“G” is Great

I have to admit, I’m losing a big of steam on the letter of the week activities. Good thing it’s the holidays! We’re going to take a break and focus on Christmas activities until January, and then we’ll be back with the letter “H”. But first, here’s our learning board for the week:

Our main theme was giraffes, but I never pulled it together to do a giraffe craft. Here’s one I think is cute from No Time for Flashcards.

And here are the giraffe books we read:

These first three were informational books about giraffes and you really would do fine just choosing one of them…they all cover similar information.

Giraffes/Jirafas by Amelie von Zumbusch-A simple informational book, but each page is written in English and Spanish.

Giraffes and their Babies by Marianne Johnston-Another informational book, focused on pregnancy and the raising of baby giraffes both in the wild and in zoos.

Giraffes by Emlie Lepthien-Also an informational book that goes into a little more detail than the English/Spanish book.

The next two books ended up being about the same story…which I had never heard before. When I checked out the books at the library I didn’t put it together that they were about the same thing. I thought it was fun to learn something new myself and I loved the story and enjoyed different things about how it was written in each picture book. So…it goes like this: back in 1824 the viceroy of Egypt sent the King of France a giraffe for a gift. Each of these books chronicles her trek from Egypt all the way to Paris, France. It was quite an event, and all the Parisians got really into it–they created giraffe hairstyles, jewelry, wallpaper, furniture, hats, ties, and the list goes on. She lived in Paris until her death in 1845. Who knew? Anyway, check out either of these two books, or both!

Zarafa: the Giraffe who Walked to the King by Judith St. George. The Arabic word zarafa means “charming” or “lovely one”. This picture book included an informational author’s note at the end and was filled with fun, colorful illustrations.

A Giraffe Goes to Paris by Mary Tavener Holmes and John Harris-This book referred to Zarafa as Belle, but mentions at the end that some called her Zarafa. This version includes some fun French phrases and words and is illustrated with artifacts and paintings from the 19th century. Belle’s story is told from the point of view of her caretaker, Atir.

Fly Away Peter by Frank Dickens-This was a cute story about Jeffery, a giraffe with a short neck who doesn’t fit in with the other giraffes, and his friendship with Peter, a bird who can’t fly. I loved the illustrations in this book and loved the story of friendship.

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae-This was a cute story about Gerald the Giraffe who just wants to dance…but is too clumsy. All the other animals make fun of him until he becomes the hit of the dance floor.

Country: Greece

We read about Yannis in our Children Just Like Me book and Charlotte colored in the Greek flag. I completely blanked at the library and forgot to pick up any other books about Greece.

Verse(s): “…God is love.” 1 John 4:8
and “Give thanks in all circumstances…” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I thought it was appropriate to have a verse related to giving thanks since it was Thanksgiving week.