We just wrapped up week seven of our covid-19 stay-at-home orders with no clear end in sight. There have been a lot of ups and downs and figuring out things as we go along. And while there are plenty of difficult moments (hello two working parents, plus distance learning, plus a preschooler!), there are also a lot of bright spots. Getting to spend more time with the kids and with Dan is certainly a bonus.
I'm always looking for ideas to how to make our days a little easier and more enjoyable. My friends Laura and Nick* had a great idea they've implemented at their own house that I knew I wanted to copy. Each week they pick a new country and plan their meals and some activities around that. What a great way to introduce our travel-loving family to new places and cultures!
We started our stay-at-home-world-adventure in Japan--mostly because I was craving sushi. A restaurant near us was open for carry-out, so that cemented it. Then I did what I always do and scoured Pinterest for other ideas for Japan-themed activities. Here's what I came up with:
Activities included making a volcano and a Japanese flag, painting Mount Fuji, reading books about Japan, doing a Japanese craft, learning about a Japanese school, and eating Japanese food. I found most of my inspiration from this website that had a treasure trove of printable activities and recommendations.
Making the Volcano:
Japan has more than 100 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world! To celebrate that fact, we made our own volcano. There are a few ways to do this (here's a good tutorial), but we took the easy route and opted not to make a papier mache version. Instead, we buried a plastic bottle in dirt and let the eruption flow.
Here's what you need:
Instructions:
Use a funnel to put the baking soda in the empty plastic bottle. Mix the vinegar with food coloring until the color looks like a burning lava (nice and bright orange). Bury the bottle in a patch of dirt or grass so that only the neck remains above ground. Pour the vinegar mix into the bottle and watch the eruption!
Painting Mount Fuji
This was a fun activity too. We took this template and let the kids go to work. I cut out materials for Asher and let him glue them on a background. Zahara had fun making her own scene.
Kimono Bookmarks
We used this template from Crayola to make these adorable kimono bookmarks. Then we went online and learned about kimonos and saw lots of beautiful examples.
Japanese Culture
Dan went to Japan 15 years ago, so we did a slideshow of his trip. It was hilarious though because he remembered the highlights, but this trip was before cameras had GPS and he couldn't quite remember every place pictured. There were a few educated guesses and a few ask Googles. It was fun.
We also watched a video about a school in Japan and what their lunchtime ritual looks like. It's incredible. They are so disciplined and orderly. Check it out here.
And then, of course, we ate sushi! I love that my kids love sushi as much as we do. We also had soba noodles, miso soup, and edamame. What a successful first country. Next up, England!
*You may remember Nick from my Spouses on Sabbatical Days. They're back in the U.S. too raising their two adorable munchkins.
See our other country weeks here.
I'm always looking for ideas to how to make our days a little easier and more enjoyable. My friends Laura and Nick* had a great idea they've implemented at their own house that I knew I wanted to copy. Each week they pick a new country and plan their meals and some activities around that. What a great way to introduce our travel-loving family to new places and cultures!
We started our stay-at-home-world-adventure in Japan--mostly because I was craving sushi. A restaurant near us was open for carry-out, so that cemented it. Then I did what I always do and scoured Pinterest for other ideas for Japan-themed activities. Here's what I came up with:
Activities included making a volcano and a Japanese flag, painting Mount Fuji, reading books about Japan, doing a Japanese craft, learning about a Japanese school, and eating Japanese food. I found most of my inspiration from this website that had a treasure trove of printable activities and recommendations.
Making the Volcano:
Japan has more than 100 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world! To celebrate that fact, we made our own volcano. There are a few ways to do this (here's a good tutorial), but we took the easy route and opted not to make a papier mache version. Instead, we buried a plastic bottle in dirt and let the eruption flow.
Here's what you need:
- An empty 1 liter plastic bottle
- 4 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 cup white vinegar
- Red and yellow food coloring
Use a funnel to put the baking soda in the empty plastic bottle. Mix the vinegar with food coloring until the color looks like a burning lava (nice and bright orange). Bury the bottle in a patch of dirt or grass so that only the neck remains above ground. Pour the vinegar mix into the bottle and watch the eruption!
Painting Mount Fuji
This was a fun activity too. We took this template and let the kids go to work. I cut out materials for Asher and let him glue them on a background. Zahara had fun making her own scene.
We used this template from Crayola to make these adorable kimono bookmarks. Then we went online and learned about kimonos and saw lots of beautiful examples.
Japanese Culture
Dan went to Japan 15 years ago, so we did a slideshow of his trip. It was hilarious though because he remembered the highlights, but this trip was before cameras had GPS and he couldn't quite remember every place pictured. There were a few educated guesses and a few ask Googles. It was fun.
We also watched a video about a school in Japan and what their lunchtime ritual looks like. It's incredible. They are so disciplined and orderly. Check it out here.
And then, of course, we ate sushi! I love that my kids love sushi as much as we do. We also had soba noodles, miso soup, and edamame. What a successful first country. Next up, England!
See our other country weeks here.
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