#3049. The Year I Didn't Go To School

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Fri Feb 6 10:01:41 PST 2004 by Leigh Oden (theohioodens@aol.com).
Oden Academy Home School, Mansfield, Ohio USA
Materials Required: Book "The Year I Didn't Go To School" by Giselle Potter. News papers, baloons, liquid starch, paint
Activity Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Concepts Taught: culture, art, geography

Read the book "The Year I Didn't Go To School" By Giselle Potter. Ask the childern what they think they might learn if given the opportunity take a year off from school. Would they learn another language? Could they learn about the history and culture of area they traveled to? What would they eat and drink? Have the children go to the world map and ask them to locate Italy. Where would they choose to go and why? Take a trip to the library to find books about others and where and how they live.

For a fun art project try making something out of paper mache. I had my kids make masks that they got to decorate. We started with blown up balloons. Then dipped strips of newspaper in liquid starch and applied them to the balloons making sure to leave holes for eyes, nose and mouth. They then got to paint them anyway they wanted. I punched a hole in each side of the mask and tied yarn to it so they could put on their own show.