Un Viaje por España

So as I may have mentioned before, this fall, I finally started to teach the girls Spanish. To help keep me motivated and accountable, I put together two Spanish classes that meet at our house every Thursday. Mia and Grace take both classes and Sophie and Ella are in the first class. Two other homeschool moms help out with the teaching and things have gone very well.

Part of almost every class has involved Spain and its geography. All of the kids can find Spain on the globe now and we've talked about the fact the Spain is on the Iberian Peninsula and is a part of Europe. Today, we finished our study of Spain with a culture day-- "Un Viaje por España". We began with lunch. Everyone brought a typical Spanish food and I did a demonstration on how to make a "tortilla española". Miracle of miracles, I managed to flip it without spilling egg and potato all over the stove and cabinets (unheard of for me). Everything was delicious.

After lunch, we began our journey in Sevilla where we listened to flamenco music and enjoyed a short demonstration. The kids practiced the hand motions and clapping and then moved on to Madrid. In Madrid, we visited El Prado and learned about Goya and Picasso. We talked about the palace in Madrid and the Spanish monarchy. I had ordered small Spanish flags for each family so I showed them those and pointed out the coat of arms of Spain which dates back to Los Reyes Católicos, Ferdinand and Isabella. Our little students left Madrid with coloring pages of works of Goya and Picasso and another stamp on their passports.

Our next stop was Pamplona where we ran with the bulls--or pretended to be bulls--or a little of both. So much fun. We had asked the moms to dress the kids in white and Becca had made red scarves and belts for everyone so the kids looked like they would fit right in at San Fermines.

Our final stop was Barcelona. I was worried that we would have lost the kids' attention by then but they were all very interested in learning about Antonio Gaudí and seeing pictures of La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Parc Guell. After seeing all of the colorful mosaics in Parc Guell, they each made a simple one of their own and did a truly fantastic job.

In the end, none of the kids wanted to leave. The highest of compliments I think. After all of that, I am looking forward to a restful weekend!! Ciao.

My helper

Mia helped with the signs welcoming the travelers to each city.

¡Bienvenidos a España!

Sophie and Ella helped with this poster

Learning about flamenco

Practicing the moves

Becca made fans from popsicle sticks and coffee filters.

They were a hit and will be a perfect project when we paint and decorate them

with glitter and sequins.

Ella's ready to run with the bulls.

(Looking nervous ¿no?)

She did up end getting knocked over twice by over-enthusiastic bulls.

mosaic by Grace

And here, a few photos from an excursion to a nearby park. I like it because it's wooded and has lake access. Perfect for a hot day. We're having a lot of those.

Madeleine, Sophie and Ella were at G & G Doyle's so it was just me, Mia, Grace and a friend

Bathing suits in October. Gotta' love Texas.