India, as promised

I don't think we've ever done a more enjoyable block. We loved everything about India, especially the rich stories. We could have spent ages on it, but I think we ended up with just the right amount. In the end we filled half of a main lesson book. We'll finish out the other half in a couple of months when we study Persia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.

I'm continually wowed by Sunburst's artistic growth, and this block really showcased how much she has grown and what she's capable of doing when she puts her mind to it.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces she did:










This last one is the Gayatri mantra, which we just devoured during this block. It was like food for us. Sunburst figured out how to work my ipod touch, and she enjoyed playing this mantra over and over until it became habitual inside of her. And in the rest of us, too. Our favorite version is 108 Gayatri Chants by Srihari.

For those of you who are wondering, I let Sunburst trace the Sanskrit lettering. I tried drawing it by hand myself, and whew, was it difficult. She traced it with pencil and then went over it with ink. I think it turned out beautifully.

Of course I did my own drawings along with Sunburst. Sometimes they were the example, and sometimes we picked an image off the internet that appealed to us. In the case of Buddha and Krishna, Sunburst came up with her own idea. With Buddha, we just happened to have the same idea, but on different sides of the tree. I wonder what that means?!?

As always, here are my drawings below, as well as the pastel drawing of Savitri and Satyavan at the top of this post. She and I got a great laugh at how my drawing of Krishna with the cows looks a lot like Michael Jackson. Click on it, and you'll see. I hope it gives you a good chuckle, too.






And Sunburst's beans, do you remember? At the beginning of this block I gave her seeds and she planted three of them. Only one sprouted, and she has been tending it with great care. Here's what it looks like now: