Part of the requirements to adopt from Ukraine is the judge wants to see proof that you have a residency. So, if you rent you need to show proof of a lease and if you own your home they want to see a notarized copy of the deed to your home.

Enter another homeschool lesson. My daughter and I set out to our town clerk to obtain several copies of the deed to our home because we are hoping to adopt a sibling pair and need the copies for the dossiers. (And an extra copy should anyone lose a copy of the deed.)

I expected that we would walk in to the town clerk’s office, request the information, they would pull the book, copy it, notarize it and then we would pay and be done. What a surprise when the clerk told us to go to the vault and look it up ourselves. Huh?

The look of dumbfoundedness on my face must have been pretty clear because the clerk then proceeded to explain the steps. I took a deep breath and realized I was going to experience this homeschool lesson first hand, side-by-side with my daughter.

So, walked into the vault and found a locked area that contained all of our town’s vital statistics, such as the births, deaths and marriages. As we looked in awe at books dated back to the 1800s, I could tell this was going to turn out to be a pretty cool experience.

As most parents know, I could have completed the task in a record 10 minutes but realized that this would be a great hands-on learning opportunity for our daughter and quickly determined she needed to perform the task. (Did I mention I had no clue how to do this search?)

We located a large book that listed all the home owners in town. Our daughter looked up our last name, first name and street and identified the book that our deed was located in. We then walked around the vault a couple times as we tried to orient ourselves with how the books were arranged. Once we figured out the order, our daughter quickly located the book volume that contained our deed and then found the pages of our deed. Wow!

In a short period of time she had found the deed to our home and a new interest was seriously sparked. We proceeded to copy the deed, have it notarized and pay for the copies. Throughout this part of the process, she kept asking if we could go back in the vault. Through several questions she realized that we could go back and search our home’s previous owners, see how much they had paid for it and so on.

As our daughter asked questions, the clerks could overhear our conversation. Soon one of them offered some information on how to do title searches in the vault and I realized there was a serious field trip opportunity here. I learned that Town Clerk does field trips for the local kids to the vault and explains the clerk’s job, the records and other interesting facts. So, what would any self-respecting mom, specifically a homeschool mom, do but realize that we need another field trip to the town clerk’s office with some friends.

Don’t underestimate your local town resources. Children can learn about the history of their town and home. They can learn about economics and inflation as they identify home prices over the years, legal documents as they see how deeds are written and notarized, how to do research and of course, communication by asking for help from the clerks. This unplanned errand turned into a great educational experience.

My husband and I have discussed adoption for over five years. Unfortunately due to a variety of factors we were not ready to pursue adoption. This year the time was right and our family was ready. And so we have set out on this amazing journey to grow our family through adoption.

What began as a way of growing our family has presented educational opportunities in some of the most unique places. Periodically, I will discuss some of those opportunities that can, of course, be adapted for all types of families.

Because of our eastern European family ancestry, we decided to adopt from Ukraine. And so began our first educational lesson. Where is Ukraine?

Ukraine was a former Soviet Republic. It was considered the bread basket of the USSR and it is bordered by Poland, Belorus, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldavia and the Black Sea. The capital is Kyiv and Ukraine has been a country that has experienced occupation by many different countries over the years.

In learning more about Ukraine, our daughter has learned about her heritage. What was it like in a communist country? They were not allowed to display religious symbols, food was in short supply and everyone was “equal” as determined by the communist government.

Ukrainians are a group that has persevered in very difficult circumstances. Most underreported is what is known as the Ukrainian Holocaust. During 1932-1933, seven million Ukrainians were killed by starvation when Joseph Stalin decided to create a man-made famine by not allowing grain or ovens in the area.

One can easily learn about the country they live in but what about one of the countries of your family’s ancestry? Have you considered visiting the country? Could your child identify where your family came from on a world map? Do you know one major event that took place in that country?

Learning about your ancestry is fascinating. Connecting the dots to today is amazing. Ever wonder why you like a certain type of food? Do you have certain likes or dislikes but can’t figure out why? Never miss an opportunity to teach your child about their ancestry. By learning about their ancestry it gives children a better understanding of who they are and what their family went through to give them the opportunities they have today. Those lessons should never be lost to history.

While on vacation we decided to use our certificate for dinner at Foxwoods Casino that we had purchased after having the winning bid at a silent auction. Although I am not a gambler my husband and I do enjoy visiting the casinos once in a while for entertainment. So, we decided to enjoy this dinner as a family even though it was a casino.

As we entered the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, http://www.pequotmuseum.org/ we discussed the Indians. I pointed out to our daughter that while on the reservation which is where Foxwoods is located, that some of the rules that we have grown accustomed to may not apply. This did not make total sense to her. So, we explained how a reservation is almost like another country within our country. Granted they are not sovereign but they can do things differently.

Upon entering Foxwoods, it became apparent very quickly. When we arrived at the restaurant we were asked whether we wanted a "smoking or non-smoking" table. Huh? Where we live smoking in restaurants has been banned for awhile. So, we asked for non-smoking and proceeded on.

A couple days later we decided to visit Mohegan Sun located at the Mohegan Reservation http://www.mohegan.nsn.us/. Again, we went for food. This time it was a buffet certificate purchased in the same way as the Foxwoods one. After our lunch, we noticed they had a kids section of arcade games. We decided to visit the area to play some games. Unlike all other arcades I have ever seen, this one was very different. See you could not just put in a token and play a game. The way to play was to get a free card an put money on it. While this bugged me, we decided to go along with it and put a couple bucks on the card.

Shortly thereafter I figured out why they use the card. The money disappeared very quickly. It turns out that each game is not 25 or 50 cents. Nooooo, one was 28 cents another was $1.03 and others were 73 cents. Huh? When I went back because I could not figure out why with an even amount on the card we had 23 cents left I learned that Mohegan Sun sets up their arcade VERY differently.

We decided to add a couple bucks more. This time we ended up with .20 cents on the card and I took it to the cashier and asked for the money back. I was informed they don’t refund the money. How incredibly convenient. So, I was suppose to carry a plastic card, that never expires, for 20 cents? Needless to say, I gave it to another kid there and left.

As we walked, we talked about how off a reservation the business would have been forced to refund the money. In addition, the business would never have survived with such weird priced games. The only thing we could conclude was that it was a way for them to make more money.

While we had discussed Indian Reservations and how they came to be, the reality of how they operate differently than the rest of the state and country became very evident in these real life situations. In the end, our daughter learned about why there were reservations, why these tribes decided to pursue their income from gambling, how tribe members get paid on the profits and how a group of people and their culture can survive. As we walked through the casino we saw different artifacts, sculptures, statues, and symbols from each tribe. We located the Tribal Commission and discussed what their role was in the casino. All-in-all I am pretty confident that I doubt our daughter would have experienced a social studies lesson like this in private or public school and we even got to eat while doing it!

Living in an age of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and the American Automobile Association (AAA) people rarely pull out maps, plan a route on their own and use a map to get to their destination. And now with unlimited calling for phones it is not uncommon to call your destination and get directions. Yet, knowing how to read a map and locate one’s way in the world are not just skills that are useful but necessary. Let’s face it, the last time I checked there was no GPS for the mall map. Just kidding!

Our daughter enjoys learning about maps, geography and practicing her map skills. While she can always practice her skills with a workbook, what better way to utilize her map skills than to guide us to our vacation destination. Vacation, you say? Yes. Now, I do have to admit that allowing an eight year-old to map out a route, plan turn-by-turn directions and then navigate you will most likely take you longer. This requires patience on your part, guidance for your child and time. There is no doubt a GPS or AAA map could quickly guide you to a highway or at least the most direct route much more efficiently. Yet, how would this really help your child?

So, it was with this attitude that my husband and I invited our daughter to determine what route we would use to get to our vacation destination. This homeschool lesson is definitely one that is wise to employ during vacation as it can take longer for both the planning and execution versus if you just drove to your destination. Our normal 1 ½ hour trip took almost 2 hours and the route planning took an additional ½ hour.

After she highlighted which route we would take she wrote out turn-by-turn directions. She even estimated the number of miles it would take for us to arrive. As we jumped from one route to another we took in the colorful autumn scenery. She confidently directed my husband turn-by-turn, while she learned the difference between junction, highway, route and street signs.

This real-world homeschool opportunity is not difficult but it is unique. Think about it. How many children do you know get to guide their parents anywhere? How many children get to use their map skills in real life? Not many. And yet, if they did, if children had a real reason to learn to read a map, wouldn’t they?

All-in-all our map skills maven did a great job. We arrived at our destination relaxed and ready for a vacation. She was able to modify her directions as needed and practiced her communication, math, writing and map reading skills. We discussed the importance of being able to read a map and stay focused when traveling so that you arrive where you want and not in Kalamazoo. And her reward, and ours, was not a check mark on her paper or a letter grade it was an actual vacation! Not bad, I have to say.

Kids love beans. Uncooked that is! Younger children love playing with them because of the sounds they make, their color and the way they feel. This is a great way for developing gross motor skills, manipulation and creativity.

When our daughter was younger she was thrilled whenever I would give her a pot of uncooked beans, a spoon, plastic measuring cup, and a couple bowls or pots. She would spend a good half hour just scooping and pouring them between the pots. They have been included in her pretend restaurant.

For less than a few dollars, beans are a great tool in learning, especially when they are purchased in bulk. They can of course be used for creativity as in imagining the child is cooking but take a moment and think of other uses for this protein?

For younger children they can scoop beans from one pot to a bowl and develop their gross motor skills. As they get older and use a spoon they can develop their hand-eye coordination. If they are given a decent size funnel they can even practice using both of their hands to scoop and hold a funnel.

Pictures can be created used different beans and colors for a collage. The beans can be used as an impetus for hearing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

As the children get older they can be used as a math manipulative for counting, sorting, and doing math. Beans can easily be measured by weight. And different colored beans can be used to create a graph.

Different beans can be incorporated into a lesson on different forms of protein. They can be used for home economics by the children when they learn how to cook beans, incorporate them in different recipes and so on. They could even create a bean cookbook with their own recipes, which would then incorporate writing, math and creativity.

For older children, beans can be used as an aid in teaching about different food lifestyles such as vegetarians. They can also be used to learn about different cultures that utilize beans in their diet such as Mexico. There is, of course, the science experiment with growing beans and identifying their parts. Children can learn about the process of picking beans and the countries where different beans grow as part of social studies.

As with the lowly cardboard box, don’t discount the creative and learning opportunities that are presented by such a simple food, the bean. If you have other ideas of how beans can be incorporated into learning please comment below.

What did you do with the box that you recently received at home? Ever wonder what happens to all the boxes at the stores and grocery stores? When was the last time you used a box? Was it for moving or storage? If you are like most adults, you overlook the measly cardboard box. After all, once it serves its purpose what use is it?

There are many uses for a box beyond moving, storage or shipping. A simple box can become an imaginary car, train, sled or ship. It can be used for a table or desk when flipped over. This can then be used for the purpose of an imaginary restaurant, dining room table, or grocery store counter. Larger boxes can be used for huts or tents. Most boxes just get crushed once they serve their purpose so why not ask for a box to bring home. If you are looking for a larger box, check appliance stores.

While the main learning experience will be the use of your child’s creativity and imagination, many other lessons can be incorporated. If your child is very young you could ask them to tell you a story using their box as a car, for example. You could record their story or transcribe it and help them create a book. Then you could read the story they wrote.

If the child is older you could ask them to write a story with a beginning such as: “One day, I sat in a box which magically became ….” Now, spelling, creativity, writing, and English can be incorporated. Another option might be to set up a grocery store using the box. Let the child practice selling items and making change with real money. This allows them to practice communication skills, math and entrepreneurship.

For older children you could invite them to decorate the box and collect cans for the homeless shelter or treats for the troops overseas. In these situations, they get to use many skills while learning the following: - Communication and persuasion skills can be developed while doing the collecting. - Math can be used for weighing and measuring so that packing can be done properly. - Geography can be used to locate the place to which the box will be shipped. - Current events as to what is going on in that part of the world and why the box is needed there. - Good citizenship can be learned by helping their fellow man. - If they drop off the box to a homeless shelter or food pantry, they can learn about how one can be in poverty, organizations that help individuals who are in poverty, whether it is the government’s responsibility to get people out of poverty, and other ways to help.

So, the next time you see a measly box bring it home for your kids. You will be amazed at the fun and learning that can take place for less than a $1.00.

If you have others ideas of how a box can be used be sure to click on comments and share your ideas!

As with Cultural Club, which I previously explained, I began something called Cultural Co-op. A co-op is where multiple families gather together either once a month, weekly or more to share resources. Often the sharing of resources takes the form of different expertise. So, for example, if there is a parent who is from China they may teach Chinese or a parent who enjoys science may teach some science lessons.

As with Cultural Club, the purpose of the Cultural Co-op is to investigate different cultures. With the co-op each family in the co-op takes a week and teaches about a specific country or state. They can teach about the country’s history, geography, currency, famous monuments or politics. They can utilize videos, books, food samples, dance, game or songs. Basically anything about the country can be taught in any form.

Recently, our cultural co-op, which meets during what we call Monday Classes because we meet for 8-weeks on Mondays, decided to explore the different cultures of each of our 50 states in the U.S. As someone who grew up in Alabama I decided to introduce this very southern state to these northern kids. But I did not want to do a cursory explanation and so I decided to tackle teaching the Civil Rights Era.

Now some would say 6 to 10 year-olds should not be taught about that era because at times it was very violent. I disagree. The overriding concepts can be taught without teaching about every detail of violence. It was with this premise that I prepared for teaching Alabama.

When I was in college I took many sociology classes. While I learned a lot, I found them more fun because of the many social experiments we were assigned. To this day, I still remember my Professor’s name. One day she broke up the class to teach about class systems and racism. The blue and brown-eyed experiment, as it is known, was first introduced the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 by Jane Elliott to her group of then third graders. The experiment works by dividing the class into the blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups. I decided I would use this experiment to help me teach about the Civil Rights Era.

Since our class was smaller than a regular class I slightly modified the racism experiment. Before I began I explained the purpose to the parents and asked if anyone would have a challenge. All of the parents thought it would be a great learning experience for the kids. When the children arrived, I quickly divided the class by eye color. I only explained that we were going to do an experiment. They were to leave the classroom and re-enter but this time I wanted the blue-eyed kids to walk through the door that was closer to the table. The brown-eyed kids were to walk through the door further away from the table.

When the children walked in, slightly confused, I told them that the blue-eyed kids could sit at the head of the table, while the brown-eyed children would have to sit in the middle. Then I presented PBS video excerpts from “Eyes on the Prize”. Most libraries have this video. As we began I told the blue-eyed kids they would determine when we could start and stop the video. As the video played, I explained certain aspects of the Civil Rights Era. We discussed what it was, why it began, how the black citizens organized, why they marched and did sit-ins, how they succeeded and so on.

I then offered some traditional Alabama foods including pecan pie and a recipe from the Alabama First Lady Patsy Riley, which is included below. Since the racism experiment continued the blue-eyed kids decided who would get served, who could eat first and when they would be done. While the complete experiment lasts two days, ours only lasted about 40 minutes. Nonetheless the kids understood the point. The brown-eyed kids became very irritated that they could not eat when they wanted, had to walk in through a different door, sit in a less desirable section of the table and had no say in the video among other things. The blue-eyed kids became very uncomfortable. Since this is not how they are raised, they did not like making those decisions. And even with a small group of kids the blue-eyed quickly became uncomfortable with hurting their friends.

In the end, I explained how the blue-eyed kids represented the whites while the brown-eyed kids represented the blacks during the Civil Rights Era. (This could be adapted to any type of discrimination, based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex or educational choices.) We then discussed the following. -What is racism? -How did it feel to not be able to do what you wanted as a brown-eyed? -How did it feel to make every decision as the blue-eyed? -As a brown-eyed did you feel like you were being singled out just because you had brown-eyes? -How did it feel to the blacks in the 60’s who were not allowed to sit anywhere on the bus? -Why do you think the blacks walked so many miles to and from work instead of taking the buses? -Would you have wanted to live during that time? Why or why not? -Were the sit-ins, bus boycotts and marches effective? -What did you learn? -Is there anything you would change? -How can you make a difference today in dealing with other people of different races?

In the end, the children gained a better understanding of a tumultuous time in our history, learned about Alabama and decided they did not like or agree with racial discrimination. Someday they will learn all the details of the Civil Rights Era but for now they got it. They learned that discrimination on any level is not right. With understanding they can make a difference in the world.

The following is the recipe from the Alabama First Lady Patsy Riley:

Fresh Tomatoes 3 large tomatoes or more ½ c. white cooking wine 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese ½ c. Italian breadcrumbs

Cut tomatoes. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with garlic-flavored spray. Spray tomatoes lightly. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and Italian breadcrumbs. Pour white cooking wine over each slice. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

In case you have not figured it out one thing I really enjoy is food. But not fast food or the typical American diet. I really enjoy experimenting by tasting different foods. Fortunately, I have been blessed to have found a husband that is as daring as I and so we often try different restaurants and cuisines.

About four years ago, we visited a Thai restaurant, which has since become a favorite. As I savored my coconut soup it dawned on me that our homeschool group should have a Cultural Club. After all, considering the United States is a melting pot we have a unique opportunity to experience different cultures without even leaving our country. At the same time, I really feel that many children are never given the opportunity to experiment different cuisines. Sometimes it is because the parents are uncomfortable while other times the children are not daring enough to experiment.

While Americans are very tolerant of different nationalities most Americans are not really familiar with these individuals’ countries of origin. As a military brat (for those not familiar with that terminology, that means the child of military personnel), we often had different people for dinner. When we lived overseas, we became friends with the locals. When we lived in the U. S. we often hosted people from different countries at our home for dinner. It made for some interesting times.

While I was just a kid during these experiences, I did learn two things. First, I was representing American kids to these foreign individuals. Meaning, they thought that how I behaved was how most American kids behaved. While this might seem unrealistic the truth is that whether one agrees or not, people often make a judgment call of a group of people based on their interactions with just a few. Second, I needed to be respectful of their culture. Meaning, if we were eating in a restaurant in a foreign country it was unacceptable that if I did not like a meal for me to say, “Ew, that was disgusting.” And so I learned early on that just because I didn’t like something didn’t mean it was not good or that the person did not make it the best they could. It just meant that I was unaccustomed to that type of food.

With these premises I began the Cultural Club. This can also be done as a family. We try to meet once per month at a different restaurant. So, far we have enjoyed Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian, Vietnamese, Polish, Cuban and Irish food. In order for someone to participate, they must meet a couple requirements. First, they can be any age as long as they know how to behave in a restaurant. In this situation, we meet for lunch and therefore are representing homeschoolers. Second, if a child does not like some of the food they select they must know how to respond respectfully. This is important because we have come to their restaurant. The owners, cooks and staff are sharing part of their culture with us. Therefore, if one doesn’t like some of the food, they can simply say, “This isn’t my favorite.”

Then I send out a list of questions which I find by doing some research on the country. The idea is for the kids and parents to learn about the country. The answers can then be found with a little research online. The following are the questions from our recent trip to a Thai restaurant.

Thailand Questions 1. Where does the restaurant Sukhothai get its name? 2. What currency does Thailand use? 3. Where was the current King of Thailand born? 4. Has Thailand always been a democracy? 5. Was Thailand ever colonised? 6. What is Sepak Takraw? 7. What does the drink Red Bull have in common with Thailand? 8. What is a Tuk Tuk? 9. What is tuk ke? Does anyone eat ching chok? 10. Are women allowed to touch a Monk? 11. How do Thai people gesture hello?

Occasionally, something happens with the country that we are leaning about and it allows for more discussion. This was the case with Thailand recently. Since Thailand was experiencing a coup, we talked about what a coup was, why a country would have a coup, what it must be like for the people to have tanks roll down the street, what the outcome might be and so on. Everyone, regardless of age, is encouraged to bring some unique fact to the lunch.

While our goal is to learn something about the different countries and taste different cuisines we also have fun. Our discussion regarding the country usually lasts a short time and often different conversations follow. As a way of encouraging each person to take in the restaurant décor, music and food, I offer them a restaurant survey. Then one of us writes up a couple paragraphs for publication in our homeschool support newsletter about the experience, what we learned and the survey results.

Cultural Club has been a great way to introduce different countries through food, décor, questions, and music. At the same time, the children often decide to experiment with new cuisines as they see their friends do so. They are encouraged to use their critical skills since their input is sought in ranking the restaurant for the newspaper review. Finally, they get to socialize, represent homeschoolers and learn new ways of expressing their likes and dislikes. And of course, did I mention we enjoy the food too!