Flat Friend: Amsterdam

I just posted about one of our Flat Friends going with my brother to Iraq. My husband also took one of Alexandra's Flat Friends with him to Amsterdam.

At the Amsterdam canal

On the rental car!

Watching a game of giant chess on the streets

With a Rembrandt - how cool is that?

We're digitally hosting a Flat Stanley from Iowa for about the next 2 weeks. The mom emailed a scanned image of the Flat Stanley and we'll print it out, take it around with us photographing it, and email reports periodically.

Flat Friend: Iraq

Yesterday I read several posts about Flat Friends because of the Unplug Your Kids "Flat" theme. This reminded me that I have some Flat Friend photos from over a year ago that I never posted. (We make our Flat Friends from the Making Friends site.)

My brother is not in the military, but he spent about a month on a military base in Iraq about a year and a half ago. He took along a Flat Friend. He didn't actually get the Flat Friend out while on base, but he did take a few photos while on the plane and at the beach (I think).

This is the tent where my brother (and Flat Friend) slept

And my brother's bunk

We were worried for my brother while he was gone and many prayers were said. Praise God that he returned safely. When we saw my brother after his return, he had put together a very neat slide show which we got to watch.

Mount Rushmore

Alexandra sent 2 friends along with her Nana & Papa as they went on a vacation that included visiting Mount Rushmore. The 2 friends are named "Nana Bunny" and "Papa Bunny." They loved their trip and we were happy to get a scrapbook of their trip and lots of pictures.

When Nana & Papa bunny got back to our house, they brought with them a package from the original Nana & Papa. Alexandra got a map of the Badlands & the Black Hills, a Mount Rushmore postcard & figurine (I'm really just not sure what to call it), and 2 books - Y is for Yellowstone: The Story Behind the Scenery and Who Carved the Mountain? The Story of Mount Rushmore by Patrick. We really enjoyed reading this book about Mount Rushmore. I thought the best part of the book where it showed pictures of the 4 presidents "in their offices" and showed how their lifetimes were different from each other. I highly recommend it!

Starting Ireland

We started Galloping the Globe this week by "traveling" to Ireland. Although this country is not covered in Galloping the Globe, we have family members visiting there this month, so thought we'd start with Ireland. They will also be sharing their experience with us via email and photos and some surprises when they return.

This week, we've been reading books about Ireland. We've learned about St. Patrick, the flag of Ireland, castles, and shamrocks. We've been listening to music by The Irish Tenors and have colored a picture of a leprechaun, made shamrocks, and are now making a pink (of course) castle.

Our family members took two "Flat Stanelys" with them to Ireland - they are named Lisa (in swimsuit) and Majetta (cheerleader). We will share pictures of them as they travel. This is a picture of Lisa and Majetta with their suitcase packed for their trip to Ireland.

Also this week, we are working on math, spelling, and handwriting. We will officially start kindergarten in August.