Our Summer Plans ~ Around the World in 8 Weeks!

We are doing "light school" this summer. We decided to pick a theme and create our learning around it. This year the theme is based on Jules Verne's book, Around the World in 80 days.  We are currently listening to the book on tape, and we will be watching several different versions of the movie. For the next 8 weeks we will "visit" a different country in Phineas Fogg's travels each week. The countries we picked are either in the book, movie or both. We will be "visiting" England, France, Spain, Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Japan and the USA. We will be doing a craft or activity and making a meal from each country. We will also do journal entries, listen to music and watch documentaries from each country.

Here are some resources we will be using:

• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne -- Read by Jim Dale
• Travel memory game
• GEO Dice game
• Where in the World board game
• A Trip Around the World Extended Thematic Unit
• Legends and Leagues or Mr. Tardy Goes Here To There
• Around the World in 80 Days Disney version 2004 DVD
• Around the World in 80 Days 1956 version DVD
• The Daring Nellie Bly
• Nellie Bly Around the World in 72 Days
• Around the World in 72 Days: Nellie Bly Documentary DVD
• Around the World in 80 days With Michael Palin Documentary DVD
• Numerous ethnic cookbooks

I think this is going to be lots of fun and incorporate lots of geography (which we did not do well on this year) and cooking which the kids love. It will also be a great way to sneak in a bit of writing.

In addition, Little Red Riding Hood and Tom Sawyer will be doing spelling or math each day. Goldilocks will be doing Time4Learning for 2 hours a day. She is not getting much of a summer break because she is too far behind in her studies. They will all read for 30 minutes a day.

We have some pure fun planned as well. The kids Summer Bucket List is as follows...

• Swimming lessons for the girls
• One week of dance camp for Goldilocks 
• Two weeks of boys dance camp for Tom Sawyer
• Splashville
• Camping
• Staying in a hotel ~ I hope they count a few days at Ronald McDonald House!
• $1 movie camp
• Summer library program
• Roller skating
• Messy Science
• Going to a baseball game
• Gardening
• Fireworks
• Toasting marshmallows
• Catching fireflies
• Play dates

I am looking forward to reading a book each week. We will see if I can really pull that off.  I got through one last week. So what are your plans?

Blessings, Dawn