Sentient

For the last few weeks we have been studying Africa in geography.  Each student had to pick an African country, complete some research and mapping, then present their project to the group.  B9 picked Botswana, but then noticed that Lesotho was completely surrounded by another country:  South Africa.  He thought this was a very cool thing and decided to learn about Lesotho instead.

We had been reading and collecting information for about a week when he happened to be discussing his school work with his friend across the road.  His friend mentioned that the king of Lesotho was coming to his school the following week.  When B9 told me this I was a little stunned, so did an online search to find out exactly what was going on.  Sure enough King Letsie III was attending a special assembly at our friend’s school to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Help Lesotho and to thank those who have supported his country over the last 5 years.

I called the school to see if we could attend and was given instructions and sent a special parking permit.  It was important that we arrive well before the King as no-one would be admitted to the hall after he entered.  B9 was happy to see his friend who had the added privilege of meeting the king after the assembly to ask him a question.  The assembly included quite a bit of audio visual material from Lesotho, which showed us what the land was like and the living conditions of some of the people.

There were several speakers, the school choir and some video presentation from children and women in Lesotho who have been helped through Help Lesotho.  The king spoke last and his gratitude was very moving.  Naturally his concern for the people of Lesotho is great, particularly because HIV Aids is a huge problem leaving many of the children of the country without parents.  B9 and I enjoyed being at the assembly and B9 also enjoyed explaining to his audience during his presentation that, as part of the current events component, he had been to see and hear the King of Lesotho speak!

During our geography class we also enjoyed presentations about São Tomé and Príncipe, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.  Everyone had a slightly different approach in their presentation, some providing food, others music and others a glimpse into the lives of people they knew in the country they studied.

Last Friday  my children, along with six others participated in a History Fair.  This is the third time we have been involved in one and every time I am impressed with the learning that happens as a result of all the research each child does.   Participants  pick their own Canadian History topic and can present it in whatever way they think appropriate.

L14 began researching the involvement of Canadian children on the home front during WWII.  After reading from several books she changed her topic to the evacuated British children who were brought to Canada during WWII.  She has been interested in this topic ever since she read Kit Pearson’s Guests of War trilogy.   Over the weeks of preparation she worked quite independently but would sometimes talk to me about information she had read.  I also joined her as she watched a video where former evacuees were interviewed about their experiences.   It was hard to believe that some children as young as four and five were transported to Canada, expecting to be home within months but ending up here for years.  Many children became closer to their foster families than their own parents.  Siblings of big families could not always stay together so did not see each other or their parents for years.

A12 was inspired by a history lesson we did last year on the Klondike  Gold rush.  She chose to focus, not on the gold mining, but on the treacherous journey to get there.  The journey had four main parts:  the sea trip on over-crowded boats,  the hazardous trek over the White Pass or equally difficult Chilkoot Pass.  This trip straight up a snow covered mountain had to be repeated time after time as the miners carried their supplies in 50lb packs, then slid back down the mountain for another load!  The next leg of the journey involved cutting down trees and building a boat, in order to complete the last part, the boat trip through rapids and canyons to Dawson City, the gateway to the Klondike.  Not content with just researching and presenting her material on a display board, A12 made a miniature version of a miner’s required kit to show the range of the supplies that had to be purchased and transported by each miner.

Helping B8 with his project was a bit of a stretch for me.  I had been reading to him about Canada’s involvement in the D-Day landing on Juno Beach.  He was very intersted and thought he could make a model showing where the tanks and troops came ashore, etc.  Then out of the blue he changed his mind and wanted learn about WW2 tanks only!  As the project has to be Canadian history I explained that he would have to concentrate on Canadian tanks.  I tried for several  days to steer him back to Juno, but  couldn’t budge him.  So we started at the War Museum, where we talked to a veteran who was volunteering in the LeBreton gallery where all the tanks and armoured vehicles are dispayed.   He took us to the four main tanks used by the Canadians in WWII and told us a little about each one.   Of the four we saw, B8 chose to research the Sherman M4, the Churchill and the Valentine.  He enjoyed learning about the specifications and uses of the three tanks and finding our where they had been instrument in allied victories and where they had failed.  I certainly know more about tanks now than I ever did before!

At the fair all three children presented with confidence and I was pleased to see the improvement from last year.  All the projects presented were fascinating from the history of the Heintzman Piano company to the history of the national anthem “O Canada”.   I learnt about Adelaide Hoodless, who described herself as a “domestic crusader” and decided that next time I have to write down “occupation” on a form, that is what I am going to write!  There was a beautiful diorama of a Mi’kmaq wigwam and surrounding hunting ground and an informative project about an orphan who came to Canada as a ‘home child” in the 1930′s.    I forgot the camera that day but I hope to post some photos  that a friend took.