World trip - first stop Sweden

We are taking our imaginations on a trip around the world.
We spun our classroom globe and have chosen 3 countries to "visit": Belize, Sweden, Japan

Due to our recent snow day, we decided to make Sweden our first stop.

 

Once we stamped our passports, we were ready to travel to the northern most area of Sweden to view the aurora borealis, the northern lights. How are these lights created?

Morah Katie: Can we breathe in Space? 
Makayah: No, there is no air.
Morah Katie: What is there?
Lochlan: Just a bunch of gases, space gases.
Morah Katie: Earth is in space. One of the reasons we can breathe on Earth is because it has an atmosphere. What's the atmosphere?
Moshe: Its protecting us from the stuff and the gases. 
Clive: It keeps asteroids and meteors out.
Morah Katie: I agree. Our atmosphere also protects from the Earth from the strong energy from solar winds and flares. The aurora borealis, or the northern lights, occur when there are collisions of energetically  from solar winds or solar flares into the atmosphere.   Imagine running around the play ground yelling releasing all your energy, the energy released from these collisions (I clapped hands) is shown in colors in the night sky.

As we watched a short video of the northern lights the the kids described them as:
Lochlan: Currents in the ocean or hurricane winds
Makayah: Wavey lines
Clive: Rows of colors lined up
Annabel: Dancing
Eliana: Fireworks
To experience a better understanding of collisions, we created some collisions paintings.
We stood back and threw paint cover sponges at the easel.
Morah Katie: What was the collision? Or when did the collision occur?
Lochlan: Collision happened when it hit the paper.
Morah Katie: When do the Northern Lights occur?
Makayah: When stuff hits the atmosphere.

Chalk northern lights

We also pretend to visit the renowned Ice Hotel.
We enjoyed playing in our snow and imagining what it would be like if we stayed in a hotel made entirely of ice!

Lochlan: I really like the ice hotel because it is all ice and I could probably skate there without even needing ice skates.

Clive: I liked that even though it was so cold they had candles and a fireplace.

Makayah: I liked the dining room with the ice table.

The Swedes take time each day to enjoy Fika. It is about taking the time to sit down with friends, family or even on your own, while you’re enjoying a break-for the Swedes coffee and something sweet.

At the Gan we also have a Fika tradition, we call it snack time.
We take time to enjoy our friends and say thanks for the food we are about to eat.
Evie is very thankful, and practicing all her blessings.

It has been a great visit to Sweden.

Next week we are on our way to Belize.