Keeping It Simple

We don't usually check out this many books to go along with our Five in a Row- there just happened to be a lot of fun books available at the library! :) Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin Author Grace Lin writes from her own experience, so these books are not written to take place in China, but offer a fun peek in to her Chinese American family. The pictures are wonderful! C is for China by Sungwan So China, A True Book by Ann Heinrichs Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop and Kurt Wiese Brothers by Yin and Chris Soentpiet Good Morning China by hu yong yi Bird Boy by Elizabeth Starr Hill The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher (my boys preferred this one about the Great Wall) Structural Wonders- The Great Wall of China by Christine Webster

While picking up some go-alongs from the library for our Five in a Row studies, I walked right by The Young Chef's Chinese Cookbook . It seemed like it was meant to be, so I picked it up. We don't always (or even usually) make a recipe to go with our FIAR book, but I thought it would be fun. James and I chose a recipe for Shrimp and pork dim sum. One of our go-along books is named Dim Sum, so it seem like perfect fit!  James was a bit suspicious of the shrimp as a main ingredient.   First he measured... then he stirred... and filled the wonton skins...   and tasted them. They were... okay . We probably have a bit to learn about Chinese cooking. :) The process was fun- the results were iffy. None of us loved them. Although, dad and big sis, Michelle, gave them a pretty strong thumbs-up.

James has been "rowing" The Story About Ping . Years ago this story was a favorite of Erin's (16yo), then the older boys' (especially Mark- he was pretty happy to hang out with us for this book :)) and now James (6yo). James used the Ping FIAR Fold-and-Learn and a few elements from a HOAC Project Pack for his notebook pages.