Yebo- Our study of Zimbabwe

Yebo is the common hello greeting in Zimbabwe.  This month in World Travelers Club (the geography club in our homeschool group) the two countries to choose from was Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone (see another post).  We decided to look briefly at both.  Both were difficult to break down to younger terms due to the civil unrest that has existed in both countries.  There were tears shed when we spoke briefly about the terrors that many had to live through. 

Again I turned to YouTube for travel videos to show us some facts and sites of the country.  We did see some evidence of the civil unrest.  We also saw some great shots of Victoria Falls and Devil's Pool.  We learned that it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

This is during a dry season:

Normal rain fall levels:

It only boasts being the largest falls due to it's size.  It is about 5,604 feet wide and 360 feet high. 

Devil's pool is a naturally formed swimming pool directly at the top of the falls.  We talked about what it would feel like to be that close to the edge of a water falls and not worry about going over.

One day we talked about the flag of Zimbabwe and that it was not adoped until 1980.

We were also able to compare why flags look the way they do.  Each strip and symbol represents something special in that countries history.  The same as the United States flag.

We talked about indigenous tribes.  And we also we selected another activity out of the Global Art book.  This tied in great with talking about indigenous tribes.  Grasses are woven together to  make their baskets.  We used scraps of fabric and decoupage glue.

 

Our finished bowl.  Not really a good popcorn bowl, but fun to make.

 

We also learned about the Lion, giraffe, rhino, and elephant.  The animals normally associated with all of Africa.  But we learned that these animals do not live in all parts of Africa just certain areas.  So many different animals that live on the same continent and not be in the same area.

Our  meal from Zimbabwe was Zimbabwean meatballs.  I figured this was a safe dish for the kids, since they are picky most days...or at least some are.  I served the adults with diced tomatoes and green chilies.  The kids I served with gravy.  They were quite tasty.

How de day? ---Sierra Leone---

This week we studied two countries in Africa for World Travelers Club (it's the geography club in our homeschool group).  This is what we learned about Sierra Leone (Zimbabwe will be a separate post).

The flag of Sierra Leone was officially hosted on April 27, 1961.  The flag is tri-color.  The green stands for the agriculture, mountains and natural resources.  The white stands for unity and justice.  The blue stands for the hope that the capital of Freetown (a port city) can help to bring peace in the world.

Sierra Leone is the home of:

 

Red colobus primate. 

 

Jentink's duiker

Pygmy Hippo

and the

West African Manitee

 

 

 

 

We talked about the civil unrest that also existed there.  But we touched very briefly on this, as this really upsets Joey when we discuss these issues and it completely destroys the remainder of the school day.

The boys opted out of this art project, but yet again I turned to Global Art for project ideas for these country studies. 

We chose to do mud art.  We tried the way the book said to with water, dirt and colored clay.  But we did not have any success.  We even left the mixtures sitting overnight in hopes of making it work.  Nothing... So instead we created our paint with dirt, liquid tempra paint and a little bit of water. 

 

The texture was really unique.  It fits right into her K12 art class.  It was cool to paint with colored mud.

This art style is popular in this area of Africa.  We learned that it is important to stretch the muslin in a hoop since ours began to curl up as it dried. Animals were painted as a symbol of protection against danger and were believed to help hunters to bring in a good catch when they were worn on their clothes.

Our World meal for this country was:

Groundnut Stew

Koso Weller
Reprinted from the Wisconsin State Journal

1 pound stewing meat
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup groundnut paste (peanut butter)
1/2 tsp. "Mrs. Dash" seasoning
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
1 large pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
salt to taste

Season meat with Mrs. Dash. Let it absorb for three hours. Brown meat in oil. Add some water and simmer until tender. Remove and set aside. In the same oil, sauté pepper and onions. Add tomatoes and stir briskly. Mix groundnut paste with 1/2 cup water to form a thin paste and add to stew. Stir, add meat, salt to taste and let simmer 15 minutes over low heat. Serve with rice, boiled yam, cassava and green vegetable.

We made adjustments.  No onion (due to allergies) and no Mrs. Dash for the same reason.  I used salt and actually diced the yam up and included it in the stew.  It was very tasty and the hubby ate two portions.  We could not convince any of the children to try in, even with peanut butter as an ingredient.  Go figure!



 Next week we will be studying India.  MMMMmmmm can't wait.  Joe and I love Indian food!