Hypothesis: Homeschool: Gab's first international fair

Friday was Gabby's first international fair. She'd been preparing for weeks on her country, Australia. She borrowed several books from the library and I've been having her read books by Australian authors for Language Arts studies. She did a lot of research on the web as well.

The fair was at Calvary Bible Fellowship Church in Coopersburg and was almost an all day thing. Set-up began at 1pm and we ended with a potluck from 6-7pm.

I was proud of Gabby for taking responsibility for her presentation. Most of the countries were shared by families -- and that was great -- but I wanted her to work independently. She did the research. She typed it all up. She created all her own handouts. She arranged her presentation board and set it up when the got there. And she wrote her talk. She had to give it 3 times for about 20 people each time. BIG accomplishment for a my shy little girl!

I did her cooking for her, but that wasn't really part of the fair anyway. The "international" part of the potluck was optional. Some families just brought casseroles. I thought it would be fun to bring Australian dishes. Turns out, though, Australians don't eat very differently than us. So I made a beef soup. Many years ago it would have been made from kangaroo tail, but it is illegal to kill kangaroos now. I also made ANZAC buscuits, a traditional cookie. Those turned out really good. Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
125g (4oz) butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup (I used maple)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 300F (150C)

Mix oats, flour, sugar and coconut together.
Melt syrup and butter together.
Mix soda with boiling water and add to melted butter and syrup.
Add to dry ingredients.
Place 1 tablespoonfuls of mixture on greased tray (allow room for spreading).
Bake for 20 minutes.
Loosen while warm, cool on trays.
(makes about 35)

Gabby found the recipe here.

I pulled Bri out of school to come with us, so the whole family got to come, minus Max who had to work. Each kid got a passport that was stamped at each "country." Gabby wanted a stamp that represented Australia in some way, but we couldn't find one at the local craft stores. So, I made one. Yes, I really did! It was so fun. And simple too. All you really need is a rubber eraser, a pencil, and an exacto knife. I think I'm going to make more, perhaps for an arts unit with Bri and Gabby. Here's my stamp:

And the website that taught me how to do it.

Here are a few pics of the event:

Her table with Fielding (This is where he was still excited about the event. Not too many countries later, he was less enthusiastic.)