One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is how I get to learn right alongside my children. We first went through Core F: Eastern Hemisphere Cultures a number of years ago. Previously I had only been exposed to information about these world areas in missions programs at church. I found it fascinating to read about the people, geography, and history of the other side of the world-- places I will likely never visit.
This year I am using Core F again with my younger child in a co-op setting. Each week I develop a PowerPoint presentation for my co-op class to share facts about the various world areas. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how much I'm still learning this second time through. The fun thing is, my assistant for this class (another homeschool mom) tells me each week that she is learning, too. She's even applying what she learns to her own homeschooling with her kids. I love how that works!
It actually works both ways. You see, my assistant is a native of Germany. While Germany is not part of the Eastern Hemisphere, of course, I've never been to Europe either. So I'm learning a lot about that culture as well-- just as a little bonus!
Something interesting I learned this week: in Germany it is not considered proper to celebrate birthdays early. For example, you would never say, "Happy Early Birthday!" before the actual event, because that is tempting providence. My friend said she realizes that cultures are different, so she is not insulted if one of her American friends wishes her an early happy birthday, but in Germany it is not done.
What have you learned recently?
Enjoying the adventure,
~Karla Cook
Lifelong Learner
