A New Coat for Anna
This week the little ones and I rowed A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert, part of Five in a Row, Vol. 2. This is one of the books I never got to with my older children when we did FIAR, so it was fun for me to get to explore a new story with Nathaniel and Clara. I chose this book because it is set in Europe after World War II, a time period we are just about to cover in Classical Conversations Cycle 2.
As we went through our week, we learned about weaving using paper (even 7th grade Elijah was inspired listening from across the room and took a break from his Challenge A work to weave a bit).
We also watched this video for kids about how wool is made into fabric, which went along with the story perfectly.
This is a great book for practicing putting events of a story in order. By the end of our week, both Nathaniel and Clara had absorbed so many details. They retold the story to Grandma, reciting who they went to, what item they traded, and what they received in return.
There are so many great rabbit trails you could take with this book. If you want some ideas, check out HomeschoolShare.com, where you can find a free lapbook to create as you explore some of the topics found in A New Coat for Anna.