In Social Studies, we continued our discussions on the Winter Olympics. We updated the medal counts on the 10 countries we’ve been following. We compared the changes and the medal differences among them. Danny finished adding to his visual dictionary for this project by learning that mascots are things or animals that symbolize a sporting event. We read that Soohorang is the white tiger mascot for the PyeongChang games. We went on to read that: The tiger has been a familiar figure in Korean folk tales as a symbol of trust, strength and protection. In mythology, the white tiger was viewed as a guardian that helped protect the country and its people. The mascot’s color also evokes its connection to the snow and ice of winter sports. The name “Soohorang” has additional significance. “Sooho,” the Korean word for “protection”, alludes to the protection of athletes, spectators and other Games participants. We enjoyed watching videos of the Olympic events of ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating. To tie into the Olympics, we skipped ahead in our historical fiction Magic Tree House series to book 16, Hour of the Olympics, by Mary Pope Osborne. We read the prologue to catch up and then read chapter 1 about traveling to ancient Greece! We found Greece on our world map. Danny added to the February page of his month of the year / seasons booklet that is in progress. Danny colored the heart that was given and then we added the Olympic Rings for his personal drawing. In light of President’s Day, we began a Florida Studies Weekly packet on Presidents and Patriots. We read that presidents are leaders of our country and that patriots love their country. We read about George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Betsy Ross, Crispus Attucks, and Sequoyah (the Cherokee Indian who developed an alphabet for their language). We also read about the song Yankee Doodle, which was originally written by the British to offend the Americans. The song was reworded and has become an American patriotic song. Danny enjoyed listening to it!