homeschooling or just want to increase the diversity of your children’s literature collection, I hope you’ll follow along as I post our book lists and activities throughout the year. Learn about my intro photography curriculum Documenting Your World Through Photography: An Introductory Course for Elementary and Middle Schoolers More Around the World Book Lists East Africa (Part I) East Africa (Part II) and Central Africa North Africa (Egypt) Southern Africa West Africa The Arctic Antarctica I may receive a small commission from the Amazon affiliated link on this page at no additional cost to you. |
My new book is out! Click to learn more about it.Hello thereI'm Julia Soplop, writer and photographer. I believe there is something profound in bearing witness to moments of joy and pain in others’ lives. My husband, three girls and I live outside of Chapel Hill, NC. You can read more about me here.
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