Happy West Indian Day !
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The West Indies is an expansive region in the caribbean. It is comprised of many small islands including:
- Aruba
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Puerto Rico
- and more!
The blend of indigeous, African, and European cultures has created a hetergenous mixture that seeps through the food, music, and culture. The region’s year long warm weather attracts expats, tourists, and returning citizens each year.
“far noh mattah wat dey say,
come wat may,
we are here to stay
inna Inglan,
inna disya time yah…”
―
In honor of National West Indian Day, here are some awesome books about the islands of the region:
A Wave in Her Pocket: Stories from Trinidad by Lynn Joseph
Caribbean Dream by Rachel Isadora
Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale by Marjuan Canady
Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci
Down by the River: Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games and Songs for Children by Grace Hallworth
Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender
Island Counting by Frané Lessac
Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market by Elizabeth J. Turnbull
Jump Up Time: A Trinidad Carnival Story by Lynn Joseph
Malaika’s Costume by Nadia L. Hohn
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale Carmen Agra Deedy
My Caribbean Grandma by Sandra Campbell-Notice
Tap-Tap by Karen Lynn Williams
Of course these just a few of my favorites. To share them all would result in an endless list. From these books, you can:
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- Create unit studies
- Create arts and crafts
- Create a play
- Design games
- Have a table discussion
- Have kids to rewrite their favorites stories or add an additional chapter.
- and more
Let us know if you’ve read any of these. We’d love to hear from you! In addition to the wonderful books above, you can also find great stories with the Epic app and the Kobo app.
Another great source for books on wildlife would be Zoobooks. Yes, Zoobooks is still around and still very much a household favorite. Do you remember seeing the infomercials as a child? I do. I coveted having the collections and now I can.
While reading this book, make sure to use take notes so that you can recall the details of what has occured in the store. Our free book reporting pages are perfect for this! More info about the download is below.
This freebie includes:
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- Over 10 pages of content
- Book report notebooking pages
- Pages for notes
- Resources list
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Ideal for K-8th grade.
Click here to download yours.
Tips for making reading fun:
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- Create a relaxing atmosphere (This could be as simple as a warm seat at the kitchen table with herbal tea or hot chocolate. Or it could be a corner in a room with a bean bag chair or other lounging furniture).
- Have discussions about the reading
- Allow children to act our or recreate scenes from what they have read
- Have the children to take notes as they read
- Use fun pens or pencils
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Want additional learning opportunities? Check out OLC’s unit studies on the West Indies:
Hasta Pronto!
Please feel free to share your comments or suggestions! I would love to hear from you. If you enjoy reading my blog, make sure to sign up so that you can always be alerted for new posts, tips, and recipes. You can also find me at Wombology (A Safe Place for Women to Heal) and Being Mama Dot (Chronicles of a Homeschool Mom).
If you are a homeschool mom needing some new ideas and encouragement or if you are completely new to homeschooling and you are looking for ways to get started, click here to apply for a Strategy and Brainstorming Session with ME! Let’s work together to get you to where you want to be!
Hi! I’m Kat aka Mama Dot! Nice to meet you. I’m a homeschooling mom of three boys. By day, I run a mom’s blog (Being Mama Dot) and subscription service (Wombology). In my downtime, I create resources for families homeschooling children of color at Our Learning Curve. I love coffee, reggaeton (music in Spanish), knitting, and reading. My favorite thing to do is to feel my feet in the sand. #beachbum. Currently, I am an MA/Ph.D. student in Africana and Latin American studies. When I am not in school, I spend my days running my online business and taking care of my little ones. Make sure to check out OLC’s Instagram, Twitter, or join us over at Facebook.