Richly embroidered with the threads of its history, traditions, and natural landscape, the fabric of Kenya’s culture shimmers with ethereal beauty.
Wild zebras streak across the grasslands. Village life is vibrant and deeply communal. Sunsets light the eyes of wildcats emerging from the brush to begin their nighttime prowling.
No study of Africa feels complete without a Kenya homeschool lesson.
But over here on my continent, coming up with materials proved challenging.
So today, I want to share with you a few of my ideas and hopefully, inspire you to come up with some of your own!
Geography
When studying any new country, I first begin by pointing it out on the map.
This probably seems obvious, but it really helps to orient children and give them a mental anchor point for the material.
Note the capital city (Nairobi), which is the 5th largest city in Africa.
I also pointed out that this country lies on the Equator, which contributes to its unique climate.
Other key features include the border countries (South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, etc). Knowing these helps older children to understand geopolitical issues later when studying international politics or policies.
Morning storytime with Kenyan pancakes.
Our Kenya homeschool lesson started with a storytime brunch. Inspired by the book (affiliate link —->) Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya, we whipped up a batch of Kenyan pancakes.
I found the more traditional recipe from the book here.
But we opted to make this version with blackberry sauce.
Full disclosure: Blackberry sauce is not traditional. But I am assured that the base pancake is, and sometimes you gotta throw something sweet on top to get a 5-year-old to embark on a culinary adventure. 🙂
Lightly sweet and a bit eggy, they taste very similar to French crepes.
Music
Set the atmosphere for your study of Kenya by playing some traditional music in the background.
Options abound on Youtube, but I found this composition especially captivating.
Compliment your exploration of Kenyan village culture by watching a few videos of traditional drumming or dance.
Biology
I try to incorporate a little STEM in all our unit studies.
Kenya’s famously unique wildlife provides a perfect opportunity to learn about grassland biomes and animals.
We also talked about the importance of conservation and how imperative it is to protect our most vulnerable natural habitats.
Other activities to consider.
Make the flag. Kenya’s flag is an arrestingly unique work of art itself. Make one out of construction paper or look up a coloring page for it on Google images.
Visit the zoo. I know, I know. Zoos are super controversial these days. I definitely respect that debate. But if you know one with a good reputation for the ethical treatment of animals and you’re comfortable, it’s an amazing way to bring the animals of Kenya to life for your homeschool students.
Learn about Kenyan art. Discover Kenya’s vibrant culture of arts and crafts.
Make a trip to the library. Look through photography books set in Kenya or check out a few traditional folktales to complete your study.
