Happy West Indian Day!
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“Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you’re not careful it will drown you.”
―
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 indigenous, African, and European cultures has created a heterogeneous mixture that seeps through the food, music, and culture. The region’s year-long warm weather attracts expats, tourists, and returning citizens each year.
For the wonderful holiday of National West Indian Day, OLC has created some resources to celebrate and teach early learners about the Caribbean region.
This is an activity book sampling of the full unit study The West Indies: An Intro to the Caribbean.
Included in this sample, you will find:
- Over 20 pages of content
- Math Puzzles
- Word puzzles
- Coloring Pages
Ideal for 1st through 3rd grade, but can be modified for K-8th grade.
This is a unit study introducing the Caribbean region of the West Indies and the history of the region. It includes booklists, suggested materials, art projects, word puzzles, copy work, vocabulary, history, and more.
Included in this unit study, you will find:
- Over 100 pages of content
- A resource list that includes recommended websites, books, documentaries, and more.
- 10 Quick facts about the West Indies
- Notebooking pages for copywork
- Full manuscript lined pages
- Coloring pages of Caribbean life, beaches, and water activities
Subjects covered include:
- Literature (Reading and Reading Comprehension)
- Language Arts
- Geography
- Science
- Social Studies
- Art
- Music
- Field Trip Ideas
Ideal for K-8th grade.
For books on the region, definitely check out the Epic app and the Kobo app. While reading, make sure to use take notes so that you can recall the details of what has occurred in the story. 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:
- 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
If you’re in the New York area, there is a huge parade that happens annually. This event attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life and races, not just people from the region. There is so much to do during this time:
- Lots of vendors of Caribbean/West Indian food
- Traditional handicrafts and home goods.
- Clothing markets
- Dance parties
- and more
So many different cultures of African influence coming together as a melting pot for this even each year.
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).
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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.