K is for Kite

There is something about kites that fascinates children (ok, not just children) . . . something about the way they whirl and twirl, dip and dive, floating high in the sky with their long brightly colored tails fluttering behind . . . Pause here for confession: we did not even fly a kite this week. Lame, right? I mean, it’s “K is for Kite” week and we didn’t fly a real kite . . . a snowstorm sort of got in the way (it’s already about 0F/-15C here in Mongolia). But it didn’t really matter in the end because the paper ‘kites’ that my kids decorated were every bit as real and exciting to them as they ran around ‘flying’ them in our living room.

so proud of the kites they made

In fact, Jorja was so proud of her kite that she had to write her friend back in Canada (with whom she had flown a kite over a year ago) to tell him that she now has a kite too. These kites were inspired by the book, “The Magic Kite” by Kira Daniel – a cute story to read before having your child decorate his/her own kite.

We also made this carp kite . . .

glueing the scales – love the tongue sticking out!

carp kites

I also gave them each a kite for lacing – this was Joseph’s first attempt at lacing and he did pretty well.

Joseph lacing his kite

This is Jorja matching clothespins to the kites according to color . . . it was a little more challenging for Joseph, but a fun way to work on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

kite clothespin color matching game

In Bible time we covered the 10 Commandments. It can be a lot for little ones to absorb, so I printed some games and crafts to work on throughout the week . . . This 10 Commandments game had a little picture by which to help you remember each one. (It was also good math practice for Jorja to add the sum of the two dice!)

10 Commandments Game

Here is a 10 Commandments math game called Make 10 with Moses – find the correct tablet to create a sum of 10.

10 Commandments math game

And all throughout the week we painted this 10 Commandments Train, little by little – it may not be clear in the picture, but there is a commandment on each of the train cars.

10 Commandments Train

Our Bible memory verse this week tied in nicely with the commandments: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” – Psalm 34:13 (I am totally singing the song in my head as I type this – such a catchy tune!). One day after singing the verse, Joseph looked at me so seriously and said with such sincerity in his voice, “But Mom, I just can’t keep my lips from telling lies!” I love this guy 🙂

And one final picture – my kids trying to balance buckets on their heads like the Kulango people of Ivory Coast.

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