Learning Adventures Curriculum

Getting Into College

2007-06-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here are other homeschoolers thoughts....

As a word of encouragement... My two oldest children have been homeschooled thru high school and are now in college. My 3 younger are doing LA. (3rd, 6th and 8th) That is why I am checking this loop out as we hope to continue with it next year. My oldest daughter did not take the ACT, SAT or get a GED. She went to our local community college and took their placement tests for English and Math and did very well. They did not need the transcript I had made (sigh) from our homeschool. She got involved in student government (Vice Pres.) and other extra curricular activities. They then gave her a FULL 2 year Trustees Scholarship. She transferred to a private 4 yr. school with a double major in English and Pre- Med. She is continuing on her chosen path to be a doctor ( a heart surgeon she hopes) She has taken the MCAT and applied to medical schools. Many community colleges and even a private Christian college around here
allow for dual enrollment with highschool students. At age 16 anyone can begin taking classes. If younger they must get permission from their high school counselor ( me). This is what my son has done. If they can handle the work they have then "proven" their college aptitude and do
not need the tests. Many of the lower level courses such as college remedial, ESL type, computer classes or in an interest such as music or performing arts can be handled by a high schooler. I have given him dual credit for those courses. He is not as academic as his sister and this semester has decided to work and travel with his dad and go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. (He hopes to continue in school and go into finance as a stockbroker in the future)
So check out what is available- most cc's are also much more affordable. Even with scholarship money the COST of college is outrageous.

I want to 'second' this post!! This is just what we have done. My son took one math class at our community college when he was 15yo. He did so much better than the other students, that they requested we enroll him full-time. So, his college classes are doubling for his high school classes and I didn't have to make a transcript at all

This year he is 17 and 2 months after he turns 18, in Dec. of this year, he will graduate from both high school and college with an Associates Degree in Computer Science. He will then transfere to the 4-yr college of his choice (we've already checked it out with them) and they will honor his 2-yr degree and he'll only need 2 more years to graduate with his Bachelor's degree (at
19yrs old!!) Now THIS is what I call not wasting your time messing around with school. This is so efficient.

As an added note of encouragement, this child was basically unschooled until he took these cc classes. He just read lots and lots of books and did a math program. So, we didn't do the upper level sciences or any of the text books that you normally think of 'high school' at all, and he has really excelled. As a matter of fact, his picture was in the newspaper yesterday because he was inducted into the Phi Theata Kappa as an academic honor student.

This LA is SO much more involved than anything he ever did. I'm just sure it will work fine for high school for my younger girls and I feel they will be more than adequately prepared for college at the community college when it's their turn.

I hope this has been an encouragement to mom's that worry about the dreaded 'transcript' and the text book route.

I also home school here in Florida through an umbrella school. Our school issues its own diplomas and our principal and vice principal attend guidance counselor meetings with the colleges' officials just like high school counselors. Their relationship with the colleges and reputation in our county are fantastic. They even issue different levels of diplomas including a standard diploma and a college prep diploma. They keep track of all the grades, send scholarship information to the state, and keep us aware of what home schoolers in Florida need to do.

I too have a 7th, just recently 8th grader to be concerned about and with "Bright Futures" scholarship requirements and concerns about credits, it is enough to drive you batty. There are so many things to think about it can get confusing. Our umbrella school takes most of the worry out of knowing what to do next. The biggest worry they helped me with is knowing what to
do for high school curriculum.

I was told by other mothers at the school that I had to use textbooks and I had to make sure I answered all the questions in the books. Also I had to use particular publishers or else my son would not be allowed to home school for high school there. I was dreading this because I had never used one publisher exclusively. I even use many different curricula for one subject.

The school staff knows me and my son. My son has always been a very good student and they recognized that whatever I was doing was working, so I had no problems getting them to accept what I was using. They did make some suggestions though. One is that I consider my goal in teaching to be preparing him for whatever lies in his future.

In his case, that means college. To prepare him for college, I need to make sure that he can express himself, not only in creative writing, which he enjoys, but also in expository writing. They suggested I consider using essays and the precise as a way to evaluate what he is learning. I don't have to use fill in the blank or multiple choice answers from textbooks or workbooks. I can use the textbook's table of contents to make sure I cover all the topics required, but I can use living books and library books on a high school level or whatever else I need to help him understand the subject. Then I can have him write essays to determine if he really does
understand what he has learned. I did not have to worry about making up tests so this works perfectly with unit studies. The umbrella school just needs to see the work he's done to prove that he has covered the required material. They do that at various credit checks throughout the year.

I am also beginning to develop study skills in my son. I "dictate" the history sections in Learning Adventures and have him take notes as if I were a lecturer. I started with giving him outlines for the "lectures" so he could see the kind of information tht was important and how to make notes. Sometimes college professors do this as well. Then he went on to making his own notes. I also use a text book as a resource (not my sole resource) and have him learn to use table of contents, chapter headings and subheadings to make notes from the readings I assign him. (I like to use ABeka for this because it is really very well structured.) I do these things to help him
to become more familiar with study skills but they are not used exclusively. He still learns better from living books and other sources. If I can teach him how to incorporate textbook and other sources he will be an even better student.

Yes, you can start earning credits in 7th and 8th grade, my son is currently fulfilling his 2 year foreign language credit in 7th and 8th. Good luck on your F-Cat's we take SAT's in a couple of weeks. I don't know how your school operates, but I would talk to the person in charge to find out what he or she thinks. You might want to talk to the Florida Parent Educators Association for more information. Just like you, I thought things would be much more difficult than they really are. After talking to the right people, I'm much more confident.

Hi I am new here and will post my intro in a moment, but I wanted to respond to this comment about the GED. The GED certainly has had the bad rap of not being a "real" diploma, but I think that idea is changing. Many homeschoolers pursue this as an option for college admitance, and I have to wonder if we are having an affect on the way society views the GED. Times are changing, and I think the GED is looking towards a brighter future.

My oldest dd just took the GED. I never considered having my children take the GED because I myself considered it a second class diploma... afterall in my day it was only the "dropouts" who took the GED. Now, I have changed my tune! Life happens...and circumstances made it look as if taking the GED was the best option for our dd. She signed up for a GED prep class shortly before Christmas, and took the test at the beginning of March. During this time we have learned some
interesting things about the GED.

1. Originally the GED was created as a tool to allow young returning WWII vets to get their high school diplomas, since many signed up for the war before completing high school. Since that time, it has come to include anyone who did not complete a tradition homeschool diploma.

2. Colleges do accept the GED. As my daughter has talked to college reps this past year, they ALL have said that their schools accept the GED's in lieu of high school transcripts.

3. There is a brand new GED nationwide which came out this year (2002). The old GED was created so that 28% of high school students could NOT pass it. (Yes, you read that right... if you didn't catch it, please go back and read it again.) The new GED, which is harder than the old one and covers more subjects, has been created so that 41% of high school students could NOT pass it! I was shocked!

4. There are some college scholarships available to those who score high enough on the GED. My dd is anxiously awaiting her scores, as her GED instructor stated her pretest scores were definitely high enough to get one scholarship and there is a good possiblity she and get a better one too.

Based on these facts, I do think the stigma attached to the GED is changing.

Dorian Holt's Thoughts

2007-06-02T08:29:00.001-07:00

You can easily make the adjustments and use LA as a "spine." You will just have to toss out any ideas that your high-schooler doesn't want to do. College-bound students should do something like the following:

First - get a high school/home school plan book so you know what you are doing and will know what is required, how to do transcripts, etc. They explain what is required for college-bound and non-college-bound students. We use Home School, High School, and Beyond by Beverly Adams-Gordon. There are two basic ways of gaining credits - the first is to complete a
year-long-grade-level text in a year and it counts as 1 credit. The second is to count hours that pretty much amount to 50 minutes to an hour per subject per day for 180 days. We count an hour each day in each subject that we do this. (Schools account for extra homework time in that amount - so I think requiring our son, Ryan, to work an hour per day is an easier way than making him do separate "homework" beyond a typical 50 minute class period.) But, that's just how we do it.

Now for using LA with a high schooler - here's what I'd do in each subject:

BIBLE
Do with the rest of family. This is not a required school subject so any time spent together is just "icing" in terms of family bonding and spiritual growth.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Literature - Do read-alouds with rest of family for discussion and family bonding. These are all family books, so they aren't going to seem "babyish" - and the fundamentals and elements of literature that we cover are good, solid concepts that high schoolers would be covering anyway. IN ADDITION to this, though - I would assign an extra higher level book (use some of the ones I suggest in the beginning of the units) - Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, and The King's Fifth are all good choices for the Explorers Unit, for example - Ben Hur, The Robe, Quo Vadis are good for the Roman Unit, etc. If you can find Progeny Press literature guides to go with some of
these extra literature readings once in awhile - it would be good, to help in following along with what is happening, etc. since these collateral books will be read independently. (I list LOTS of higher level stuff in Book Two, so you will have plenty to choose from there as well.) Have your
high schooler count the hours spent on reading (including the family read aloud and discussion time) and list alphabetically all of the books he/she has read (in bibliographic format, like I list all of the regular suggested books in AWOA). This would go in his/her English folder. The literature times are very bonding for families. The collateral reading is important because there are books that every high schooler "should" read by the time he/she is finished with 12th grade. Many of these I will list in the extended sections of the curriculum - but you will need to be on the lookout for classics, etc. and keep your high schooler reading, reading, and reading.

Grammar/Vocab./Writing - Skip the grammar and spelling in LA - For a high schooler you will need to get a formal grammar program, and get Vocabulary from Classical Roots - this series will last you through all four years of high school, and for writing, stay with the LA lessons - especially for the first two years of high school - only you will have to lengthen them
considerably, requiring a page instead of a paragraph, and stuff like that. The fundamentals in LA are all pretty much the same as any high schooler or even college student would have anyway - if you think about it - we do summaries, reaction papers, contrast and comparison, biographical sketches, we just do them on a very manageable level that doesn't seem too intimidating - see what I mean? PLUS, you should assign at least one research paper a year. They don't have to be super long, though. Buy a book that tells you how to do this if necessary. I have seen lots of them at my library - check there first. He/she should be able to learn this pretty much on his own - it's not hard.

For all the language arts elements of literature, vocab, grammar, and writing - I call them ENGLISH 9 - depending on the grade, and then I include the number of hours spent on all of these things combined. If your high schooler works on all of the suggestions I have made here, he/she will go WAYYYYYY over the required time - and that's good - because he will be
challenged in a very important area.

MATH
Formal program of your choice - complete a graded text in a year - OR count 180 hours of math work.

SCIENCE
Formal program of your choice - although I can't recommend Apologia highly enough - we LOVE it and the student can work independently on it. Complete a text in a year and gain a credit.

SOCIAL STUDIES
History - follow the format of LA and have your high schooler read histories and biographies according to the period studied. PLUS - a separate unit for each unit would be good. An explorers notebook is already a part of AWOA, and in Book Two there will be the World, Presidents, Native Americans and State notebooks, so even a high schooler would be fairly well
covered automatically if you stick with LA. That means, an Egypt Notebook, a Greece Notebook, a Roman Notebook, a Middle Ages Notebook, and a Renaissance Notebook would be good supplements for a high schooler - just to help wrap all the information up as a unit is covered. We will also be doing more report writing in Book Two, and these can be added to the notebooks. I might add two additional notebooks to Book Two - "Colonial Notebook" which would cover the period and customs from Jamestown up to the War, and "American Revolution and Beyond Notebook" which would cover the specifics of the War and the Constitution. Remember - the notebooks aren't ONLY written reports, but information researched and printed from the
internet - maps and charts, battles and photos of battlefields, copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc. This is an EXTREMELY effective way for high schoolers to learn - and they actually sort of enjoy it if they can surf the net to do it. Count all of of these
hours and keep track of a COMBINED total for history and geography and call it SOCIAL STUDIES 9 - or use the appropriate grade as you move through high school.

Geography - I have seen lots of geography programs and I think what we do in LA is better because it is meaningful when we study the geography at the same time we study the country and culture. Keep doing that, but if you want to go through a really good map-reading series - look into Modern Curriculum Press - they have a series called MAPS-CHARTS-GRAPHS that is
excellent. They are like what we do in LA only MORE. Of course they won't relate to the study - but these are the same kinds of questions they always ask on standardized tests and they even include stuff like how to read and understand political cartoons. I'm telling you - they are excellent. I think they are pretty much considered elementary to junior high - and they come in levels A-H. But in my opinion, levels E,F,G, and H are worth having a high schooler do. Ryan loved these - he even did some of them for "fun" when he was stuck and "bored" at a home school conference a few years ago. Another great game to get and have your high schooler master all the levels of is Where in the World - and the rest of the family could play it too. The combination of learning all the details of the game, studying LA in a meaningful way, and the MCP maps books - will be a good plan of action. And boy, oh boy will your kids impress the relatives if they learn the stuff in Where in the World! I've seen people's mouths drop open when Ryan could rattle off places and facts from the game! Who says learning can't be fun - right!!! Even in high school!

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
College-bound students should have two years of a language - most colleges want to see this. If you complete a graded text in a year it counts as a credit

PE
Usually two years are required and we count hours that Ryan does ANYTHING athletic - but he has more than enough just from soccer practice and games to add up to a credit per year. Count hours and keep track.

So, you see how you can work things around LA and still keep your high schooler involved with the unit study and the rest of the family. The high school plan book will help give you ideas about what you might want to do. The above are not really "professional recommendations" as much as they are what works for us and what my opinions are of what a college-bound high
school student should accomplish. But I'm kind of hard on our son, Ryan, so everyone wouldn't necessarily have exactly the same ideas as me on this.

The above suggestions would be the highest level of achievement, in my opinion. You can cut down from there in terms of what your high schooler's future plans are and what your state requires.

Dorian

Forms

2007-06-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some forms that homeschoolers have designed for using with LA...

Note: All of my forms are figured on 120 hours. Why this many hours? Most schools require some where around 180 days of school (Texas 175). If you take those 180 days and multiply times 50 minutes (length of class time), then divide by 60 minutes (time in 1 hour) you get 150 for each credit (1 years worth of class).

But,... where do I get the 120 hours? How much of those 50 minutes is actually spent in teaching? 40 seems to be a good number. So when you do the math on 40 minutes, you get the 120 hours.

Here you can click on forms (the only thing there right now).

In here you will see 3 forms that divide history into : US, World, and Government & Economics.

These forms are designed for covering LA History. Each form equals 1 year of credit (120 hours). You could use 2 US History to make a 4th year of history - you will probably fill this anyways.

Also on this page you will see folders for AWOA & ANWOA. These were what I designed 1st, but decided they would be better suited for the younger grades, but they can be used here as well. Mainly, they have all of the units broken down & match the lesson plans (ie Day 1, etc). These would be as record of what you have covered, ie days done with school.

I also will have more forms to upload (I have to make some more). I am kind of waiting to see some items I have coming in the mail.

Mainly, what I plan on doing (history) is having my daughter write down what she covers (ie read Ben Hur for 1 hour) in each square. Of course, you could write down the title (ie Greek myths) then keep tally marks in the square (6 tallys = 1 hour), thus a tally in this instance would be 10 minutes. You might have several squares labeled, but you would know once you have 6 tally marks, then that hour is complete.

Barb Shelton's Form-U-la does go into depth on this. One thing she mentions, is that you read through her whole book, before you start doing it.

She has a form for you to list all of your daily subjects (I did make my own, so I can upload this one too.) I do not want to upload any that are hers, but she did see some of mine and said it was ok to share them with you, since they were "my creations".

In a nutshell, I could list the ones that I am planning on using if that will help you. I think this form plan is easy to do. Also, the idea is that your child is the main person who is filling out the
forms. There are forms that are used more as a permanent record (of course you could include all), but these would be more formal.

The way we can use these forms with ease, is that we do not need to cover an hour of each class every day. Barb does have forms that do explain more clearly how to cover all the material needed to graduate.

I hope this helps a little, I am sure it will bring up more questions, so ask away!!!!

Lori

This is a list of the forms I plan on using with High School:

Pace Determiner Worksheet
Tally Worksheet
Staying on Track Record
Weekly Assignment Plan (1 per week)
English Completion Check-Off Sheet (1 per year)
Class Content Plan (1 per class) this is for ideas to cover
-would not be necessary if covering a straight curriculum
-could be used with LA, (ie extra things mentioned in LA)
-used before or just before subject that is covered.
Class Completion Record (1 per class)

Right now, that is all that I have in my binder. I do have her book report form & Scripture form (actually my own version).

Documenting High School

2007-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are ideas from other homeschoolers....

I have Barb's Book and it is great!!! A big one for sure. I have read one book by the Author of Home School High School and Beyond and she is a very good writier and easy to follow. I highly recommend Barb Shelton's book (and anything by Cafi Cohen). It will put perspective on highschool and also give lots of ideas on how to use forms she has to help you out. It has given me a spring board to think of of ways to help my dd with her education.

I have Barb Shelton's book "Senior High-A Home Designed Form-U-la" and it is awesome! I haven't finished it yet, but it is so refreshing to know someone else out there thinks like I do. I am not into doing "school" for school's sake. I am preparing eternal beings to take their place in the world, according to what God has designed for them to do and be. I highly recommend her book!

Well, thanks for listening. I am looking forward to gleaning from everyone's wisdom, and perhaps dropping a "nugget" in here and there myself.

First, I got a copy of "Senior High: A Home Designed Form-U-la" by Barbara Shelton. I would highly recommend this if you would like to continue doing unit study type work for high school. I think it will work great in implementing LA into high school credits.

This is what I have come up with for our oldest daughter to cover in high school: (1 credit is one full year of a class) (This is also based on the minimum credits for Texas - non college bound.)

English (4 credits): Easy Grammar, Easy Writing, Learning Adventures (also 1/2 credit of speech is included) - main emphasis will be in the writing from LA, just expecting more and better quality.

Math (3 credits): Business/Consumer Math - Ray's Arithmetics and Teaching Our Daughters to Be Keepers At Home (TODKAH); Algebra; Geometry (have not decided yet what we will be using).

History (3 credits): US History (1), World History/Geography (1), Government (1/2), and Economics (1/2) - all covered in LA

Science (2 credits): Biology, Physics/Chemistry - "Science Scope" and the science covered in LA and TODKAH placed under these 2 categories.

Health (1/2 credit): TODKAH (and whatever is in LA)

Computer Science (1 credit): computer programs - ie learning to use a word processing program, writing projects from LA.

Music (1 credit): violin, piano, vocal, theory, music appreciation

Foreign Language (2 credits): Spanish, Greek, sign language (?) computer programs etc.

Home Ec (1 credit - at least): TODKAH

Bible (2 credits): Polished Cornerstones, TODKAH, LA

Arts & Crafts (1 credit): TODKAH, LA

In Form-U-la, she shows you how to implement what you study into credits. Mainly, you would just want to make sure that you not just read little kids books. Form-U-la is a fairly expensive book to buy, it is well worth it. But I would suggest that you do an interlibrary loan ($1). Also, the latest edition is 1999, only a few libraries nationally have it, and it is not available for interlibrary loan. But there were close to 100 of the 1996 edition available nationwide. In fact that is the one that I own. This would be a great way for you to read the book to see if you would like to purchase it.

Also, Dorian suggests "Home School, High School, and Beyond" by Beverly Adams-Gordon. I did get the latest edition through interlibrary loan, and I think that Form-U-la would work the best
with LA!!!

I am going to check into making forms to use with LA to cover History mainly. I am going to check with Barbara Shelton to make sure I am not infinging on copyrights. I will be designing my own.

I plan on using as much of LA as I can to fit into these subjects. As you will notice, I do not have any textbooks (I guess Easy Grammar & Writing sort of are, I just happen to own them, but they are as a supplement/guide) listed in my classes. I plan on using "ALL" real books, library or purchased.

This makes a very inexpensive high school curriculum, as well as enjoyable. I am currently making games to cover math in K-8th so I am looking into ways to continue this in high school as well. I hope this gives you some ideas.

Ok........if you use LA units for 5 years....there will be allot of credits there you are NOT seeing.
The main thrust of a unit study is to look at where you can get credits. And at times,you might have to adjust the name.......ok? There will be Ancient hx.,there will be Geography in all units,there is the American hx,in LA #2-you can add your 1/2 credit for your state hx. there,
and depending on your state-you can get other credits for whichever kinds of hx. they need.
Government in there as well. OK......science. With 9th grade and up,I would skip the science in LA units and add another program. The science in LA is more general science/earth/life type. They need more than that in high school. The recipes in the book can be added to with more home type books and there is your HomeEc credit. PE-well,if your child is into sports already-use that as part of credit. If your child is not-let them use an exercise aerobic tape. Then add health type stuff. There is a study on the body in LA #1.Use that in that unit. And you can add biographies on sports people. Or you can gives essays on various health topics of your choice. You can do this for ever how many years PE is required in your state for those credits.
Fine Arts.....another credit. There are studies in LA #1 on composers and artists. There are projects to do as well. You can add more reading literature books and get more credits in things like Communication or speech. This will allow the child to share verbally with the family, friends, church, neighbors what they are learning. Also,your Bible will be given as credits as well. Let's see...... how many credits here???? And you have to add in Literature/grammar credits. The Literature part of that has already been done in LA readings. Vocab already with LA Greek/Latin roots And your math.....whichever you need for graduation. You can add any needed extra credits on anything else you might need. Such as foreign language. If you want to add art course if you need any more credits. Shop,if your child works with Dad in building things.
Remember though,find out what you need from your state with requirements. Go from there.
And,you do not need to do a full year of any 1 elective. Let say your son starts woodworking with a neighbor and that man moves mid stream. You can assign 1/2 credit there. Give the credits where appropriate.

Keepers Of The Faith has wonderful books on all subjects. There you might get ideas. If your child is interested in computers-buy him a Computers for Dummies book. Ah-la........give a credit as elective for him completing that book. Just make sure you get in all the main credits like Math,Lit.. That will be the focus. And sciences, It will also depend on if your child is going to college. There will be different courses to add to that as well. And remember,Abeka and BJ has videos of the higher maths and sciences that you can get if these subjects scare you. There is also Alpha Omega out there as well. If you need a credit or help in science or math. They have several different 1/2 credits as well.

The Texas info I got online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us (ours is listed under curriculum, then there is requirements for high school graduation). I think you could probably put your states two letter abreviation in place of "tx".

College Bound:
English - 4 years
Math - 3 (or 4) years (Algebra 1 & 2, and Geometry)
Science - 3 (or 4) years (Biology, Chemistry & Physics)
History - 4 years (World History, World Geography, US
History, US Govt - 1/2, & Economics - 1/2)
Physical Education - 1 1/2 years
Foreign Language - 2 to 3 years (same language)
Health - 1/2 year
Computer - 1 year
Fine Arts - 1 year
Electives to equal 24 credits (1 year = 1 credit)

Math and Science requirements are only 3 years, but you may want to add the 4th. Pretty much, my plan for my daughter will be college level too. We would just have to change a couple of hours (which we will probably be covering anyways).

I am also going to have her start working on high school credits (slowly) next year - 8th grade. This will lesson her hours a little. But also, we would be covering more of her world history in
volume 1. (Which of course, will be repeated in her senior year.)

If you take a look at my Pace Determiner Worksheet, you will see how much time needs to be spent each day in each subject. You could either spend that amount of time each day (for a four year plan, it comes to 4 hours). Or only do the class on certain days. This plan also shows that unlike conventional school, the 1/2 credit of health for example, does not need to be covered in 1/2 year. You could spread it across 4 years (ie 5 min a day). This lets us use what is in LA to cover these subjects. At the end of the year, you would figure out how many hours were completed, then subtract from total need to graduate. Then this would be the amount needed to cover in the following years. When you do finish a subject, then you do not "need" to count that subject any longer. But I do plan on counting these as "extra credits".

What you do to receive credit with unit studies is to add up your hours. When you are reading history books you have your child time herself. Use a timer if necessary. Plan an hour for history or what ever time you go with. An hour for highschool classes is good to go with because they total up to 180 hours durring the year. This will give a whole credit. Some choose as low as 150 hours others choose as much as 270 hours. (This is rare) You would do this with all the subjects unless you use a text. The compleation of a text will count as a credit itself.

If your child spends 2 hours reading about history and the book being read is something like Tempest, then you would be able to split the credit, by giving 1 hour to history and 1 hour to literature. You have plenty time to digest this, don't let let it get you down. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy, and well worth the effort.

You can grade on class participation, essay grades, and test, so on. What ever you choose, or all of them. You must require your dd to learn the material as well as enjoy the hands on things. That is important. If she chooses to not learn you may want to take away the hands on till you see an improvement in her learning. (This is if she is doing it purposely, it would be another story if she has a learning disibility.)

Now as far as a diploma or a GED, most colleges aren't worried about either. It may be different where you are. You would need to call the college that you plan to send your daughter to and ask what they require. Most colleges want test scores. For a transcript I would suggest that you get the progam Transcript Pro or some other program that will walk you through the steps. It is not too hard but I can't explaine it. Maybe someone else here can do that.

We have text books for math and science, sometimes grammar as it is not necessary to have grammar every year. These we do not have to calculate hours for. We time ourselves for history, literature (when not using a set program), Bible, and basic living skills (home ec or shop) this would include cooking, sewing, changing oil, building a bird house, and so on.

I hope this helps in some way, as I am not the best person in the world to answer your questions. I recenly went to go see Inge Cannon, who is wonderful at explaining all of this. If you ever get a chance you may want to attend one of her conferences. Here is her website: http://www.edplus.com/

Colleges want homeschoolers because they have learned to study and to think. These students often know what they want to do and why they are going there; they know what they are trying to accomplish and have goals in mind. This is rare, and makes homeschooling the success that it is. It is not due to regulating and structuring the homeschool according to any particular pattern of 'school'. We've learned there is a difference between homeschooling and "school at home". Homeschooling is whole life or "natural learning", as Susie explained. . Homeschoolers score well on tests whether they have been used to a school setting or not, if they have studied and learned the subject material and developed the ability to think. Learning this has helped me a lot in letting go of the "academic" biases and prejudice that "structured" or "institutional" learning set in place for me. So often if everything is done "for" you, then you lack confidence in yourself to do what otherwise you would know that you can do, having to learn by experience. Some of us are only being allowed, in letting ourselves learn, to think freely now for the first time in our lives. Thinking is much that way.

When asked to explain what homeschooling means to them, most students after a few highschool years of learning in an even somewhat flexible environment, can explain that it is that flexibility (or time) that gave them the opportunity to discover their own particular abilities, strengths and weaknesses and how to improve themselves. Such is what Education truly means, and the colleges that we are interested in having our young people attend have that understanding as well. There are some colleges now that are moving beyond the "structured" approach also in their instruction and finding that such a close-knit environment for learning, such as a family working together and having resources to share by many at various levels, is the ideal one for excellence, invention, and genius. Taking time to think is a wonderful thing to do at such a time as this.

High School Supplements

2007-06-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here are other homeschoolers ideas....

Ok, I have been pondering this..I just saw the new LLATL American and British Literature and I like it for my dd who will never keep up with **** like her brother. That is a possibility for Literature? English.

I like the idea of using a bunch of things from Barb Shelton's High School Design A Form-U-La. I think they would help beef up the History. So far the only thing I have come up with for science is using the Apologia series.

Maybe making a detailed time line in a large 3 ring binder with different events written out in detail on each page.

We are also using Singapore Math, Reading Made Easy, English for the Thoughtful Child, Primary Language Lessons and MCP Spelling. My 9th grader is using Singapore Math, LLATL Gold, Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Abeka Biology and Chemistry, and Learnable Spanish.
Sorry for being so long winded - it is nice to be here and thanks for starting this group! I thought I was one of the only ones desiring to use LA with a High Schooler.

Our son in high school uses, Smarr Literature, Saxon Math, Apologia Chemistry, Learnables Spanish, WE used the Uncle Eric Series for Government and Economics this year( usually use Beautiful Feet), we also have used Vocabulary from the Classical Roots. We only use LA and math with no added extras right now. Not quite sure, but we are considering LLATL Gray and Gold for High school with my daughter. Looking forward to everyone's ideas.

We've used Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Apologia Chemistry, Heroes of the City of Man, Uncle Eric books, Streams of Civilization, Jacobs Geometry, and many other sources I can seem to think of at the moment. Variety is spice around here. I really like picking and choosing this and that so I've been pleasantly suprised at the flow of Learning Adventures. I didn't realize how nice the integration of unit study would be. I always thought we were kind of doing unit studies, but Dorian's focus has been very good for us.

We will be using LA with the 9th grader. I am looking forward to this. He has never liked the text book approach. We will supplament with Apologia Science, Saxon Math, and a Spanish course. I really think that this is a answer to prayers for him. He is just now showing a spark for learning,I hope this fans the flame.

Anyway the point of telling all this is to explain that we've always been "unit" and "family" oriented in terms of our studies, but this is the first pre-packaged unit we've bought. My main reason for buying it was to have some continuity in terms of our Social Studies and Science, and the plain old ease of not having to pull units together myself. You could say I'm taking an "Administrative" break. The other reason was because they are moving more into a high school, delight-directed, independant phase of learning so they do alot of work on their own, but we still wanted to have something to do together, so we can learn from the feedback. Oh yes, there has been alot of talk about Cafi Cohen and Barb Shelton books. These were the two books that led me gently into the Homeschooling through High School movement. I also fall heavily on the Moore and Charlotte Mason Method of learning. Another book I would recommend is Freedom's Challenge by Grace Llewellyn. this book is a compilation of essays and interviews by and with African American homeschoolers, but its a fascinating read regardless of race as it really shows the various ways in which people homeschool. Oh yes that was another thing that I did, I gave my daughter various books to read on homeschooling starting from the end of last year. I can't think of all the book titles, but "The Teenage Liberation book" is one that comes to mind and then there was of course "Homeschooling through High School" and a few others. We also read through the book "Education" by Ellen White. One of the main things I had to learn was that at this stage of the game their education is really in their own hands and so I wanted her to be aware of the capabilities she had and avenues she could take to accomplish what she felt were here goals in life, something we've stressed since day one. That is that God has given you a gift and an ability to do something unlike anyone else, and that it is our job to figure out what that thing is, hone it, develop it and ultimately do it to His and our glory.

Just wanted to add my opinion on High School Science. We used Apologia's Biology this year and found it to be very dry and boring. I had already ordered Apologia's Chemistry and when I got it I reviewed it and sent it back. We are finishing the year with Abeka's Biology for units on mammals, etc. and I can't say enough about how much both my son and I love this text. He is excited to see all the nice color pictures, the great explanations, outlines of the chapters, etc. It was a refreshing change. I have also ordered Abeka's Chemistry for next year and it looks like it will be wonderful also. I know many people absolutely love Apologia, it just wasn't for us. In the Chemistry book there was absolutely no color, etc. For my younger ones, I might look into Rainbow Science for Junior high when they get there, and Rainbow is also coming out with
Chemistry in Sept 2001. This will be called The Spectrum. This is too late for my oldest son since we start school in July, but it would be worth looking into.

I plan on using Apologia Science, Easy Grammar Plus, Latin or Spanish, and Singapore Math along with LA. My daughter takes formal Art lessons, and I plan on using that for an Art credit
on her transcript. Do you think that adding additional reading from Dorian's list along with the Easy Grammar and possibly an analogies book will qualify as a complete Language Arts credit? Will we need a formal writing program? Also, do you feel the need to supplement with younger students, and if so what with? I just want to make sure we have all the bases covered. If you see any other holes in my plan, please feel free to help me fill them in. Much thanks.

I just bought "Streams of Civilizations" to use for high school supplementation with my 9th grade dd. It does, in my opinion, give an in-depth study but it is very "textbooky". No color photos and very wordy. After looking it over, I found I could learn a lot from it but felt "bogged
down". However, high school should give you a lot of info and this book does it well. It is clearly from a Christian world view and explains away, in a logical christian manner, theories such as evolution.

Hi! I will also be homeschooling an 8th grade girl with LA along with her 11 yo sister. My 8th grader has some difficulty in Grammar so I plan on using Easy Grammar Plus for some extra practice. Also I will use Spelling Power along with LA words. I was going to supplement a little Science but I changed my mind. I won't do that until 9th grade. Then I plan to use Apologia Physical Science. I don't want to start that for another year because she has some&n;! bsp; gaps in Life Science so I will concentrate on those areas covered in LA.

There is no reason why you can't continue with LA in high school. Supplement in areas that you believe are needful and that your daughter is ready for. There is no set standard you have to follow. As long as you are following your states' guidelines and your daughter is progressively learning, that's what is important. As I said in a previous email, it is better to give a little and have them learn it well, than giving too much and have them get frustrat! ed and overwhelmed and not learn it properly. Do what is right for your daughter.

My child plans to go to college. She wants to study to be a veterinarian. We will be using LA next year when she is in 9th grade. We will be supplementing as follows:

English - Easy Grammar I (and possibly Language Arts Through Literature - Gold Edition, American Literature) This may turn out to be too much to read when combined with LA and BF Ancient History, but we will try it. If needs be, we will discontinue it.

Math - Saxon Algebra I

Science - Apologia Biology

History - Beautiful Feet Ancient History This gives additional resources to add to LA on a jr. or sr. high level (you pick which one you want to use). Many of the books are the same so I thought it would mix well with LA. She will be able to keep her own notebook following the BF guide in addition to the hands-on projects we do with LA.

I'm pouring over Barbara Shelton's book some more today. I do find the book a bit overwhelming but I know with this book I can figure out how to do make LA work. I've looked at other unit studies geared for high school but after using LA who wants to use anything else? Nothing can compare.

I know I'll continue to use Saxon Math, add Apologia Science, I really have no problem with History - that's our favorite subject in this house and we are probably already doing it at a high school level. We read a lot and do lots of hands on projects. I know what I'm going to do for health (Barb Shelton's book has a good plan for this). I know what I want to do for Bible. I'll add a foreign language. I've got lots of ideas for electives (probably too many) and once again in Barbara Shelton's book she shows you how to keep track and give credit. This book is a lot to get through but I'd highly recommend it to anyone trying to use LA for high school.

I guess what I'm really not sure about is English (our least favorite subject). We will be using Easy Grammar Plus next year (8th grade) and that's as far as Easy Grammar goes. Do I still need grammar? I notice that English for high school seems to be more literature - focusing on different types. Writing is our weak area and I may add Writing Strands during this time. But I'm wondering if I need to add Smarr or LLAL for English. This would make for a lot of reading. We already do so much for History (we're in the Middle Ages now and both of my sons have read all 6 of the Henty books on this time period in addition to library books and the two books used in LA - I told you they love history. I don't require this amount they just want to read this much.

Easy Grammar does have a high school curriculum. It is the older edition (I have seen it on vegsource). I bought this along with Easy Writing several years ago (really cheap), and I have been holding on to them to use. They are about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wanda Phillips wrote both of these editions in 1990. They include everything.

Also, you should use what is in LA for Grammar and Writing. The Grammar would not be enough, but the writing would. Just assign longer papers. Have them do book reports on the books they are reading(Barb has a great form for this - I will upload my version too). Term type papers, etc. Dorian told me that in the 2nd volume, she has written more ideas to use with high schoolers.

Lit class, we do not need a separate one with LA. There is plenty of classics and great literature that Dorian has incorporated in LA!!! Also, make sure you check out her recommendations for advanced studies.

I saw a great Bible study called God's Priceless Woman that I think we might get and use for our BIble as well. This is a subject also that we can assign 4 credits for as well. I want to immerse her in Bible study. At this age they are sponges. But,this said to tell you all.......that I searched high and low AGAIN to find better than LA. Notta! The only thing that I did find that I did like any at all was the WEaver Vol.5. This was a study on the Roman era when Jesus was alive (remember from LA????-The Bronze Bow?) and a indepth study on Jesus.But.....we did the BB and Rome in LA.LOL..........again...... And who says we can't study Jesus on our own? That might be something ole Dad might enjoy doing with her.........ahhhhhh........a thought! You know, LA is about the most economical program out there. The books you need-even with buying those-still great price overall. And the ease of doing it!!! Yipppppeeeeeee.

I do have God's Priceless Woman (I have to remember to use this too). I would also highly recommend Polished Cornerstones. It has lots of great stuff in it, for studying the Bible, and to become a Godly Woman. It is based on Proverbs 31, and uses the whole Bible to become like this godly woman.

I think the Bible in LA is great!!! We just finished Ancient Greece (I know, we have been here, faithfully doing LA since August. We just took too long doing Egypt & Greece - we just loved Egypt). The Bible in LA, helped to reinforce the Truthfulness of God, while studying the greek myths. It was great!!!

I am planning on using Easy Grammar, but not "as is". Of course, I am sure I will somehow make it into a game. I am sure we will also do a lot of it orally. But I am positive I will be making it into a game!!! Along with all the other ones I am always making. I need to get busy this summer!!!

I am glad that you have decided to stay with LA. It is a great curriculum!!! I can not believe how "EASY" it has been to create a high school plan, especially with LA as our core. Also, as you stated, who can beat the price? and God's hand is in it, ...

I will have my high schoolers (I'll have 2 next year) simply read through the Science listed in LA just because it is a good review. As far as the actual Science program, they will be using Rainbow 9th grade Biology by Beginnings Publishing. We will probably finish early because we plan on
starting it this summer and then they will read through the Applications Science in the back of the Rainbow book.

Rainbow is a wonderful science program and requires only 2 lessons + 1 lab a week in order to finish in a year. My older two love this program (we used the Physics and Chemistry in 8th grade). It's simple, colorful and fun! Most importantly, they can do it by themselves with little or no help or overseeing by me. This is exactly what I wanted because I work with them on the History and Language Arts and also teach our 9 year old. At this point, it is better for me to work with my high schoolers separately from my 4th grader.

Check it out if you can at www.beginningpublishing.com . It costs around $200 for the biology supplies and book. We have found it to be well worth the price. Apologia is another good Science program and is not as pricey as Rainbow. We found Apologia to be a little dry and boring for our needs, but it is a good program. As you know, you have to find what works for your family.

For Pre-Algebra, I think Abeka can't be beat. It is a solid program with great review. It prepared my son incredibly for Algebra. When he did his standardized testing after having completed it, he only got one wrong in the whole math section. My girlfriend borrowed it for her two kids after we were finished and she was extremely pleased with it and she has one that is really math-challenged. Again, she felt like it did a great job for preparing them for Algebra 1.
We have used the Chalkdust series for Algebra 1 and Geometry and will be using Algebra 2 this coming year. The videos are what make this series great. Mr. Moseley is an exceptional teacher and very interesting to watch. He teaches every lesson in the books. He is also available to help if your student has questions. My son emailed many times this year with problems with his Geometry. Mr. Mosely wrote back very quickly and always cleared up the problem for my son. I was at a loss to try and help him. For upper level math, I believe Chalkdust can't be beat. A friend once said, "You can either pay for a private tutor or buy Chalkdust and then you won't need one." I believe she's right. She felt like the Chalkdust helped her daughter more then the tutor they had hired.

I have an easy alternative to algebra etc. I have not used it yet. Barron's has a series of books called _____ The Easy Way. I did buy the Algebra book. It is written as a fictional story, that has algebra weaved into it. It seems like it would be a lot of fun! It is supposed to be a whole course (I think they also use it in college).

UPDATE -

I now have a whole bunch of these books - they are great!!! They do cover all that you would learn in High School. These are used in colleges!!!

The Algebra book does cover Algebra 1 & 2....

Rainbow science is for jr high level students. It is written in a very friendly conversational style. The information is very concise and presented in very short chapters. (Perfect for my son!) It is colorful and interesting and really holds my son's attention and has increased his interest in science. There are only very few questions testing the information presented in the text. (I supplemented this by developing my own chapter questions.) There are large unit tests at the end of each unit and in the middle of one large unit. There are also weekly labs with tests and
explanations of what was to happen. The labs have everything you need included in the science kit sold with the curriculum. There is one text book, one lab book and one teacher's guide. The text is a general science type book that includes physics, chemistry, biology and applications -- the application of the other three sciences.

Apologia is a high school program. It is written in a very friendly and conversational style but at a reading level higher than Rainbow. It has concise information presented more thoroughly and in much longer sections of reading. There is a good deal of testing throughout the material. There are also labs, though the scheduling is up to you, there is no set schedule on how to present the material. You can buy supplemental kits to go with Apologia. The general science is a jr high level book but the physical science book (also jr high), is very strenuous mathematically; I believe high school students would have a better time of it. The other sciences -- biology, chemistry and physics are all high school level programs.

Dr Dobbins, the creator of Rainbow Science, is working on the Spectrum, the high school level of his Rainbow program. He has finished the chemistry portion but biology and physics are yet to come.

I had decided to use Rainbow in jr high grades and Apologia in high school (I haven't seen the Spectrum yet). I think Rainbow is an excellent science program for jr high but not quite strenuous enough for high school unless you supplement it heavily. For example when I did a study on light in the physics portion of Rainbow, it talks about light that hits a mirror at
different angles. From my own sr high education, I knew that these angles had names. But these names, angle of reflection, angle of refraction, and angle of incidence, were not mentioned in the Rainbow book. The angles themselves were used and explained but the terminology was not used. I think knowing about what is happening is fine for jr high but knowing the terminology, as well as understanding what is happening, is necessary for high school. I'm sure that Spectrum, the high school level of Rainbow, addresses the terminology, but I think that anyone wanting to use Rainbow Science, the jr high program, for high school needs to know that this may be the case.

If your child won't really use science beyond high school, Rainbow Science is a wonderfully colorful and interesting program that can even hold the imagination of children who don't like science. But if there is any chance they will need science in the future, I think a more strenuous program or heavily supplementing Rainbow Science would be best. (My own personal opinion.)

We also are taking the Apologia and Learning Language Arts through Literature along with LA, route. It may seem like overkill, but I really wanted something to encourage the children to read good literature. I know that this will be happening in LA, but these will be so "time-period" or "subject" related that I wanted something to help along with other "fun" literary readings. We will also be working on a school newsletter, which we've done in the past, as well and using Winston Grammar for our "fun Fridays". (Fun Friday's are our version of the school 4 days, off 1 day routine but we choose to do fun school instead (so we can get credit) and basically play games to cover our subjects that day. The kids have their choice of Careers(math & college
prep), Yahtzee (math), probe(spelling), Carmen Sandiego (geography & critical thinking), Un-game(social studies), Mindtrap(math, science, language arts) and Mystery Mansion (critical thinking) plus the children have band that day and that generally rounds out a full day of education).

My biggest problem however, is overkill so I'm trying to stay a little more focused on what we will and won't cover. As for the LLATL I don't plan on going overboard, almost to the point of just sticking to the lessons on the literature and not focusing so much on the other material if it seems to be too much.

We used the Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt. I am curious about what would be good for a high schooler for the Greece unit.
TIA, Susie

I used this book too when we did Egypt last year. I really like finding something that is truly chronological to go with the eras, especially the ancients, where it is still fairly simple.

The book that I used for Greece was called The Greeks by Roy Burrell. I didn't have a high schooler last year, and read the book aloud, but it would be a great one for that. I also used Ancient World by Usborne -- there are two books by that title and I used the "harder" book for the older kids, and the easier one for elementary aged kids. I was able to use those books for
all three of the ancient civilizations.

This is what I have stored in the data base for Ancient Egypt. I haven't really been into it but you can take a look and see if it will help.

a great Eygyptian generic gameboard is located at: http://members.nbci.com/gamescloset/pyramids.htm
You can build a pharoah at "Rosetta Stones" site )
http://www.clevmusart.com/archive/pharaoh/rosetta/rose3d.html
Also make your own mummy at
http://www.rom.on.ca/

This is just MY .2cents worth......... I spoke to Dorian on this matter last year and this year. We are in the new unit this school year and my dd is in 8th grade this year. As far as either Book -Ancients or American goes- if your child is in up to 8th grade-you do NOT have to do anything but the LA book. Add reading from literature lists and you are fine for the year. You do not have to add nothing more to the LA.

You will add a different science program in 9th grade and not do the science from the LA at all.Too much over kill there with both.Dorian suggests APOLGECIA. You might want to add another Grammar program as well in high school. The literature, Dorian gives a list of books and suggestions for higher grades. I would use this listing she gives and add those to your work during the week. LA books are not really meant to be added to until 9th grade. But,there are
those that do. For some families,this works well. For others,that are just starting LA or never have done a unit before-they might add this and that......get overkilled and burned out. The kids get tired. And they drop the LA ball. Another one hits the road. But,Dorian did not set up LA to be like that,. There is enough in there to do an average 8th grader with all needed items. We are conditioned to think that our kids are not learning UNLESS they are doing long drawn out sentences of 25-30 and all this other work. They get tired and burned out that way. This is the concept Dorian used- a little goes a long ways... This new unit-there are sahort daily grammar lessons each day. There is a different Spelling concept. There are many ways to expand this new Book. We live in VA and we are expanding the Va study to get our 1./2 credit state hx
in at this time. But.....we are only doing LA 4 days a week too. This way,there is no burn out.

I would base my supplementing on my child. I have 3 children. One is a learning disabled highschooler. In depth, abstract principles are extremely difficult for her and clearly, she will not be attending college. For her, even though she is in 11th grade, we have found LA's science to be
sufficient. Because I want to expose her to high school sciences but know that she would have no interest in or ability to learn about some of these things, I have added for her Lyrical Life Science. These are familiar songs with words replaced to cover biology. Because the tunes are so catchy, she can remember some of the basic biological facts. When we go places, I play these tapes in the car and the kids sing along. I do for her what I know needs to be done to help her be all that God has created her to be. We have found LA's science also to be sufficient for her 5th grade brother and it certainly does him no harm to sing along in the car. However, our middle
child has expressed an interest in being a veterinarian. She is currently in 9th grade. She definitely is planning on going to college. Common sense, therefore, tells me that LA's science is not adequate for her and so she has added Apologia's Biology (she, too, sings the biology songs in the car). I have found that we need to consider each individual child, their abilities, talents and goals and then make an informed decision that's right for them. You should know best whether your child needs supplementation or not. If you and your child are comfortable with what you are doing and it is consistent with his/her goals, then I see no need to supplement. Last year, before we knew of LA, we had used various science curriculum. One of which was Rainbow Science. We found this curriculum to be fun, informative and encouraging for the jr. high level student. However, my college bound dd said she found too many times in the curriculum where it would say "you will cover this more in depth later in high school". She didn't want to wait until later. She wanted the challenge of covering it more in depth now so for her, and only her, we made the switch to Apologia. It definitely fits the bill!

TruthQuest is a literature based history curriculum that shows Gods hand moving through out time. It is (if you go with the ones designed for 4-12) more detailed than LA. I guess because it is geared for a more mature audience. I thought they would go like hand and glove together. Dorian does a wonderful job with things that TQ does not touch on like hands on. There are samples at the site: www.truthquesthistory.com Tell me what you think if you get the time.
I bought the Rome guide, because we are starting that adventure Monday. )

Of all the programs, I find Latina Christiana the best blend of ease of use and thoroughness of material. Here is a helpful site w/ reviews of Latin programs.
http://www.classicalhomeschooling.org/celoop/latin.html#review

You can also find a review of it here: http://welltrainedmind.com/ It is in one of the back issues of the newsletter.

Here's another site that might help
http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/comparison.php3?CCHK=1&aid=

We are using Editor In Chief for grammar, LA required books for literature (I will through in more advanced stuff) and LA writing for writing. I am looking into WriteShop for further writing instruction. We also use some of the ThinkWrites in TruthQuest for a few writing
assignments.

The kids find Editor In Chief very fun, and I find it wonderful maintanance of previously learned skills. It can also help them to learn a few skills they may have missed. There is a paragraph and a caption. The child has to compare the paragraph with the caption to make sure that their are no content errors ( information from both must agree ),plus check for any punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors. It is sort of like a picture with hidden items. Fun and makes them think. The answers are given in the back of the book, and even detailed explainations of the whys and wherefores are given. It is very reasonable, only about $15. check out samples at www.criticalthinking.com

We're reading the Redwall series by Brian Jacques as our read aloud. We will also pick classics such as Tom Sawyer, etc. We also use selected readings from whatever the historical period is we currently are studying. It ends up being a variety of types.

We are presently in ANWOA Jamestown, but this can be used with AWOA also. We have the book, "Invitation to the Classics" by Louise Cowan and Os Guiness. This book goes through the classics and their authors from ancient times to contemporary writers. It discusses each author and explains the works from a Christian perspective. You will get a summmary and thought provoking questions at the end of each author. What I do, is go to the time period we are studying. I have my daughter read 1 author a week. I also have her do some independent research. I am going to put together a Famous Writer form for her to fill out along with asking her to summarize what she read. This is a hardbound book of high quality and is expensive.
$34.99 and worth every cent as I do not know literature at all and could never come up with all the conversation this does. Another book that goes along well with this is Compact Classics "The Great American Bathroom Books" These books have a wealth of information. They will take a book and give story overviews along with plot and character summaries etc. This helps in showing my daughter these aspects of literature. These books also have a lot of word building
exercises, trivia, quotes, and biographies of different people.

We are taking information off the internet about William Strachey and his writings about the tempest he went through coming to America. Shakespeare's play, The Tempest is supposed to be patterned after this. We are looking at these notes and writings from Starchey and others and then we will read The Tempest in play format and then in a simpler format. We are going to compare and contrast Strachey's writings and Shakespeares. Here are the web sites I plan on using.

http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/tempest/about.html

http://www.orat.ilstu.edu/shakespeare/research/ISFtempest.html

http://theweboftime.com/Issue-2/seaventure-a.htm

http://wolves.dsc.k12.ar.us/cyberace/sbgone/gen/fam1/strachey/intro.htm

We are going to use "The Military 100" by Lt Col(Ret) Michael Lee Lanning. It is a book I found at Barnes and Noble for only $9. It discusses the top 100 military leaders of all time. As we go through the time periods we will use this along with the encyclopedia and internet to research the military leaders of each time period. We are going to fill out a mlitary leader form and do summaries. I am requiring my daughter to use at least 3 sources for her information.

I just put together a sample for my dd of a state project book using some of Dinah Zike's ideas. I am going to try and explain it to you. It would be good if you could get ahold of her Big Book of
Books and Big Book of Projects along with the videos. This is what I did. I took 2 manilla file folders. I opened one up. I layed the 2nd folder on the right side of the open folder so that it would open left to right. I then took packing tape and taped the spine on the right side top the other folder. This all folds up real neatly into a project folder. The front is used for my dd to use her creative talents and decorate it. On the inside left page I made a 4 door folder book.(it sits horizontally)The front has the state flag on it. Each door has a picture of a different aspect of the state: bird, seal, flower, tree etc. Underneath each door would be the name of each and a descriptions of some kind. Below this I mad a folded book from 2 pieces of paper. (It also sits horizontally) This book includes parks and recreational facilities. There is a map on the front tha is labeled with a list of the parks on the first page. The rest of the book is used to pick a few parks to have information about.On the next page of the manilla folder is a map of viginia done
in detail. The 3rd page inside the book has a mock travel brochure and 2 mini road maps. The 4th manilla page is titled' "Famous Virginians." It has a 2 pieces of 8x11 paper made into a folded book. Each page has the picture of a famous Virginian and a summary about that person. On the next manilla page I have 2 small 6 flap books. One of the books is for Recipes from the state and the other is for miscellaneous info like crops, industry, state song, timeline of events, and a graph of major cities and their population. These are just suggestions, but this makes a very nice looking project book that would go great in a portfolio. I hope you get the jist of what
I was describing. The four door folder is alos folded in half so you have a front page that is just blank. When you ope it up you then see the four doors and each door as a picture on it. Then you open each door and there is information written about the object that was on the little door. The manilla folders do make 7 pages. If you could get ahold of a copy of Dinah Zikes "Big Book of Books" and "Big Book of Projects" that would help. You could probably get an interlibrary loan for them. They have video tapes also. It helps to see her put together stuff. She has a great way to put together weather. Her BBOP has photocopiable things to use in the project folders that are great.

OK It was message # 167 on the ANWOA loop that I found Dorian speaking about Government/Constitution. Here is an excerp:

~~~~~~~~Book Two does much more than just touch on the United States Constitution. We will go through every word of it together in Unit Three and play games on it, etc. In fact, this is why I included the mammals unit and THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY during the time we study the Constitution - because it will get very heavy - and these other things "lighten" the rest of the
study up a bit. We do all we can to make it fun and meaningful - but you are still talking about legal issues and some of it is rather "crusty, dusty" stuff. As always - you will have to ask yourself - will my child learn better through a government textbook or through the real books, real activities approach - and then you have to judge by your son's response to this concept in the past and make your decision based on that.

We review state government 13 times - each time we cover a different state and discuss its governmental structure. But when we get to the constitution we will study it in probably greater depth than some government texts. In fact, this is one reason I chose mammals for the last unit and will extend it for 60 days instead of thirty. The mammals unit is a fun and "lighter" unit and offers lots of flexibility for the kids in terms of projects, etc. Also - the reading of The Incredible Journey will lighten up the unit as we "plod" through the Constitution together. It is truly very interesting to learn how it all came about - but actually going through the Constitution itself gets pretty heavy - no matter how many games and activities we throw in to lighten the load a bit!!! But, it has to be done - and it is important for kids to know and understand the way their country's governing document works! We will go through the entire constitution point by point, article by article and we will learn about the formation of it and the problems that colonies had with it - the Federalist Papers and their contribution to the ratification of the Constitution, etc.
You, of course will also be reading books about the Constitution as well. IF your state requires you to show a count of hours for a separate American Government class, here's what I'd do. I'd count every single hour that you spend on the government parts of LA first. (Likely this requirement will be only a semester requirement - so you are maybe talking about 90 hours
of work). I would also count any time spent reading biographies of the framers - Jefferson - who had a hand in the early stages but was in France during the time of the Constitutional Convention, Hamilton, Madison, Adams, and others. We also include several games that will help kids understand the different balance of powers issues between the three branches, etc. Count these as hours as well. After you have covered everything you can think of relating to American Government in general - I would start reading about famous cases in the government's history. Read about famous legislators and supreme court justices throughout history. Then delve into
political parties and how they were formed - AND elections throughout history. We just barely touch on political parties in Book Two as they did not exist until the very end of our study. I would also assign a notebook and/or a research paper that covers summaries of these things, copies of documents, governmental terms and definitions (bill of rights, amendment, democracy, federalsim, habeas corpus, etc.) A research paper might compare two different views of the framers of the constitution - or might visit a topic such as Famous Elections throughout History and What We Have Learned from Them OR The Connecticut Compromise and its Connection to the Constitution. (You will learn all about all these things when we cover them in LA - so don't get scared yet!) If you get really scared you can pick up a used government high school text to just get an idea of what a "course" might include. But government texts are REALLLLLLY boring and I would definitely choose the real books and projects approach! I would also include a visit to your representative/senatorial offices, etc. and ask for any information (which you'd include in your notebook).

What they want you to know when you take a government course is HOW it works, How it came to be, what are the components and how do they work together, How government works for Americans, and what our rights AND responsibilities are. If you are not required to take a "civics" class - I would wrap some of this up into a govt. course as well. Have the high school student spend time volunteering at a polling place during election time or helping out a local candidate of your choice during campaign season, etc. See how fast you could get 90 or even 180 hours - and it would all be in the totally hands-on or done the real books and projects way! Who needs a dry government text when you can find out for yourself through real books and methods?

My intent here was not to overwhelm you, but to give you PLENTY of ideas to show you that this will not be a problem!!! We will list lots of books on this topic in Unit Three that you should really try to max out on when it comes time to gather your hours. People overlook the bios of the framers too much as well, I think. You can learn a LOT about government when you read about the thoughts of the people who had a hand in creating it! Madison is the biggie that you for sure don't want to skip. You can also pick up little paperbacks of the Constitution for about $5 or so that include a Constitution Test in the back of the book - or I'll bet these are
available on the web as well. This would be helpful to cement the knowledge after all is said and done for a high schooler.

I think I've given you plenty to think about until the time comes.

Ocean Theme Day

2007-06-02T08:19:00.002-07:00

We did an "ocean" themed day with another homeschool family that is not using LA. Our theme days have been great fun and allow the kids to have "school" together with some great learning opportunities.

On this day, the kids did a report and poster on an ocean based topic. One of the boys used sharks as his project, the other one had his on ocean pollution.

We started the day with a video on ocean life. There was a list of questions to quiz on what they learned from the video. While they were watching, the adults prepared lunch with sea food salad, gold fish, ocean spray juice and fish shaped cookies. After lunch we had them present their reports and posters. Crafts came next with shell wreath crafts purchased from Oriental trading. While the crafts dried, we took the kids swimming.

These "theme" days are a fun way to join together with other homeschoolers but they can be done within the family as well.

Collection of Info

2007-06-02T08:19:00.001-07:00

Age of Exploration Info
(pretty sketchy now, hope to add more later) Molly

Books
1. Secret of the Andes is a fictional account of an Incan boy. I seem to remember that it was one that my boys particularly enjoyed. (Sonlight curriculum)
2. We LOVE the World Explorer series of books that we found at a local library. The Garrard Publishing Company published them in the late 60s and early 70s. The World Explorer series has about 20 different titles (most all are studied in Unit Six) and each is about 12 chapters long. They are each filled with very interesting facts of that explorer's life but written in an easy-to-read style. I'm guessing they're written at about a 3rd grade level but my 9th grade readers REALLY love them.
3. We have enjoyed reading Pirate Diary by Richard Platt (same author wrote Castle Diary). We also worked on knot tying, types of ships, making a Viking boat, etc. The boys were really into this unit!

Swiss Family Robinson
This doesn't do much to help anyone divide up their different editions as Dorian has hers, but it does explain the differences among the versions. If anyone out there is still doing "The Swiss Family Robinson" and has a TOR classics version, I would be happy to let you know where I found the divisions that Dorian has. Just email me personally and I'll get back with you. For any who have yet to read the book in AWOA, let me assure you that finding those divisions are well worth the effort.
I thought this information was very interesting as well as helpful when I noticed that my book had twice the number of chapters as Dorian's.

Weblinks for Swiss Family Robinson
+ There are some great hands on ideas for each chapter http://www.easyfunschool.com/SwissFamRobIndex.html
+ virtual tour of the tree house
http://www.disneyphenom.com/site/Disneyland/Adventureland/SwissFamilyTreehouse/index.html
+ Short summary and Thinking Points for Swiss Family Robinson:
http://www.bookangles.com/angles/m-z/swissfamilyrobinson.htm
+ Wyss wrote this story as a "what if" adaptation of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe which is an excellent book for teens to read.
http://www.ricochet-jeunes.org/eng/biblio/author/wyss.html
http://www.bartleby.com/65/wy/Wyss-Joh.html
+ http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/BIBREC/BR3836.HTM an e-text version of the book.
http://www.histage.com/pdf/8250f.PDF Play adaptation of the book.
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/swiss-family-robinson.html
http://www.easyfunschool.com/SwissFamRobIndex.html

General Information
Pirates
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/pirates/maina.html

here is a journaling site for the younger set: http://familytlc.net/issues/october2003/crafts_6_4953.html
and another with links for older and younger students: http://www.42explore.com/journl.htm
---------
Websites:
+ There are lots of other downloads on this site as well, some free, some cost a small amount. www.schoolexpress.com/agedis_c8b4.php

Explorers
+ Explorers Sourcebook Fordham University http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1z.html
+ Who Really Discovered America? http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1483.html Looking for a high-interest, fun study? Here's a great geography lesson masquerading as a history lesson …with a little high seas adventure thrown in
+ http://www.education-world.com/a_sites/sites007.shtml This index of links helps you locate lessons on
explorers and exploration.
+ http://www.cln.org/themes/explorers.html This "Theme Page" has links to two types of resources related to the study of explorers: curricular resources (information, content...) to help them learn about this topic, and links to instructional materials (lesson plans) .
+ How to create a pop up book http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/pershing/explorers/popup.htm
This has a wonderful page devoted to EXPLORERS!
+ Explorers TIMELINE FIGURES! http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/pershing/explorers/graphics.htm
This is a page devoted to graphics of explorers and pirates!

Oceans
+ New England Aquarium http://www.neaq.org/explore/vtour/welcome.html
+ Oceans http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/oceanlife.shtml
+ http://pao.cnmoc.navy.mil/pao/Educate/OceanTalk2/indexnew.htm - info and pictures of ocean floor, info on oceanography
+ http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/valencia/explore/ocean_layers.html - ocean floor
+ http://members.aol.com/donnandlee/index.html This site provides tons of information to help with whatever part of Learning adventures you are using.
+ Great site for ocean printouts! Be sure to look to right of page for more worksheets!
http://www.dolphinman.couk/worksheets/sea_mammals/sea_mammals_start.htm
FREE Worksheets - Sea Mammals - Worksheet Home Page
+ http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/history/history.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Treasures @ Sea web site
Exploring the ocean through literature site contains lots of links for the following activities:

Book Activities' Diving for Treasure, Interactive activities,
Writing Activities, Web Resources, Art Activities, and Teachers Place.

There are a few links that do not work but over all very child friendly. I am guessing this site would be suitable for elementary aged children.
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow8/dec98/main.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leatherback Sea Turtles and Their Special Compasses (k-2):
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/gk2/migrationturtles.html

Solving the Sea Turtle Mystery (6-Cool
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/

Tracking Sea Turtles Project(4-12)
http://www.projectview.org/TrackingSeaTurtles.Projects.htm

Calling all Loggerheads (4):
http://www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us/academy/4thgrade/turtles/4hteach.htmSea

Turtle Restoration Project Kemp's Ridley Info & Lessons (2gr & middle school) http://www.ridleyturtles.org/

Sea Turtles: Survival Challenge http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/BuilderV03/lptools/lpshared/displayunit.asp?unitId=253

Ocean Animals Math - Grades (junior high and high school):
http://pao.cnmoc.navy.mil/educate/neptune/lesson/math/humans.htm

Craft idea- http://www.first-school.ws/activities/shapes/animals/turtle-craft_p.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE ART OF THE JELLY FISH:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/05/052002_jellies.jhtml
Students can visit the enchanting world of jelly fish through a pop-up gallery included in this Riverdeep Currents installation, and then link to the online Monterey Bay "Jellies: Living Art" exhibit. They will also learn about venomous hunter jellies, including the Box Jelly off the coasts of Australia. Extension activities include linking through to The Human Circulatory System to follow how venom would travel through the human body systems. Also learn how to treat jellyfish stings, or explore issues with jelly blooms in relevant ecosystem topics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Older Students:
http://www.cccturtle.org/species_world.htm
http://www.crafts4kids.com/projects/seaturtles.htm

Sea Turtle Games and Activities:
http://www.floridasmart.com/subjects/ocean/animals_ocean_turtlegames.htmhttp://www.crafts4kids.com/projects/seaturtles.htm
A coloring book in English and Hawaiian: http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/seaturtles/seatur1.htm

U.S. Geological Survey's Kids Pafe for South Florida Contains a number of coloring pages including: Manatee, several species of Sea Turtles and Bottlenose Dolphins Additional pages offer information on "critters" both land & sea, Florida Ecosystems including coral reefs, and "South Florida's water" http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/kids/coloring/index.html

Elementary Themes Online & Offline Activities: Sea Turtles. This site starts with the K-W-L chart introduction to the topics followed by a number of nice lessons (worksheet provide in pdf) for Elementary age students. http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/st_activity.htm
----------
Recipes
Edible Aquarium
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1013.html
This is a really fun and inexpensive activity to add to a study on oceanography or amphibians. I saw an example of this at a state fair and had to give it a try. Its really cool and the kids get a bang out of it! If you allow the kids to prepare this, they get a dose of math and science without even realizing it

Explorers links

2007-06-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Might want to save this for the Explorer unit.Lots of good stuff here.Debra
PS,,,,
You know what I have been doing surfing.....

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4034/index.html

Midi Hymns OnlineSwiss Family Robinson - online

2007-06-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

The whole text of this book is available online at:
http://www.ccel.org/w/wyss/swiss/swiss.html

I believe it is unabridged - it was scanned in from the Puffin Classics edition.

Collection of Info 2

2007-06-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

Renaissance/Reformation File

Books/Videos:
1. Biographies we liked for the Renaissance: Joan of Arc; Soldier Saint, Morning Star of the Reformation as well as several by Louise Vernon: The Bible Smuggler (William Tyndale), The Man Who Laid the Egg (Erasmus), and Thunderstorm in the Church (Martin Luther). My ds read a biography about Leonardo DaVinci by Emily Hahn, which was a bit dry in the beginning, but once into it, he really enjoyed it. My ds also highly recommends Renaissance fiction The Trumpeter of Krakow.

2. A marvelous art book is Art Fraud Detective by Anna Nilsen. This is like a mystery book in which the reader has to spot forgeries in some masterpieces in an art gallery. The originals are shown with a little background on each painter. My kids are loving just looking for clues and hearing about the various artists.

3. A book that is not to be missed is The Apprentice by Pilar Molina Llorente. We also enjoyed these:
Leonardo daVinci for Kids,
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley
The Renaissance Art Book: Discover Thirty Glorious Masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Raphael, Fra Angelico, Botticelli By Wenda O'Reilly
We did some of the activities in these books: Discovering Great Artists and Art in Story.

4. I, Juan de Paraja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino is a wonderful book about a slave working for Velasquez (a Spanish painter). The characters are all based on fact. The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood is another good one. The 2nd Mrs. Gianconda by E. L. Konisburg is about Leonardo da Vinci. There are several good ones about the different reformers by Louise A. Vernon.

5. Videos: Most of these videos are available through Christian Book Distributors, but may be found in your library as well.
videos on Rome and Italy, and the Sistine Chapel
The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci (excellent but long)
John Hus
God's Outlaw - The Story of William Tyndale
Joan of Arc - the 1948 version
The History of English (found this at the library and watched the first two parts)
The Agony and the Ecstasy - a movie about Michelangelo starring Charlton Heston.
We listened to an audio CD set from the Library - Shakespeare for Kids (Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew). I also found this site with a listing of different movies for the period; of course, I suggest you review movies if you are not familiar with them. http://dahoov2.topcities.com/Renaissance/movies.htm

6. Here is a list of books we have read:
Martin Luther by May McNeer (a young people's biography)
Leonardo Da Vinci the Universal Genius by Iris Noble (old, but great bio)
Spy for the Night Riders by Dave Jackson. A story of intrigue based on Martin Luther' s life
Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick
_______________________________
General Info. and links:
I. General Sites
This site may have some very helpful stuff to use with LA! http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm
www.mariner.org/age/menu.html
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/index.htm
www.leraner.org/exhibits/renaissance/

I just had to share this site with you as I have been browsing looking for Renaissance sites for my teenagers. Everyone, no matter what age, should get a kick out of the info on this page, which explains the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence." It has a recipe on how to make a pie out of which live birds can fly when you cut into it. (Reportedly one nobleman who was feeling mischievous had his pies filled with live frogs to make the ladies shriek!) http://members.aol.com/renfrowcm/gretepye.html
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/edugroup/educational-activities.html
http://www.mrdowling.com/704renaissance.html
Great site for history study (all periods of history study) and provides some written work for the kids if that is what you want. Click on the "download quiz” in the upper right hand corner of the page and it accesses the info booklet you can print out, and the worksheets and tests. They are available in PDF and Microsoft 2000. I downloaded both and that way I can alter the page if I see fit. Permission is granted on the web site to do that.

Reformation Sourcebook Fordham University http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1y.html
Renaissance & Medieval http://www.angelfire.com/mi/spanogle/medieval.html
Renaissance Sourcebook Fordham University http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1x.html

II. Astronomy/Solar Systems
This site may have some very helpful stuff to use with LA! http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm
Go to www.wunderground.com, type in your zip code, get your weather and on the left hand side under the astronomy button get the constellation chart for your area.
Space unit at www.learningpage.com.
Amazing Space site & more on-line lessons, Hubble telescope, & more
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/edugroup/educational-activities.html
http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/rcdowne.htm
A great web page with a LOT of links for unit studies. (There was about 5 or 6 on Space.) http://www.thefourwheelers.com/units
http://www.abcteach.com/SolarSystem/SolarSystemTOC.htm

A. Coloring pages/Worksheets on solar system:
Here are some coloring pages with information about the planets:
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/coloring_book/SS_Beg_new2.pdf
Print-outs (elementary) about solar system (pgs.2-13)
http://www.stf.sk.ca/teaching_res/library/teach_mat_centre/teach_mat_units/solar/system.pdf
Create a solar system to scale: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/%7Eurquhart/Scale/solar_systemt_k.html
Some other fun print-outs: http://www.abcteach.com/directory/theme_units/science/solar_system/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com has some neat space coloring, labeling and craft ideas. There are links to find out how to figure how much you would weigh on the moon, Mars, and the other planets (math).
There are some great worksheets covering different subjects (math, science,etc.) all about space here: http://learningpage.com/

B. Space flip books
Nice site for space flipbooks, which can be used in a lap book or notebook. Also contains online information.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/teacher_resources/flipbooks/flipbook_main.html

C. Astronomy games
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/ There is a game section, and an astronomy section under that. We did all 3 levels of play, had some fun, and amazed ourselves at the knowledge we already possessed.
I haven't played any of these yet, but it looks good. http://www.quia.com/dir/astro/
just have to say, that my older son just completed day 136 and had so much fun making up his own game based on astronomy. He used a piece of cardboard and made the game from that. He added Q/A cards that he made up (with answers on the back.) You had to answer a question every time you reached a planet.
Then, my younger son (6) decided he wanted to make a game too - his is so much different - not as educational, but more of a fun value. He made his using "warp speed", black holes, and aliens. Quite fun to play and very challenging. I was quite surprised at how much thought he put into his game.

III. Biographies
Galileo Project his life and works http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/
Leonardo's Workshop
Someone has changed history! You must travel back in time to the Renaissance and explore Leonardo da Vinci's workshop in search of clues. http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/leonardo/index.html
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeosMysteriousMachinery.html

Martin Luther http://search.biography.com/print_record.pl?id=9616
Leonardo da Vinci http://search.biography.com/print_record.pl?id=2692
Michelangelo http://search.biography.com/print_record.pl?id=2879
Isaac Newton http://search.biography.com/print_record.pl?id=6205
IV. Art/Music
Classics for Kids http://www.classicsforkids.com This site is fantastic! You can use this site to teach about the classical composers. You can listen to stories about the composers, listen to their music, see a timeline, and play games.
The Symphony: An Interactive Guide http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/
Here is a great link to music and composers down thru history. http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/
Here is the blurb from the site: "Whether you're a casual listener or a serious music student, here's the site for basic information about classical music. Created in cooperation with W.W. Norton & Company, it's built around Essential Classics, the series specially designed to introduce you to the best music of every period. All through the site you'll find almost 200 excerpts from Essential Classics.
You'll also find:
Eras: Overviews of the six main periods in music history -- Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Twentieth Century.
Composers: Brief biographies of nearly 70 composers, which will bring to life the artists and their works.
Glossary: 200 definitions with numerous musical examples."
Handel's Masterpiece Of Faith - Bio for Ren & Ref (This site also has several other Christian bios, including Susanna Wesley and Martin Luther.)
http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/mighty/portraits/george_frideric_handel_213708.html
I have tried a few songs here: .http://users.snowcrest.net/lassen/midi.html
Hymmal music online. Here is a list (I think I got them all) of links to midi files. The majority has some great information too. [Ed.: I have not checked these links for accuracy.]
O Come, O Come Emmanuel - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomocom.htm
All Creatures of Our God and King - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/c/acoogak.htm
Prayer of St. Francis - (More than one version/music) - http://www.praisechrist.net/praisemusic.htm
http://www.abcsoffaith.com/html/sound5.html
A Mighty Fortress is Our God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm
Now Thank We All Our God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nowthank.htm
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/t/pttlta.htm
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/p/sptgowra.htm
Fairest Lord Jesus - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/a/faljesus.htm
Be Still My Soul - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/bestill.htm
All Glory, Laud and Honor - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/g/aglahonr.htm
Jesus the Very Thought of Thee - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/t/jtveryth.htm
Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/s/osacredh.htm
Be Thou My Vision - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/t/btmvison.htm
Doxology - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/r/praisegf.htm
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/h/e/whenisur.htm
Jesus Shall Reign - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/s/jsreign.htm
Joy to the World - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyworld.htm
All People on Earth Do Dwell - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/l/allpeopl.htm
The Lord is my Shepherd - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/lordismy.htm
O God, Our Help in Ages Past - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/g/ogohiap.htm
I Sing the Mighty Power of God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/s/isingthe.htm
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/s/wshepwtf.htm
We Gather Together - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/e/wegattog.htm
(Day 150) Let Everything That Has Breath, Praise the Lord. Ok, not in the curriculum, but this is a wonderful song that can get kids praising God with contemporary music. "Everything That - Has Breath". Found on WOW Worship, Songs for Worship and Shout To The Lord Kids! . Check with your local Christian Book/Music store. Powerful, jumping and hand clapping type song. (Phillips, Craig and Dean sing this (my preference), as well as a some other groups such as Passion.)
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Art:
Pictures of the Mona Lisa to print and color are found on www.enchantedlearning.com. There are also coloring pictures there from Michelangelo and Raphael.
Wonderful site with most of the artists and samples of their works. www.artchive.com/artchive/renaissance.html http://www.artchive.com/ftp_site_reg.htm
Click on Mark Harden's Artchive: "Artchive"; click on an artists name; scroll to the bottom of the page; click on thumbnails to see examples of the artist's work. For example...when Leonardo da Vinci is introduced (p.536 / Day 124 / Renaissance unit) you could look at thumbnails of the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, etc. Very nice!
Renaissance art link: http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/index.html
Lots of info about the artists and step-by-step art lessons to try (drawing portraits, etc.) http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/ Click here: Art Education and ArtEdventures from Sanford and A Lifetime of Color
http://www.scribbleskidsart.com/generic0.html Click here: Scribbles - The Masters http://www.scribbleskidsart.com/generic1.html Click here: Scribbles - Art Projects Lots of great ideas & info in these sites!
National Gallery of Art Loaner Program Over 150 teaching resources are loaned free of charge to educational institutions, community groups, and individuals. Programs are designed to meet national standards in the visual arts. The catalogue is indexed by subject area and presentation format. Resources available include DVDs, videotapes, slides, multi-media, and PDFs.
http://www.nga.gov/education/ep-main.htm
+ We found the series, Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, very fun to look at and read! I purchased them from curric. suppliers but noticed the School Box store had them as well.
+ We are currently using the "Renaissance" section from a book entitled DISCOVERING GREAT ARTISTS by MaryAnn Kohl. It gives a hands-on project for each artist mentioned. For instance, for Ghiberti, the students make a Florentine relief, for Van Eyck a triptych panel and for Michelangelo they paint lying down on their backs. Other artists mentioned for this time period include: Angelico, Masaccio, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Durer, and Raphael. The ISBN is 0-935607-09-9.
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After my class read the book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, my students wanted to know a little more about the famous artist, Michelangelo. We then did a mini-unit studying about his life and paintings. One of his most famous pieces of work is the painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. My students couldn't believe that he could do all that while painting up side down. To give them a taste of what that might be like, I had each of them tape a piece of white drawing paper underneath their desks and gave each one their own watercolor set. They got underneath their desks, flat on their backs, looking up at their picture. They were to paint a picture using this method. They thought it was wonderful and we had some pretty interesting paintings!
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Renaissance Life:
(Info. taken from a friend's wedding at the Ren. Faire in Council Bluffs, IA the summer of '02.)
The basics of today's wedding ceremony has remained very similar to what it was hundreds of years ago. Most of what has changed over the years has been the addition and evolution of the traditions that are part of the ceremony and reception. Here are a few of the traditions from the past that we will be incorporating into our wedding.
In the thirteenth century, the medieval Church announced intended marriages through a process called the banns of marriage. The banns were proclaimed in the parish church for three successive weeks during Sunday worship, and the practice continued in Scotland for over six hundred years. We will post the banns of marriage below and have them announced before the ceremony.
Herein do I publish the banns of marriage for... If there be any reason why these two should not be lawfully wed, then approach now. This is the first time of asking.
The processional used to be quite different with the bride, groom, attendants, families and friends all going to the church together. We will walk through the Faire to the wedding with a processional.
Before the popularization of the white wedding dress, women simply wore their best dress. .... Wedding dress will be blue.
Herbs were once more popular in bouquets than flowers. To down play the use of flowers in our wedding, embroidered handkerchiefs will be used in place of boutonnieres and corsages, and bouquets will contain more greenery than flowers.
Walking through an arc of swords following the ceremony was done to ensure the couple's safe passage into their new life together. We will walk through an arc of swords at the end of the ceremony.
In the Middle Ages the guests of a wedding would bring small cakes and stack them together. It became traditional for the couple to kiss over a cluster of small cakes. Later, a clever baker decided to amass all these small cakes together, covering them with frosting. Instead of a tiered wedding cake, we will have a stack of Scottish shortbreads.
Most of life's important events are filled with traditions. Here you
can find out more about some wedding traditions and how they
started.
To get things started, here is an old poem about choosing the
day for a wedding.
Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all.
Most people now ignore this poem and choose Saturday, most
likely because it is the most convenient day for their out of town wedding guests.
Pre-wedding Traditions
The custom of proposing on one knee hearkens back to the days of chivalry when it was
customary for a knight to dip his knee in a show of servitude to his mistress.
In earlier times, the engagement, or betrothal ring, was a partial payment for the bride and
was a pledge of the groom's intentions.
Ancient Greeks believing the fire of a diamond reflected the flame of love, actually thought
them to be teardrops from the gods. Ancient Romans also endowed them with romantic
powers, believing diamonds to be splinters from falling stars that tipped the arrows of the
Eros, the god of love. In the Middle Ages diamonds were credited with the power to reunite
estranged marriage partners
Back during the times when marriages were arranged, the bride was expected to have a dowry. The dowry was money, goods, or estate that she brought to her husband, which was provided by the bride's family. In return, the groom paid a "price" for the bride and promised to provide for and support her.
The word trousseau comes from the French word, trousseau, which means bundle. The trousseau originally was a bundle of clothing and personal possessions the bride carried with her to her new home. The trousseau includes all of the new items for the household, as well as for the bride herself.
The bridal shower has its roots in Holland. When a bride's father did not approve of the husband-to-be, he would not provide her with the necessary dowry. The bride's friends would therefore "shower" her with gifts so she would have her dowry and thus marry the man of her choice.
Ancient Spartan soldiers were the first to hold bachelor parties. The groom would feast with his male friends on the night before the wedding. There he would say good-bye to the carefree days of bachelorhood and swear continued allegiance to his comrades.
Finally, a poem about selecting the wedding month:
Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind & true.
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you’ll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bread.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see.
Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.
Wedding Party Traditions
During ancient times when a man captured his bride-to-be, he would take along the best swords man to help fight off any opposition. A best man around AD 200 carried more than a ring. Since there remained the real threat of the bride's family attempting to forcibly gain her return, the best man stayed by the groom's side throughout the marriage ceremony, alert and armed. For such an important task, only the best man would do.
When the groom was about to abduct his bride, he needed the help of many friends, the "bridesmen" or "brideknights." The "gentlemen" would make sure the bride got to the ceremony on time and to the groom’s house afterwards.
Inviting women to be members of your bridal party dates back to ancient times. One Roman custom was to dress the bridesmaids in a fashion similar to the bride's to confuse evil spirits trying to kidnap the bride. Bridesmaids also had the role of fending off unsuitable suitors, leaving the bride for her groom.
Clothing and Accessory Traditions
Queen Victoria popularized the white wedding dress. Before that time, women simply wore their best dress.
A poem about wedding dress colors:
Married in White, you have chosen right,
Married in Grey, you will go far away,
Married in Black, you will wish yourself back,
Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead,
Married in Green, ashamed to be seen,
Married in Blue, you will always be true,
Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl,
Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow,
Married in Brown, you will live in the town.

The wedding veil originated in ancient times from the belief that brides and grooms should not see each other until after the wedding ceremony. A young bride always wore her hair long and loose as a sign of her youth and innocence.
This good luck saying dates back to Victorian times, though the traditions that the poem is based on are much older. Something Old represents the link with the bride's family and the past. Something New represents good fortune and success and her hopes for a bright future in her new life. Something Borrowed is to remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed. Borrowing is especially important, since it is to come from a happily married woman, thereby lending the bride some of her own marital bliss to carry into the new union. Something Blue is the symbol of faithfulness and loyalty. A Silver Sixpence in her Shoe is to wish the bride wealth.
The carrying of a bouquet by the bride has its roots in ancient times when it was believed that strong smelling herbs and spices would ward off and drive away evil spirits, bad luck and ill health. Herbs and later flowers were given special meanings.
The groom's boutonniere is a nod to medieval times when a knight wore his lady's "colors," proudly displayed for all to see.
Ceremony Traditions
Because the early groom so often had to defend his bride from would-be kidnappers, she stood to his left, leaving his sword-arm free.
Early farmers thought a bride's wedding day tears were lucky and brought rains for their crops. Later, a crying bride meant that she'd never shed another tear about her marriage.
The ancients Romans thought that a special vein, which they called a "vena amoris" or vein of love, ran from the finger directly to the heart. By putting on a fitted ring, the affections were bound in and could never flow out the finger tips
The custom of the wedding march dates back to the royal marriage of Victoria, princess of Great Britain, and Empress of Germany, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia.
No ceremony is complete without the kiss. Dating back from early Roman times, the kiss represented a legal bond that sealed all contracts.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, rice became a symbol of fruitfulness and it was thrown as a symbol of the guests' good wishes for the new couple.
Walking through the arc of swords following the ceremony was done to ensure the couple's safe passage into their new life together.
Reception Traditions
Beginning in early Roman times, the cake has been a special part of the wedding celebration. A thin loaf was broken over the bride's head at the close of the ceremony to symbolize fertility. The wheat from which it was made, symbolized fertility and the guests eagerly picked up the crumbs as good luck charms. This tradition evolved and spread to England in the Middle Ages where the guests of a wedding would bring small cakes and stack them together. During the Middle Ages, it became traditional for the couple to kiss over a small cluster of cakes. Later, a clever baker decided to amass all these small cakes together, covering them with frosting.
Toasting comes from an ancient French custom of placing bread in the bottom of the glass - a good toaster drained the drink to get the "toast." According to legend, when a bride and groom drink their wedding toast, whoever finishes first will rule the family.
In the 14th century, having a piece of the bride’s clothing was thought to bring good fortune. In order to obtain a piece of this lucky attire, some rowdy guests would grab at the wedding dress and tear off pieces of it, leaving the dress in tatters. In order to stop this practice, brides began to cover their dresses with ribbons and later pass out ribbons as favors. The favor along with bouquet and garter tosses are thought to have evolved from this as a way to pass along the good luck of the bride while keeping her clothing in tact.
The term "honeymoon" is credited with many origins. One thought is that it originated from the times when a man captured his bride. The couple would remain in hiding for a cycle of the moon after the wedding and drink honey wine.
more links found at http://wedding.goethos.com/Pages/links.html
http://www.drizzle.com/%7Ecelyn/mrwp/mrwp.html http://www.renaissance-weddings.net/
http://www.gallica.co.uk/celts/ http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/celtic/intro.html
http://www.costumes.org/pages/16thlinks.htm - dress of period

Collection of Info

2007-06-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

The following recommendations were copied, pasted, and condensed
from posts in the archives here...

==============================================

Biographies we liked for the Renaissance:

*Joan of Arc; Soldier Saint, Morning Star of the Reformation
*The Bible Smuggler which was about William Tyndale
*The Man Who Laid the Egg about Erasmus
*Thunderstorm in the Church about Martin Luther.
*a biography about Leonardo DaVinci by Emily Hahn that my son tells
me was a bit dry in the beginning but once he got into it, he really
enjoyed it.

Highly recommend for Renaissance fiction:

*The Trumpeter of Krakow.

Mindy in PA

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We bought a book called Jesus Freaks by D.C. Talk. It is a book about martyrs. I have been looking at the dates of these martyrs in the book and reading the ones who were martyrs in the time period of the Renaissance. It has really brought about some neat conversations, from
our boys.

Be aware that the short stories can be quite graphic and might need some parental discretion before reading them to some children. Mine are handling it well so far but we are being careful.

Blessed to be at home,
Sherry Carrington

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Some good short biography series we found at our library include:

*Famous Children series--composers--early elementary
*Science Story Library--scientists and inventors--4-6th grade
*Great Lives--all kinds of famous people--4-6th grade
*Explorers of New Worlds--4-6th grade
*Famous Explorers--easy reading
*Discovery books--all kinds of famous people--chapter books
--4th-6th grade

We also found a great easy to read series on space:

*The Library of the Planets

Joan, PA

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Shakespeare for Kids His Life and Times by Colleen Aagesen & Marcie Blumberg. We're reading this right now it's a great book.

Joyce

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These are videos depicting the era/life of each:

*Beethoven Lives Upstairs
*Monet's Garden
*Degas and the Dancers
*Leonardo Da Vinci
*Bach

Classical Kids tapes - all of them (Mozart's, Vivaldi, Bach,
Beethoven, etc.) We still listen to them. All are narrations
of their lives set to the composer's music.

Shakespeare for Kids has a very nice story of Shakespeare and
includes easy activities for this age group.

Shakespeare by Aliki is a very nice kids book.

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We read two Trailblazer books that were good. One on William Tyndale and one on John Bunyan. They contain lots of good info without being boring.

Debra

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We read "Along Came Galileo" for the Renaissance and my sons liked it. It has a lot of information and has illustrations, as well.
Daphne in WI

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I recommend "The Gospel in The stars" by Seiss It has a Biblical explanation of the constellations and is very good.

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A really good!!!!! reformation film (video) is called "Martin Luther Heritage" produced by family films..starring Jonathan Pryce, Jon Croft and others.It was produce in 1990 by family films,

3558 South Jefferson
Ave, St Louis MO 63118.

Jean

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There's a good book...'Shakespeare for Kids' that we are having fun with.

Donna

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Recommended living books written for the K-3rd grade level:

Renaissance....

*Journey Through History: The Renaissance by Gloria Vergas
*Antonio's Apprenticeship: Painting a Fresco in Renaissance Italy by Taylor Morrison
*Pop Up Leonardo da Vinci by A&M Porvensen
*Michelangelo's World by Piero Ventura
*St Philip of the Joyous Heart by Francis X Connolly
*Sir Walter Raleigh by Adele deLeeuw
*Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series..... Botticelli,
*DaVinci, Michelangelo, Bruegel, Rembrandt

Reformation.....

*Gutenberg's Gift by Nancy Willard & Bryan Leister
*Fine Print - A story about Johann gutenberg by Joann Burch

Cari in Louisiana

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Astronomy:

I found a really great book with lots of hands on projects if you're interested in that kind of book. It's published by Reader's Digest and it's called "How the Universe Works". There are over 100 projects. Lots of color pictures and illustrations. Step by step instructions on how to make different projects to learn about astronomy. We've used other books in this series. They are definitely on my favorite, I couldn't do without them, list.

Debbie in CO

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I purchased these books (Astronomy):

*The Astronomy Book, Dr. Jonathan Henry (Wonders of Creation Series - ages 8-14).
*Spinning Worlds, Michael Carroll (A Child's Guide Series)
*The World of Space, Dinah Zike.

Rhonda in CO

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If you have older children the book "Astronomy and the Bible" is very good.

The Moody Videos are SO GOOD. If you get to where you can make the investment they are definitely worth it! I bought the set "Journeys to the Edge of Creation" , which is a 2 tape set.

Kathy in OH

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I found this wonderful site with most of the artists and samples of their works: www.artchive.com/artchive/renaissance.html .

Midi Hymns Online

2007-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, well.. I can't read music too well and I don't have a piano so I found a cheap source of the hymmal music... online. Here is a list (I think I got them all) of links to midi files.. not perfect but easy to follow. The majority have some great information too.

Ren/Ref. Hymns found online

O Come, O Come Emmanuel - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomocom.htm
All Creatures of our God and King - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/c/acoogak.htm
Prayer of St. Francis - (More than one version/music to this song) - http://www.praisechrist.net/praisemusic.htm
http://www.abcsoffaith.com/html/sound5.html
A mighty Fortress is Our God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm
Now Thank We All Our God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nowthank.htm
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/t/pttlta.htm
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/p/sptgowra.htm
Fairest Lord Jesus - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/a/faljesus.htm
Be Still My Soul - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/bestill.htm
All Glory, Laud and Honor - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/g/aglahonr.htm
Jesus the Very Thought of Thee - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/t/jtveryth.htm
Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/s/osacredh.htm
Be Thou My Vision - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/t/btmvison.htm
Doxology - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/r/praisegf.htm
When I survey the Wonderous Cross - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/h/e/whenisur.htm
Jesus Shall Reign - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/s/jsreign.htm
Joy to the World - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/o/joyworld.htm
All People on Earth Do Dwell - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/l/allpeopl.htm
The Lord is my Shepherd - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/lordismy.htm
O God, Our Help in Ages Past - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/g/ogohiap.htm
Come, We That Love the Lord (Marching to Zion) - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/a/marching.htm
I Sing the Mighty Power of God - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/s/isingthe.htm
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/s/wshepwtf.htm
We Gather Together - http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/e/wegattog.htm

(Day 150) Let Everything That Has Breath, Praise the Lord. Ok, not in the curriculum but - This is a wonderful song that can get kids praising God with contemporary music. "Everything That - Has Breath". Found on WOW Worship, Songs for Worship and Shout To The Lord Kids! albums. Check with your local Christian Book/Music store. Powerful, jumping and hand clapping type song. (Phillips, Craig and Dean sing this (my preference), as well as a some other groups such as Passion.)

Collection of Info

2007-06-02T08:12:00.001-07:00

MIDDLE AGES FILE:
Books/CD games (educational content only)/Videos
1. Castle Explorer CDRom by Scholastic is excellent. The game format allows you to be a spy in a castle and you have to answer questions about life in the Middle Ages. Some video, some search formats, lots of sounds and "look under" photos. My kids all love this one - ages 6-12.
2. We are on our journey through the Middle Ages and just watched a video yesterday that I got at our library that was really good. It's called Secrets of Lost Empires II - Medieval Siege. It is put out by NOVA and was on PBS stations at some point. In it two different teams build true-to-life trebuchet's just like those used in Medieval Times. Maybe it's because I'm married to an engineer, but we found it totally fascinating!
3. " If All the Swords in England" (Bethlehem Books, by Barbara Willard) was about the relationship between Thomas a Beckett and the king. It portrayed Beckett as a very devout, pious man who had angered the king by choosing to follow what God wanted, rather than provide rubber-stamp approval to the king's desires. But in Charles' Coffin's book, The Story of Liberty, Beckett is described as a headstrong man who clashed with the king willfully, rather than as a result of following his principles. Very interesting!! I'd love to know more, but who to trust?!! It showed the need to be aware that historians present things from a certain point of view, and we need to read critically.
4. The first version, of Beckett, is closer to the truth (of what I read). Basically he was really poised and intelligent and loved the lavish lifestyle of the court. People would send their children to live with him, more so than the king, to learn to be a courtier etc. (Henry served elaborate meals, but the distance to the dining room from the table was so far the food would be cold. and wasn’t really very good a lot of the time, but really fancy. And he really didn't want the position, but accepted *gladly*, as they had been great friends, and went about it with fervor. Read the Scriptures and donned a rough hair shirt, (secretly, I can't remember all what else), he assumed the position with all seriousness!
The book I read from B and N is called WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE...In the Age of Chivalry by the editors of Time Life books. I had to have been on the sale shelf knowing the way I shop!! Pretty good summary and a great read. Yes, I know, Time life publisher...but they did paint him as a good and Godly man who was hacked to death by over zealous knight friends of Henry... also, it tells the story of how Henry became the king and about William Marshall...the baby who was put into a catapult...who was there when Henry (II) died...bitter and worn out.
5. As far as fiction for the Middle Ages, we enjoyed Otto of the Silver Hand and Ivanhoe by Howard Pyle.
6. Marguerite Makes a Book - by Bruce Robertson - 600 years ago, Lady Isabelle of Paris ordered a book from Papa Jacques, a famous bookmaker and he has only three days left to finish it. However, Jacques’s' eyeglasses is broken. So Jacques’s' daughter, Marguerite finished the book for him. Marguerite went to Master Raymond's house for gold leafs, a farm for parchment, the market for eggs, goose feathers, parsley, and a pot of honey, and finally the apothecary for dried saffron flowers, madder roots, a cake of vermilion, some wax, pine pitch, and some lapis lazuli stone. At her house, Marguerite prepared he pens and paint.
Then Marguerite started to paint. On one page, which was decorated with Lady Isabelle's favorite daises Marguerite colored Lady Isabelle's robe and hair. When Isabelle came to check on the book, she was very impressed.
7. I felt that we didn't read enough on the important people of the Middle Ages so we are reading through Famous Men of the Middle Ages. So far the kids are enjoying it. Here is a link to it: http://bay4.de/Literature/8fmtm10/ Another one I think we will read is Viking Tales. Here is a link to it: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hall/viking/viking.html
8. If you can get hold of Jim Weiss’ KING ARTHUR tape you will love it! Here are some other titles that we loved:
The Making of a Knight (Patrick O'Brien),
Castle Diary (Richard Platt),
Sir Kevin of Devon,
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi,
Measy Middle Ages,
English Life in Tudor Times,
Castle by David Macauley, and we also liked the video of “Castle” (PBS)
9. My son read The Minstrel in the Tower in his free time and enjoyed it. The Viking News was a great addition at the time that Dorian mentioned the Vikings. A Medieval Feast by Aliki was a wonderful little book that my 9yo read over and over, feasting on the illustrations.

10. A wonderful book that we used to learn about Illuminations was ILLUMINATIONS by Jonathan Hunt. It is such a beautiful book! - Julie
11. Magna Charta - James Daugherty
Viking Ships at Sunrise (Magic Tree House Series #15) - Mary Pope Osborne
Knights and Castles: A Nonfiction Companion to The Knight at Dawn -Will Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator), Mary Pope Osborne
The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - Rosemary Sutcliff, Thomas Malory
Time Trekkers Visit the Middle Ages - Kate Needham, Sheena Vickers (Illustrator), Dave Burroughs (Illustrator)
Kids in the Middle Ages - Lisa A. Wroble, L. Wroble
Joan of Arc - Diane Stanley
12. The following article, written by Ruth Beechick and reprinted from The Old School House Magazine, is from Croswalk.com's Home School Life column
Beowulf: Fiction or History? Ruth Beechick
Beowulf had an unusual name. It means bee-wolf. Some old English people (Saxons) called the bear a bee-wolf. A bear's face was dog-like, or wolf-like, and it often nosed into beehives to eat honey. People thought it was eating bees, so they called it a bee-wolf. The man Beowulf became a powerfully strong fighter, so he gained that name too.
Beowulf was born in the Middle Ages, A.D. 495, in Denmark. At the age of seven, he was sent to southern Sweden where he lived with his grandfather, and later his uncle, who were kings in the tribe of Geats there. When his uncle died, Beowulf rejected the chance to become king. Instead, he agreed to be guardian for a ten-year-old prince while he was a child-king.

Videos:
1. The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. 1938
2. Ivanhoe with Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor. 1952
3. I was thinking of finishing off our study with First Knight.
4. The Brother Cadfael videos (PBS) were enjoyed by the whole family. He's a monk who also plays detective.
__________
Websites:
Booklinks
+I ran across this link, and I thought it might be helpful for those of you who are studying the Middle Ages and reading The Door in the Wall. "http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/ibickman/door/doorindex.htm"
+This lists Famous Men in the Middle Ages and a brief bio on them. http:www.blackmask.com/books37c/7fmtmdex.htm
+ Adam of the Road SCORE teacher's guide http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/adam/adamtg.html
+ Literary resources http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/medieval.html

Coloring pages/Arts & Crafts/Music
Here is a great site for your children to study about medieval manuscripts and illuminations. There are numerous things to print out and color. Great information! www.leavesofgold.org (click on middle category on right side of page)
http://www.sjolander.com/viking/museum/bt/bt.htm Click here: Bayeux Tapestry
http://www.musicatschool.co.uk/year_8/medieval.htm Here is a site with a lessons/quizzes on medieval music.
http://www.childfun.com/themes/medieval.shtml arts and crafts for unit
http://www.castles.org/Kids_Section/Castle_Story/activities.htm - Castle coloring pages
http://familyeducation.com/printables/piece/0,2357,22-9342-132,00.html - Knight coloring page
Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/instrumt.html
Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you'll be able to listen to samples of Gregorian chants.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000003QF8001001/0/104-3837274-2523111
Description: Make your own book about the Bible. You can access this file at the URL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Learning_Adventures/files/4.%20Middle%20Ages/Book%20about%20the%20Bible.doc
www.schoolshistory.org.uk/tudorpictures.htm for pix of Henry VII, Anne of Cleves, Mary Tudor, etc.
Knights and Castles
http://intgrunits.olivet.edu/Nights/page3.htm There are some worksheets for labeling a knight’s armor, etc.
www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm
http://www.leeds-castle.com/ - Leeds Castle
Castles on the Web pictures, links http://www.castlesontheweb.com/
Neat site! http://www.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/arthurian_legend/welcome.html Arthurian stuff.
www.schoolshistory.org.uk/skiptoncastlepictures.htm has pictures of castles

Games
http://www.activehistory.co.uk/games/index.htm - interactive games

Miscellaneous/General Information
http://members.aol.com/donnandlee/index.html this site is so cool and it provides tons of information to help with whatever part of Learning adventures you are using.
http://users.netonecom.net/~clchoponis/outlines/curriculum.html Middle Ages across the curriculum guide
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/midage.htm 3rd grade
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/index.htm
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/medieval_times.htm
http://www.mrdowling.com (cool site - also Ancient Greece, Middle Ages, Rome, Renaissance, Crusades, etc.)
http://www.besthistorysites.net/Medieval.shtml - other links
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Tower/3098/midpeople.html Click here: 8th Graders Site on the Middle Ages
http://www.lkwdpl.org/lhs/middleages/ this site is more for high school age students
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/castles.htm - And a link to a list of other pages
Family Crests and Coat of Arms Service http://www.fleurdelis.com/
Medieval & Renaissance http://www.angelfire.com/mi/spanogle/medieval.html
Medieval Europe Exploring Ancient World Culture http://eawc.evansville.edu/mepage.htm
Medieval Sourcebook Fordham University http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html
Middle Ages Annenberg/CPB Collection http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/
Themestream Middle Ages article lots of sites, resources:
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/reg/content.gsp?c_id=322529&pid=002301000001
Descriptions and illustrations will give you a flavor of the times as you ask yourself: What impact did this have on the world of 1000? http://www.usnewsclassroom.com/resources/activities/y1k/index.html

We have a place in Florida called Medieval Times which is nothing more than a HUGE castle that you go to and watch perfectly set up and choreographed re-enactments of the Medieval time period. Not only that, we get a 4 course meal handed to us, all served as they would have eaten it--in trenches and without silverware. www.medievaltimes.com
I'll paste in two snippets from the "locations" part of the website.
4510 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy. , Kissimmee, FL
Conveniently located six miles east of Walt Disney World. Easy access from Orlando and Tampa.

Our coop had a blast today playing a game on the black plague. First, I read a book to them and we saw pictures and learned the facts, then we played the game. After we played the game, they wrote "postcards" to their family describing their journeys. This will make more sense once you read the site. I highly recommend it!! http://www.mcn.org/ed/CUR/cw/Plague/Plague_Sim.html

Herbs
http://www.lehigh.edu/~jahb/herbs/teen.htm - Medieval Use of Herbs
Good Science Botany Articles Institute of Creation Research http://www.icr.org/goodsci/botintro.htm
Great Plant Escape http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/gpe.html
Label Flowering Plant Anatomy Glossary - EnchantedLearning.com
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/label/plant/
There is a site with some plant related games to print off on it. My children created the site a few years back when they wanted to learn about web design. It is in the Think Quest Junior archives because they actually won third place nationwide in the science category with the site. It focuses on Alaska's Blooming Beauties, but has a lot of good info, links and some games also. You can find it at
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=6274&cid=2&url=6274/
There may be others now since the contest runs each year and new sites are added each year. You can do a search on the site for others. They are all geared toward kids in Think Quest Junior and everyone in ThinkQuest.
Just wanted to share a find...on the website for Home and Garden TV (hgtv.com) there is a great site for herbs. This could be very useful in the Middle Ages Unit.
.....
The Garden Game is a huge hit here; I can't believe the amount of information we've learned about plants and gardening just from playing that game! For a few extra projects, in place of always reading more on plants, we used Dinah Zike's Great Science Adventures - The World of Plants. The projects are wonderful and fit right in as Dorian covers many of the same topics.

Quizzes
There are all kinds of ready-made quizzes at this site. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Learning_Adventures and on the left you will see "Files". Open that and there are several choices one of which is “Middle Ages". Click on that and you will find the quiz.
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Whittling
We found books at our local library on whittling. However, my son wasn't interested in "their" ideas -- he had his own -- and he did quite well!
We bought a large package of Ivory soap bars & he used his camping knife and whittled away! He broke the first couple of bars, because he tried to draw a picture on the bar & then cut it out -- but when he cut -- it broke.
He soon learned to whittle shallow cuts until he got the shape he desired. (quite easy with soap -- you could probably even use a butter knife or plastic knife)
He carved a small car & then put some plastic wheels on it from one of his toys. Next, he wants to whittle a cross.
Becky in NJ

Do watch buying the "whittling kits" some places sell. I remember researching them a while back, and I found they frequently use harder wood than a new whittler can really work with easily. Someplace on the web had softer woods for just such a purpose. Sorry I don't have the link. - Brad

This link could be used as an alternate to whittling, or a great starting out project before working with wood.
http://www.funology.com/boredombusters/bb033.cfm Click here: Funology.com -- Boredom Busters -- Soap Carving
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Recipes/cookbooks:
A Boke of Gode Cookery reaches back into times long past to offer recipes for medieval dishes, updated for the modern cook.
http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm
http://www.currentmiddleages.org/tents/cooking.htm has lots of neat links if you are interested in this kind of thing...

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Sharing:
Fire Breathing Dragon Bookmarks http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1025.html Here is a fun and easy craft that can be used with a study of dinosaurs, the Middle Ages, or mythological creatures.
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We had our Medieval Feast today...way scaled back cause we weren't REALLY planning on it. We were going to take the kids to the Renaissance Festival (we thought that would finish up Middle Ages and introduce Renaissance) but the northeasterner-messed that up! So we had roast beast (beef) and used the herbs from our herb garden that we planted at the beginning of the unit, we had roasted potatoes with herbs on them...and we used great big pieces of sourdough bread as our trenchers (what they used as plates in Medieval times). We also had a fruit salad and broccoli, cause it didn't seem well rounded with out it! We had a couple of adult friends over who enjoyed our lack of manners (they had none in the middle ages) and a good time was had by all! We put together puzzles (one giant floor one and one smaller one in a wooden frame) and made sugar cube castles.

One of the Ravensburger games we got this weekend at a sale is called Torres...it is a Middle Ages game and you build castles and have knights guard the castles and the king! It is totally awesome! One thing I REALLY liked about it was that noone attacks or "kills" another person. There was some pretty heavy critical thinking involved and lots of math to add up the points but I think our youngest mostly enjoyed building with the castle pieces. It was fun for the whole family though.
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A few days ago we had our medieval feast. It was a great big success. We invited 8 guests to join us. Here are a few things that helped make it a success. Thought I'd share them with the group.

We did not tell the guests what the menu was and that just added to the fun. They didn't have any clue what a medieval feast was.

All of the food was covered so they couldn't see the food as it was being carried to the tables. We started serving the vegetables, then meat. I got up from the table and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Roast Beast is now being served." I got looks that varied from puzzlement to hesitancy to expectancy. I waited a second and told them it was meatloaf and it didn't seem so bad to them then. Next, I announced that roast fowl (chicken) was being served. Then a mystery dish (chicken potpie) was passed. It was covered in foil so they hesitantly opened the foil top enough to know that it was okay to take it. They dished up what they wanted, recovered it and sent it down the table and watched as the next person took their portion and recovered it for the next one. I had so much fun just watching their faces as the new dishes were announced.

We made little pouches with buttons in them and gave them to everyone. No one was allowed to say the words: you, your, or yours. It was really tough to hang on to the buttons when a person has to speak with thee's, thou's, thy's, etc. It really added to the lightheartedness of the evening.

The boys did their mystery play and talked about what they had learned during the unit. Another thing they did on their own was to make a treasure hunt. They cut out about 20 paper swords and hid them around the house. They created their own shields and swords with their own designs and greeted everyone as they came in the door. It is a family memory that will linger a long time.
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We were discussing our family coat of arms (as part of the Medieval period) today. My grandmother did quite a lot of family history and found we were related (somewhat distantly) to a castle in England. The relationship was found because of the checkerboard design in the Clifford family crest brought to the U.S. in the early 1700's was the very similar to Clifford crest of Skipton Castle. It is my understanding that the family line died out with Lady Anne Clifford in 1676. It seems that Lady Anne was quite a unique person. (http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1373/n7_v48/20964207/p1/article.jhtml ) [Ed: You may need to check this site out as far as accuracy of link page.] Now the castle is a tourist location presenting one of the most complete and best-preserved medieval castles in England. http://www.skiptoncastle.co.uk/
A great site for printouts of a banquet, kitchen scene, and even has some items to make, such as masks and 3-D projects. http://www.skiptoncastle.co.uk/family.htm

Bible Booklet

2007-06-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/BibleBooklet
www.imelville.com/images/BibleBookletAnswers.doc
Help in finding the answers to the "Bible Booklet". (also seen below in its entirety)

http://www.bible.com/answers/afacts.html

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1. How many books are in the Bible?
The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments.
2. How many books are in the Old Testament?
There are 39 books in the Old Testament.
3. How many books are in the New Testament?
There are 27 books in the New Testament.
4. What does "testament" mean?
Testament means "covenant" or "contract."
5. Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.
6. Which single author contributed the most books to the Old Testament?
Moses. He wrote the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the Pentateuch; the foundation of the Bible.
7. Which single author contributed the most books to the New Testament?
The Apostle Paul, who wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament.
8. When was the Bible written?
It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
9. What is the oldest book in the Old Testament?
Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite about 1500 B.C. Others hold that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books in the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.
10. What is the youngest book in the Old Testament?
The book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C.
11. What is the oldest book of the New Testament?
Probably the book of James, written as early as A.D. 45.
12. What is the youngest book in the New Testament?
The Book of Revelation is the youngest book of the New Testament, written about 95 A.D.
13. What languages was the Bible written in?
The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.
14. When was the Bible canonized?
The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.
15. What does "canon" mean?
"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible "canonized" meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.
16. When was the first translation of the Bible made into English?
1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.
17. When was the Bible printed?
The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.
18. What is the oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence?
The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however-- the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Rayland's Library in Manchester, England).
19. What is the longest book in the Bible?
The book of Psalms.
20. What is the shortest book in the Bible?
2 John.
21. What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119
22. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 117
23. What is the longest verse in the Bible?
Esther 8:9
24. What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
John 11:35
25. Which book in the Bible does not mention the word "God?"
The book of Esther.
26. Who was the oldest man that ever lived?
Methuselah who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27).
27. Who were the two men in the Bible who never died but were caught up to heaven?
Enoch, who walked with God and was no more (Genesis 5:22-24).
Elijah, who was caught up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11).
28. Who does the Bible say was the meekest man in the Bible (not including Jesus)?
Moses (Numbers 12:3).
29. How many languages has the Bible been translated into?
The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages). (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.)
30. Is the Bible still the best-selling book in the world?
Yes, indeed!
References:
American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927, 1965).
Maxwell, Arthur. Your Bible And You (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959).
Mickelson, A. Berkley and Alvera. Understanding Scripture (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1982, 1992).
Unger, Merrill F. TH.D., PH.D. Unger's Bible Handbook (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967)

Collection of Information

2007-06-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Rome Unit

English skills webs:
Pronouns, Adjectives, lessons, or whatever in the texts we printed out. http://www.dailygrammar.com (I think) is perfect for
teaching language skills. You get a full page of teaching text, sample questions with answers, and another quiz.
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Dress/Costume:
http://www.costumes.org/pages/romanlnx.htm
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Just for fun:
Here is an excellent resource page I found. It has to do with some Lego contest, but it has great ideas for the kids if they want to do some Roman/Greek buildings out of Legos. The 1998 contest has some entries with the Roman Coliseum and Parthenon. http://www.ancient-theme.com
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Coloring pages:
ANCIENT ROME COLORING PAGES:
http://info.riverdeep.net/Key=41077.HS.4.HkCgQP
http://www.coloring.ws/rome.htm

Click on any of the selections to download and print out a coloring page of Roman cultural life, including the Coliseum, aqueducts, and gladiators.
Actually, this link also contains coloring pages for Egypt and Greece: http://www.coloring.ws/
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General info:
Lessons:
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/ancienttimes/index.html Ancient Times...K-2
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/32K_Hear_Ye.pdf Romans Unit for 2 weeks 3rd grade level
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/index.htm
VRoma http://www.vroma.org/
Pompeii Forum Project http://pompeii.virginia.edu/
Mythology:
Greek & Roman: It Came from Greek Mythology http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=234
Living in Ancient Rome:
In Old Pompeii http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=271
Exploring Ancient World Cultures http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html
http://www.mrdowling.com/702rome.html
http://www.roman-empire.net/
Daily Life in Ancient Rome http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Romelife.html

At one time the Roman Empire reached throughout the greater part of Europe and parts of the area we now call the Middle East. In fact, in the first century AD, Rome conquered most of the known, civilized world.

I flipped through the history section of my book, Using The Internet In Your Homeschool, and found these sites that might help:

The Roman Empire for Kids - This site features interactive maps, timelines, quizzes and more designed for kids grades 4 - 8. They even have a "Brief History of the Roman Empire" that you and your son could read together.
http://www.roman-empire.net/children/index.html

The Romans from BBC -- this is a fantastic site! Covers several different areas of Roman history and civilization. It includes activity suggestions too. Keep in mind that this is written mainly for the benefit of Britains, so there is some focus on the influence of the Roman Empire on what is now England
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/
Olympics:
Live from Ancient Olympia http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=230
Miscellaneous:
* Egypt - Reformation New/Used Curriculum http://www.4HomeSchool.info/EgyptToReformation.htm
* Construct an Aqueduct. Explore the NOVA Online Aqueduct Project page, and then create an aqueduct. Read more about aqueducts at Roman Aqueducts and Water Systems. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/aqueduct.html
*Pictures of Rome - including aqueducts/old buildings/houses and more. http://clawww.lmu.edu/faculty/fjust/Rome.htm
* Roman art: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/ It has a lot of useful ideas for Rome.
* If you go to the parent page it is a great resource page for history, math, etc... http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/
ROMAN ROADS:
http://info.riverdeep.net/Key=41077.HS.1.NfP8MB
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history/romanrd.htm
Learn just how those famous Roman roads were built, and then work with your children to recreate your own model of Roman road construction.

MATHEMATICS IN ANCIENT ROME:
http://info.riverdeep.net/Key=41077.HS.2.GbnfrS
http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/ROME/group_math.html
http://info.riverdeep.net/Key=41077.HS.3.CZWn1B
http://www.abcteach.com/Math/roman1.htm
Children will first review the basic structure of Roman numerals, practice converting numerals, and then decode a secret message. Use the 2nd URL above for a printable Roman Numerals chart.

Roman Numerals: http://www.wilkiecollins.demon.co.uk/roman/front.htm
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Rocks:
We found a child-friendly site that has some interactive activities about rocks and minerals. It is http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/mysteries.html
I found the perfect edible project for Day 62 science in the Rome unit. It is talking about the Earth and how it is made up of a core, the mantle and the crust. Take a marshmallow, cut a slit in it, stick a round peppermint candy into the center of the marshmallow, and then place the marshmallow on the toothpick. Then dip the marshmallow in melted chocolate chips. The peppermint candy is the core, the marshmallow is the mantle and the chocolate is the crust. I found it in a book called "Geology Rocks- 50 hands-on activities to Explore the Earth" by Cindy Blobaum. It is full of fun stuff. Enjoy!

I purchased the Delta Science -In-A-Nutshell kit called Rock Origins. We had a lot of fun with it. It came with activity books for two kids and had about 10 lessons a together. The lessons took between 30-60 minutes depending on how into it we were and how many extra questions my kids came up with.

Volcanoes:
1. I purchased a reproducible book about earthquakes and volcanoes and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. I haven't done a bit of research on this book, but here is the title and author and you can check if interested to see if it's still in print:

Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Ruth Deery
Illustrated by Sue Ellen Miller-Ray
from The Natural Disaster Series
A Good Apple Activity Book for grades 4-8
Copyright 1985
ISBN No. 0-86653-272-2

It is really a fantastic teaching tool with short stories and activities that involve the child in learning. You read about the topic in 3-4 paragraphs and then answer 3 multiple-choice questions, which have some really, really funny 'wrong' answers. My girls were in stitches. Then, there is an activity page. One was on how a seismograph works, and you use a toy car on the paper, the child holds the pencil straight and in the same place so that it just touches the paper and the mom first moves the paper slowly so that the car doesn't move and the pencil draws a straight line. Then, mom moves the paper with a bit more erratic motion and the car bounces a bit and the pencil draws a squiggly line. Then, mom moves the paper back and forth wildly and the car bounces right off the paper and the pencil draws crazy up and down lines. This was a great visual demonstration for the different scales of earthquakes and how the seismograph records them. Both girls were thrilled.

Other activities include coloring several flip books to cut out on the subjects of plates & caldera's, coloring the insides of each of the three types of volcanoes. There was one paper that showed a house, barn, yard and fence before an earthquake and after an earthquake. You colored each part of the picture the same and it was striking (when colored, not black and white) how much each item had shifted. There are myths about volcanoes and earthquakes and the child get to write their own myth. A real variety of fun and learning activities.
I highly recommend this book! Kathy in IA

VOLCANO LINKS
Scroll Down to the "V" section http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/games.html
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Movies to Teach
For those of you interested in using movies to help teach or reinforce, there is a great website you may find helpful.
www.teachwithmovies.com

For $8.99/year you can access 250+ teaching guides. If you're only interested in seeing the titles, it's free. Here is a link to their site that lists some for ancient and world history:
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/world-history-other-cultures-subject-list.htm
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Books:
1. The Eyewitness Handbook Rocks and Minerals (by Chris Pellant, DK Publishing) has a section on identifying rocks. It begins with identifying the type of rock, then the grain size, the color and mineral content. We haven't tried using this flow chart with any unknown rocks so I cannot vouch for it. It has good pictures and has been easy to use for other types of rock/mineral look-up questions.
2. Books for 7th-8th grade, check out just about any of Rosemary Sutcliff's books about the Romans in Britain (didn't care for The Scarlet Warrior but could be just me). "The Eagle of the Ninth" has a part where the main character goes to steal back the standard from the tribesmen/priests north of Hadrian's Wall (which raised the hairs on the back of my neck, so to speak). For a mature 8th grade (or higher reader.) It has lots of suspense, centurion battles, gladiator/slave action, Roman culture, and a little tame love-interest stuff. Might be helpful to know a little of Rome's presence in Britain, but not necessary. The main character (centurion) is badly hurt during an early battle and can't be a centurion any more and his wound pains him a lot. Great story for someone with physical ailment/challenges as the centurion "finds a purpose" again after centurion dream dies.
(Remember Blackstone Audio (www.blackstoneaudio.com) has several of Sutcliff's books on cassette to buy or rent. Also, I rented their Bronze Bow (about $17 incl. s/h) for 30 days, and it's so great to listen to it late at night and then give to the kids during the day so I can work with younger children, etc. etc. Plus, having to return it by 8 Feb keeps me hopping!)
3. Patricia St. John's "Runaway", about bitter Phoenician boy who learns of Jesus and wants him to save demon-possessed sister...Sound familiar? Really good.
4. Lamplighter's book "Titus: A Comrade of the Cross". Plot occurs during the time of Jesus' crucifixion (includes another sick friend/brother/sister?) and the title gives it away. Good, but in the old fashioned ("wilt thou?") language which mayeth irritateth someth kidseth.
5. "Masada", by Gloria D Miklowitz. Two definite love interests with young people in Masada (nothing inappropriate) with lots of history, Roman battle-siege techniques, and Jewish culture. Sad but good.
6. Bethlehem Book's "Beorn the Proud" by Madeline Polland was really good about Vikings marauding the British coast, the taking of a Christian girl (solid faith, lots of spunk, admirable) and Beorn's proud, conceited nature which he lives to regret. Great for boys and girls: Viking customs (they return to Denmark), hunting, warfare.etc. Only bad thing I remember is monks dying and the Vikings callous to it but she shows proper Christian horror so great talking point about how dramatically Christ changed the world. (the back cover says ages 10 and up).
7. Terry Deary's "Rotten Romans" and "The Roman News" are fun reading.
8. Story of the World: Volume 1 by Susan Wise Bauer would be an excellent read-a-loud for history. In some ways, I like it better than Hillyer's Story of the World. Story of the World is more thorough than Hillyer. It reads well, but is definitely geared to younger children. You may also wish to look in Veritas Press catalog www.veritaspress.com , Greenleaf Press www.greenleafpress.com, and page Rainbow Resource catalog pages 350-351. Rainbow lists a lot of books to go with Story of the World!!!
9. Vinegar Boy by Alberta Hawse
Ben Hur by Lew Wallace
The Young Carthaginian by GA Henty
For the Temple, A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem by G.A Henty,
The Ides of April by Mary Ray
Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom (Odyssey Classic) by Henry Winterfeld
10. I have just found a series of books called 'The Royal Diaries'. They are wonderful. It is written as if it is Cleopatra as a 12-year-old writing in her diary. The lady that wrote it just loves history and the book has a wonderful way of showing what life was like in Egypt and also Rome as Cleopatra spent time there also, 57BC. These books are written for the middle school age group, but if your child is a good reader or you like to read to them I think 7-8 year olds would love them. Scholastic publishes these books.
11. We just finished reading "Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome". Very good -- it went hand in hand with much of what Dorian has written. We purchased our copy from www.anabaptistbooks.com/

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Crafts/Recipes
When it was time for us to do the mosaic project, I went to Michael's and found a plaster coaster kit done with square tiles. I bought a bag of colored glass pieces and used those instead. Each of my 4 oldest made a wonderful coaster that we now use in our living room. My youngest made a mosaic butterfly using bits of colored paper. The kids were so pleased with how their projects turned out.
--
My kids found a mosaic a wonderful project to imagine but almost too much trouble to complete. Interestingly, the most art-oriented child was the only one that did not finish. The 5 y.o. did a 6x6 inch picture. The other two worked on 10x12 mat board. If you only have a few eggshells, or if you think your kids are like mine, make something small. In retrospect I think a small project would have been more fulfilling. We could have made a tree ornament of some sort, given it a protective coating, and used it for several years.
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I think that we're going to substitute little squares of colored construction paper for the eggshells
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I was looking at mosaic stepping stones in Hearthsong. They look like a 'real' project, but are still mosaic. Very nice and functional. www.hearthsong.com
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Can anyone who has made the bread (Day 71) for Rome unit tell me what I can use in place of a yeast cake?? I have active dry yeast. Any ratio help would be greatly appreciated since I am not one to "wing it" when it comes to recipe measurements.

I've not made it yet, but it looks like a typical bread recipe with the amount of flour and water - I don't know the exact measurement, but probably 2 to 2 1/4 tsp. yeast (based on the bread I usually bake). I think a yeast cake is equal to one of those individual packets of yeast you can buy and that is 2-1/4 tsp.

Sharing ideas:
Our first few days of Rome are going well. My son is not thrilled with the Messiah, mostly the solos, but he listens enough that today he stated he knew that piece. As we were reading the text he proceeded to sing it. SO… I guess some of it actually sinks in! LOL!
I also started him with a simple Latin book today. I wanted to share the website with the group. Even if you don't wish to teach Latin, it's a fun site. I didn't purchase the teacher manual to this as it was really pricey, but I have had 2 years of Latin (even if it was more than 20 years ago) and I am praying that it will come back to me. The textbook is available through Amazon and Barnes/Noble. The site: http://www.minimus-etc.co.uk/index.shtml
To ask them " Who are you?" The phrase would be "Quis es?
Boys/Men’s names usually ended with -us so Mark in Latin would be Markus.
Girls/Women's names usually ended with -a so Helen in Latin would be Helena.
To state your name you would say "Helena sum" translated, as "I am Helena."
Now you can teach them how to say their names and how to ask each other who they are. Just a little bit of Rome brought home.

Science Links

2007-06-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here are sites I found on topics for science in Rome unit.
Save these for reference here ladies.Debra

http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/geology.html

http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemsci/gr4ucesc.html

This one is good:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Earths_layers/Earths_layers1.html

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/rocks.html

this is one in LA:
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/

http://chesterfield.k12.va.us/Resources/Lessons/Rocks/lesson.html

http://www.rocksandminerals.com/

http://www.udayton.edu/~geology/FieldTrip/volcs.htm

http://hammer.ne.mediaone.net/earth_force/volcano/volcano.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/

This is a site on the layers of the earth.We will get there in Rome unit. Debra
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/nature/9903/earth.layers/frameset.exclude.html

Here is an eartquake at this site.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/animations/earthquakes/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/earthquakes/

http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/interior.html

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Ch1CMB/Content1.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/inside.html

http://web.macam.ac.il/~olzang/earth/cenes/lesplan/handson1.htm

http://lahr.org/john-jan/earth_science/TableTop/earthshaking/earthshaking_lab.html

Creative Writing Submissions

2007-06-02T08:07:00.001-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/RomanFood.pdf Sean's Roman Essay

Eggshell Mosaics

2007-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Eggshell Mosaic Helps....

2007-06-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

When we did the eggshell mosaic many years ago, we simply let the eggshells sit in a sinkful of water that had a squirt of regular old dish soap in it! There - how's that for a formal and complicated procedure! You don't really have to "wash" them each individually if you toss them into sudsy water right away. Let them soak for a while in rinse water too, then spread them out onto a towel to air dry. Store them in an open tupperware container - or in an open shoebox so that you can add to your stash as you clean and dry more on other days. Don't worry too much about cracking them, because they will need to be around the size of a pinto bean for this
project anyway - only they won't have regular shapes - that's what makes the project so cool-looking when it is finished - each piece sort of has it's own unique shape, but together, they make a whole design! If you don't soak the shells the same day, the egg dries on the shell and it is harder to remove, but each person will have to do what is more convenient for them. We did this project in the winter, so Ryan's mosaic is an outside scene of an evergreen tree with snow falling lightly around it - it's beautiful.

Hope this helps!

Dorian

Roman Activities

2007-06-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

We got together with a few friends and did some hands-on activties as well as a toga party at the end.

I recommend getting the Classical Kids Activity Book and Make it Work Rome for ideas and directions.

We made togas and stolas (from a sheet), sandals (from fake chamois), paper mache helmets (came out awesome), standards (cardboard tube, small paper plates and foil), jewelry- coin rings (pipe cleaner and a penny)and silver arm bands (poster board strip and foli) and wreaths for the head (florist wire and artificial leaves). We made mosaics, clay jars (with red self-hardening clay). We made catapults (cardboard box, masking tape, a plastic spoon and mini-marshmallows) and aquaducts (cardboard tubes cut in half and blocks). Some made
paper mache elephants (Hannibal). We made theater masks from paper mache and cheese cloth. We made a paper arch to go over a door way, sponged painted it with poster paints.

The children chose Roman names, wrote skits and at the toga party, acted them out. The two older girls acted a new reporters and the other children acted. They did a gladiator fight skit, chariots races with crashes on the road, and a fashion show.

Hope this encourages and spurs a few of you on.

Make you own Volcano

2007-06-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

*** MAKE YOUR OWN VOLCANO ***
Create an erupting volcano with clay, baking soda, and vinegar.

Make Your Own Volcano:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/crafts/nature/volcano/

Greek Gods Recipes

2007-06-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some Greek recipes we will use during the unit:

Tsatsiki sauce:
You cannot get away from this sauce in Greece!
Mix a small container of light sour cream with 1/2 cup plain yoghurt. Grate 1/2 to 1 cucumber (depending on size - 1/2 for english cucumber, whole otherwise), squeeze out the juice, add to cream mix. Put at least 2, but no upper limit, of fresh garlic cloves through the garlic press and add. Add salt and pepper, and a little bit of sugar, to taste. This sauce is great as a dip for flatbread, French bread, and even French Fries!

We also use it for Greek Pita Breads
Buy whole wheat pita bread. Stuff with:
Feta cheese cubes
tomato wedges
cucumber slices
sweet onion rings
Olives
green pepper slices
Top with tsatsiki sauce.

Greek salad
Cut tomatoes into wedges, cucumbers into slices, sweet onions into rings; add crumbled Feta cheese, black olives, and a small amount of white vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti with Mizithra cheese:
Mizithra is another Greek cheese. It is a hard cheese, like Parmesan, and is also strong flavored (though the flavor is quite different). Cook spaghetti al dente. Melt and brown one stick of butter in a pan, pour over drained spaghetti and toss. Top with freshly ground mizithra cheese.
Serve with Greek salad.

All these are modern Greek recipes, but we love them! We are lucky enough to have several middle eastern stores in the area, so we can get a variety of olives and feta cheeses. Mizithra and basic Feta should be available in most larger supermarkts.
Enjoy,
Birgit

Collection of Info

2007-06-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ancient Greece
Architecture:
Here is a good link for the different type of Greek columns: http://www.cmhpf.org/kids/dictionary/ClassicalOrders.html

Drawing the columns. http://rem.norcol.ac.uk/rem/REMWebPages/EuroStudies/GreecePack/lesson10.html

PARTHENON: DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/parthenon/
Learn about the building techniques of the ancient Greeks, from the quarrying of huge blocks of marble in the mountains surrounding Athens to the intricate carvings of magnificent sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon.
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Books:
1. We are reading Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff (a retelling of The Iliad) and Twice Freed by Patricia St. John! Rosemarie Sutcliff also wrote The Wanderings of Odysseus a retelling of "The Odyssey". Our favorite fiction for Ancient Greece is turning out to be Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney. It's a fantastic book that really makes the history lessons become real and 'stick'.
2. One on the Punic Wars is Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal - GH Henty
3. An excellent resource for readers that go with the time frame that you are studying is the Sonlight Curriculum Catalog. They are now asking for a small fee for those that are ordering it for use as "a booklist". It is well worth the fee.
4. "A Kaleidoscope Kids Book" series. These are easy to read & offer a LOT of hands on activities. (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Knights and Castles) They are a great way to get younger ones involved. - Author is Avery Hart
5. For historical fiction, The Gift of Apollo or something similar to that (I already returned the book to the library, sorry) by Elizabeth Coatsworth. It has a boy as the main character and is set in Ancient Greece.
If he is an advanced reader, he may like The Children's Homer by Padriac Colum. It is also the story of the Iliad and the Odyssey but without the color illustrations and the literature is more advanced than the Sutcliff books. My 13 yo enjoyed this book so much, she is keeping it in her room on 'her' bookshelves. (quite the honor in our house!) D'Aulaire's Greek Myths illustrations are as good as the writing. As girls, they simply loved Goddess of Yesterday. I think it's the best historical fiction that we've read for Ancient Greece.
6. Here is a list of great books I found at our library for our study of Ancient Greece. Check inter-library loan if any catch your interest.
This is Greece by M. Lasek Nice pictures and easy-to-read text, interesting
Olympic Games in Ancient Greece by Shirley Glubok and Alfred Tamarin
Goofy Presents the Olympics - Walt Disney Productions Random House, 1979
Ancient Greece - A Civilization Project Book by Susan Purdy and Cass R. Sandak NICE!
Science Projects About the Human Body by Robert Gardner
The Magic Anatomy Book by Carol Donner This is in the flavor of Magic School Bus! It's an interesting, wild adventure!
Trojan Horse - The World's Greatest Adventure - Eyewitness Readers By David Clement-Davies
Magic Tree-House #16: Hour of the Olympics by Mary Pope Osborne
"See Through History�: Ancient Greece by Rowena Loverance This books has clear overlay pictures throughout that you can lift to see 'inside' Really, REALLY neat!! We used one from this series for Ancient Egypt, too!
See Inside An Ancient Greek Town by Jonathan Rutland/revised edition This is also with clear overlay pictures and we used from the same series for Ancient Egypt
Temple On a Hill - The Building of the Parthenon by Anne Rockwell Interesting story-type of book
Made in Ancient Greece by Christine Price
7. All of the required Aesop's Fables are online at the following sites:
http://www.bartleby.com/17/1/ http://www.teachnow.com/ebooks/aesop.pdf
Or
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Aesop/Aesops_Fables/index.html
8. We found some wonderful Bible passages to go with Greece, from Diana Waring's Ancient Civilizations and the Bible; my girls got excited to see the prophecies for Alexander in the book of Daniel. You probably want to use a Bible with reference information at the bottom to get the full benefit. (By the way, she has some great activities to go with LA as well, not that we need anything else though??!!)
Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 11:1-4, and Acts 17(Paul on Mars Hill).
My girls also really liked Hillyer's ""A Child's History of the World"' for background info; only a few chapters here and there on each area, but very easy to read and a good overall perspective on a variety of topics, in this case, describing the Greek God names, distinguishing between each one. (It is recommended by Sonlight ).
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Maps
Try this site for an outline map of Greece:
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/brians_syllabus/maps/map2.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=europe&Mode=b&SubMode=w
or
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=europe&Rootmap=greece&Mode=d&SubMode=w
Here is a fantastic site on Greece. http://www.countryreports.org/greece.htm it also has a map.
http://www.wellesley.mec.edu/wms/library/pages/projects/greece/#Historian's
http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxgreece.htm
http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/mapindex.htm
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Maps/
http://www.unc.edu/awmc/downloads/awmcMap3.html
http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/Ashley/HY104/images/MapKeys/MapAncientMed.htm
http://www.unc.edu/awmc/downloads/index.html#theList

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Pronunciation Key:
Having difficulty pronouncing all those Greek names? We are!! I just found this site and thought it would come in very handy!
http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/pronunciations.html#O
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Body sites:
Greece - Body
http://lion.mnu.edu/~mithelem/The%20Circulatory%20System.html
http://www.lessontutor.com/bio5home.html - Human Body with blank outlines worksheets
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DeerParkES/kids/ancientgrks/index.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/enhanced/index.shtml
http://users.tpg.com.au/users/amcgann/body/ Cool site with worksheets.
http://biology.about.com/library/bldyknowbody.htm Did you know about the human body great for human body book.
http://vilenski.com/science/index.html Vertial trip, cartoon of body.
http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp Interactive site of body cool site.
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/cur/mybody/content.htm#instructional Great unit study on body for little ones.
http://www.geocities.com/itsshasta/anatomy/ Great site for print outs on body.
http://www.studyweb.com/links/880.html Lots of links for human body.
http://school.discovery.com/ Clip art for body book or lap book
First Aid Web - http://www.firstaidweb.com/
Great site I ran across this morning about Kid's Health. Printables plus interactive stuff- like a Food Pyramid and "movies" about systems of the body. http://kidshealth.org/kid/index.html http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/brain_noSW.html This site has information on parts of the body and is geared towards kids.

We used the model "Visible Woman" in a previous year. It came in handy during our Anatomy study during the Greece unit butI do remember it taking us a long time to put together. During the Greece unit, we actually used "The Body Book". It has a large paper skeleton to put together and then we added
body systems as we learned about them. This was fun and more simple. But what I especially liked about "Visible woman" is that she has interchangeable parts to show pregnancy (complete with fetus).
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Creation sites
http://www.creationism.org/library/index.htm - lending library site
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History/General Info.
Education
http://www.homeschoolunitstudies.com/TG/Philosophy/09cgreeked.htm
http://www.homeschoolunitstudies.com/TG/Philosophy/11Biblicalvsgreek.htm

Greek Life http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Greeklife.html This site gives descriptions of people, their personalities, houses, food, clothing and alot of other interesting things - Has tons of links to other Greek pages at the bottom of page...
Live from Ancient Olympia http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=230
Perseus Project http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
Exploring Ancient World Cultures http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
Egypt - Reformation New/Used Curriculum http://www.4HomeSchool.info/EgyptToReformation.htm
www.proteacher.com/090084.shtml This is great! I also did a search on Middle ages and it brought up all
kinds of good stuff! What a rich site!!
http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/vasard/uk2.html
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/index.htm
http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/gcontent.htm
Thought this site might be helpful in explaining the Greco-Persian wars, even has maps to help. http://www.historyforkids.org/greekciv/war/war.htm
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/01_2_ConnectingGreece.pdf
http://library.thinkquest.org/10805/greece.html
http://webpages.charter.net/usmc_sgt/Mesopotamia3/greece.html
http://www.showgate.com/medea/grklink.htmlThis site has hundreds of links about Ancient Greece!!!
Egypt, Greece, Rome site! http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html/ journey to explore the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and 19th - 20th century sub-Saharan Africa.
ANCIENT HISTORY: GREECE
http://www.macedonia.com/english/
http://www.macedonia.com/english/history/
http://www.macedonia.com/english/thessalo.html
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/environment/index.htm
http://www.historyforkids.org/crafts/greeks/playreading.htm
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/literature/greeklit.htm
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/architecture/doric.htm
http://eawc.evansville.edu/texts/grpage.htm
A Whole Page of Links!! http://eawc.evansville.edu/www/grpage.htm
Picture Links http://eawc.evansville.edu/pictures/grpage.htm
Lists a historical atlas - lots on Sparta and Athens and bios - check out resources
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/GREECE.HTM
Western Culture and Ancient Greece http://www.westernculture.com/ancientgreeks.html A huge index of all things on ancient Greek done up in alphabetical order.
EasyFunSchool History Index http://www.easyfunschool.com/IndexHistory.html This is a really good site for any subject. Scroll down a bit for a whole Greece section
Greek studies. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/2012/links_about_history.htm
Thematic Links on Ancient Greece
http://www.in2edu.com/edulinks/themes_integrated%20units_history%20themes_thematic%20units_ancient%20greece%20themes_thematic%20units.htm
This site also has tons of free links about this subject. Note: cut and paste long URLs as necessary]
http://www.geocities.com/highland_heritage/studentbooks.htm - lapbook ideas & worksheets
http://www.westernculture.com/ancientgreeks.html#Food great site! Tons of links on EVERYTHING
Other Links for Egypt, Greece, Olympics http://www.learninghaven.com/ss/links/ancient_civilizations.htm
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/greekmyths.htm
http://www.angliacampus.com/public/pri/history/greeks/index.htm * http://www.angliacampus.com/public/pri/history/greeks/page17.htm
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/civ.html
http://www.tlsbooks.com/mythologyworksheets.htm
Time Line of Greek History and Literature http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/info/timeline.html
Ancient Gods
Ancient Gods - The Family Tree (Try and keep track of how the Gods are related to each other) http://www.hol.gr/greece/godsft.htm
more god charts: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/8443/mythgods.html
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/7371/greekgods.html
It Came from Greek Mythology http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=234
Origins of Greek Mythology http://www.messagenet.com/myths/neomyth.html

Coloring Pages & Worksheets
Here are some good coloring pages. http://www.coloring.ws/countries.htm
Coloring pages for Greek, and on left border you will see Rome http://www.coloring.ws/greek.htm
Scroll down to the general category here. http://www.dltk-kids.com/coloring.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/artists/coloring/
http://www.webschooling.com/print.html
http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/greece/eg_greece_intro.html
A greek puzzle to print out - http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/greekmyths/puzzle.htm
A good review for Greece. Most likely they will be able to answer every question in this worksheet once the unit is completed.
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~ama9f/Worksheet.html
Coloring pages for Greek, and on left border you will see Rome. http://www.coloring.ws/greek.htm

Activities
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/llaigree.html
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Athenian_Treasury.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Caduceus_of_Hermes.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Geometric_Bronze_Horse.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Gorgon_Medusa.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Greek_coins.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Theater_Masks.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Vase_painting.pdf
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/Teachers/ll/Greek_Lesson_Plan/Victors_Wreaths.pdf
http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/it/webquests/AncientGreece/index.htm
Links page
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/Bookmarks.html

My oldest daughter, a freshman in high school, did her final project for the year was a website on the Ancient Greeks. Please check it our with the link below. It has people, a timeline and several links for more info on the Ancient Greeks. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks, Julie Brooks
Subject: The Ancient Greeks --- Short bio's that remind who is who in AncientGreece
http://www.maythestarshine.com/mack/greece/
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I just found another neat site. http://www.historychannel.com/spartans/ The history channel has a page of special things about the Spartans. If you click on the crossed swords, there is a map of famous battles in ancient Greece.
Greek & Roman:
________
Craft projects for Greek (LA)
We did a survey late last fall about the Greek vase and here is what we discovered: Families used a great variety of clays and some had cracking and some did not. Of those reporting in - ALL who used DAS Air-Hardening Terracotta Clay for the project over the glass experienced great success and had no cracking. (It is available through Michael's and other craft stores.) It did not seem to matter whether this clay was rolled thickly or thinly - it still worked well. Crayola Air Drying Clay was another clay that our Adventurers used with great success.

Dorian told me that many have complained that their air-drying clay cracked as it hardened. I think she said it had to do with the brand and the thickness of the clay. We are going to try one 'with' the glass underneath and one 'without' the glass, so that at least one (hopefully!) turns out

Well, funds were tight around and I couldn't locate the clay locally so I bought a glass Grecian shaped vase and some paints for glass and we decorated the vase with paint. Black background with red/orange Greek key and pictures. It turned out great and I now have the last of my roses blooming on the table. Ds is so proud of his vase.

Papier mache masks
My kids needed their masks in a hurry - they were doing a skit at the co-op. They used white paper plates, and glued strips of wool and/or construction paper for hair. They painted the faces on. They looked fine, and the skit was a huge hit. (They wrote "cheat notes" on the back of the paper plates to help them remember their lines) They are doing the paper-mache over balloons to make Greek army helmets. This is something they are more interested in spending time on, and they are likely to keep them much longer.
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Dress/Costumes
http://www.costumes.org/pages/timelinepages/ancientgreece1.htm

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Sharing Ideas:
We�re doing small bound books of fables (illustrated) for our re-writes...we're doing a shutter book on temples, featuring the types of columns...we'll be doing books on gods and goddesses, and we're doing an alphabet book...we're doing layered a shutter book on the different major systems of the human body ...and we've done a transparency booklet of a cell...we'll do a food pyramid mobile later on
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I just purchased this type of flip file first-aid magnet for the fridge. It gave me an idea for how to do the first aid booklet/folder/note cards.

We are going to take a manila folder and on the inside of it we will have note cards stacked one on top of the other (taping them to the folder). We will have one topic per note card and we are using the 5x7 note cards as you can fit more information on them.

For example today we put this on the first note card:

What to do:
Are they conscious or unconscious?
Ask: What's Wrong? Where does it hurt?
Not moving: (unconscious): Tap on shoulder and ask, "Are you okay?"
No response: 1. Look for a medic alert tag
2. Check for ABC's
A - Airway: Make sure it is open
B - Breathing: Check for breathing
C - Circulation: check for pulse

Then at the very bottom corner put the title again: What to do (that way when they flip the cards up they will be able to get to what they need immediately.

For the cards we are going to include one for: Airway, Breathing, Choking (child and infant), CPR (adult and child), bleeding, heart attack and stroke (signs and symptoms), burns, shock, fractures, poisoning, eye injuries, seizures, fainting, heat exhaustion, frostbite, insect bites, animal/snake bites, dental injuries, fever, electrocution, diabetic emergencies, cold emergencies, and contact numbers.

These cards will overlap one another, that's why at the bottom corner we will have a label and they can flip to it immediately. I think this should work nicely. If we need more space we'll add another folder.
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Has anyone come up with a fun and interesting way to cover the transition of the various Greek civilizations and various wars?
(Minoans, Mycenaeans, Early Greeks, Golden Age, Hellenistic Trojan wars, Persian wars, Peloponnesian wars, etc)
I think the children reach a point where they are tired of listening to me read from library books and looking at pictures. I was trying to come up with some sort of "hands on" project where they can get a good grasp of these things without going into too much detail.
(reply:)
Why not have them do a poster for each war. They can work on them together. One poster for each war. Cut out pictures, draw, include important facts (who fought, date, cause, outcome, etc.) as you discover them. Search on the internet for things they can print out and post.

Donna in IL
We coop with another family and do Science/Social Studies together. There are 5 children, ages 11 down to 8.
Today we had a "debate" on Athens vs. Sparta. Prior to the debate, they had completed the compare/contrast chart and written paragraphs (days 44, 45) and we had read about Athens & Sparta from many library books. So they were well prepared to "defend" their city-state.
They had a great time "debating" and the younger ones (age 8,9) learned alot about the debate process from the older ones.
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Just a note to add to the message below regarding the rice pudding and the Greek vase. We have tested the rice pudding recipe
several times, and it will always be soupy if you use instant rice or if you don't chill it after cooking it. If you don't want your
rice pudding to be soupy - use regular rice and chill it first. If you don't care if it's soupy or not, you can use regular rice (not instant)
and you can eat it warm. We tried adding more regular rice to the recipe, but it becomes too starchy after it is chilled.

Recipes:
Anatomical Heart Cookie
Cookie ingredients
3/4 c. butter, softened 1 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs 2-3 Tb. ice water
4 c. flour

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar, creaming well.
2. Add eggs and water. Blend
3. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixt. Blend thoroughly.
4. Roll dough on lighly floured surface.
5. Cut in human heart shapes.
6. Using spatula, carefully transfer hearts to ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 min. until edges are just beginning to brown.

Icing Ingredients
2 c. powdered sugar 1 tube red decorating icing
1 tsp. vanilla extract " blue " "
3 Tb. water
red food coloring

Method:
1. In med. mixing bowl, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, water and 1-2 drops
red food coloring
2. Ice cookies
3. When icing hardens draw veins with red & blue decorating icing.

Makes 30-40 cookies
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Finger Cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened 1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. powdered sugar 1 tsp. salt
1 egg 1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 Tb. Icing Glue (see below)
2-3/4 c. flour

Method:
1. Beat butter in large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
2. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add flour, b. powder, salt and beat until completely mixed.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min.
5. Preheat over to 325 degrees.
6. Using hands roll a heaping Tb. of dough into finger shape for each cookie. If dough gets sticky & hard to work with, put back into 'frig. a little while. Place fingers on ungreased cookie sheet about 3 in. apart.
7. Use a butter knife to make knuckle marks on fingers (cookies). Slightly flatten front of finger to create a nail.
8. Bake 20-25 min. until fingers slightly golden. Remove from oven and
cool. Prepare Icing Glue.

Icing Glue:
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. water
Mix to consistency of paste.

9. Attach almond slice fingernails to tips of finger with Icing Glue. Let
dry about 30 min.
Makes about 50 cookies/fingers.
Eyeball Snacks
1 doz. eggs
pitted black olives, sliced in quarters
salt & pepper

1. Cover eggs in pot with cold water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low
and cook for 12 min.
2. Remove from stove and run cold water over eggs.
3. Peal eggs and slice in 1/2.
4. Place on olive slice on each egg "iris". Salt and pepper to taste (or
provide when serving).
Makes 12 pairs of eyes.
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Concerning Myths:
I was so grateful to have found this program at the last minute... and the funny thing is the fact that mythology was tackled head on by the program is what DREW me to it.
I completely respect others who disagree, and thankfully, the flexibility of the program does as well. But I did want to perhaps share the voice of one who had mythology left out of her education for "Godly" reasons, and definitely regrets that fact. I was raised in a very conservative Christian family/school where we would never have been allowed to read the assigned book in this unit. Consequently, through my college years and in adult social situations, I was completely in the dark on many cultural ideas and vocabulary that was simply common knowledge to those around me. I did not want my children to experience this same ignorance and am so grateful for the way Dorian handles the myths.
My 12 & 10-year-old daughters have learned a great deal about vocabulary and culture through this study, and my husband (who somehow knew these stories) begged me to wait until he was around to do the reading! : ) It's AMAZING how many of the myths reminded the girls of stories in the Bible, and we had fun shaking our heads and wondering how much easier life would have been had they all just followed the One True God. We didn't get to finish the unit, as it was important to me to start Rome in December, but we'll go back to it in the summer.
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Greek Olympics
http://members.aol.com/MrDonnUnits/GreekOlympics.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/cgi-bin/uncgi/search?key=award for awards and certificates
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/ for links to Ancient Olympics
Here's a site that explains what the rings mean, what the Olympic creed, Olympic motto, Olympic oath, etc. are. It also has the order of the opening ceremony and closing ceremony. I think there is even a link to an Olympic flag to color.
http://www.southcom.com.au/~jennifert/Games/rings.html
http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicintro.html
THE FIRST OLYMPIC GAMES -- 1896: http://www.forthnet.gr/olympics/athens1896/
THE OLYMPICS THROUGH TIME: http://www.fhw.gr/projects/olympics/
WHAT IS THE HISTORY AND MEANING OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES: http://www.greece.org/olympics/why.html
THE OLYMPIC GAMES: http://library.thinkquest.org/27528/main.htm
ANCIENT OLYMPIC EVENTS: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/sports.html
ANCIENT GREECE: http://www.ancientgreece.com/
OLYMPICS RESOURCES: http://www.boardman.k12.oh.us/bdms/golubic/olympicideas.htm
ANCIENT OLYMPICS FAQ'S: http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicorigins.html
OLYMPIAKA: http://www.olympiaka.com/history/summer/1896Athens/
OLYMPIC GLORY:http://www.discoverlearning.com/learnonline/webjourney/olympic/
SUMMER GAMES: http://www.museum.olympic.org/e/gallery/permanent/sum_torch_berlin_e.html
http://www.scholastic.com/olympicgames/olympic_history/part1/index.asp
WINTER GAMES: http://www.museum.olympic.org/e/gallery/permanent/win_torch_e.html
WINTER OLYMPIC EVENTS: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/olympics/winterolympics2.htm
THE OLYMPIC MUSEUM: http://www.museum.olympic.org/e/gallery/gallery_e.html
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The archives are filled with great ideas on this - but for one all-inclusive "Olympic Ideas" message - check out the LA archives for a message with the subject "Olympics Fun and Games" on July 21, 2001. Melanie shared a WONDERFUL group of ideas on that day - there were so many good ideas in that one message that you couldn't possibly use them all!!
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/firststeps/olympics.htm (some of the same info as below - young kids and can be adapted for older ones)
Indoor Olympics:
1) Javelin = Use straws.
2) Shot Put = Use a cotton ball.
3) Discus = Use a paper plate.
4) Low Low Hurdles = Pile up a few books and have runners sprint back and forth 10 times, jumping the hurdle each time while some one times them.
5) High Jump = Use a pile of books.
6) Standing Long Jump = use a yardstick to measure distance jumped. Other events may be added to the program. Establish a rotation system and have each player participate in some or all of the events. This could be used as a weeklong activity. You could challenge another class to a dual indoor track meet.

Outdoor Olympics
1) Shot-put = Each team member tosses a water filled balloon. Take the measure where the balloon lands or breaks. Total distance and record.
2) 25 yard dash = Mark off 25 yards (or whatever distance you wish) . All teams will do a crawling relay. The first member of each team crawls to a designated point then crawls back to the team. The next member does the same, and so on until all team members finish. Record the times for each team.
3) Low Hurdles = Make a simple obstacle course of "low hurdles"- a card table, three foot high rope between two trees, pole on two chairs. Teams take turns going under the low hurdles, one team member on the course at a time. Record times.
4) Closing Ceremony = After competition, total the scores. Play patriotic music and announce gold, silver and bronze finishers. Award all participants medals-a foil covered chocolate coin glued to a cardboard circle and hung on a ribbon (or the art idea I give after this). Award small American flags and flag stickers.
5) The Olympic Feast = Salute the countries that participate in your Olympics by planning an ethnic feast. Have each family prepare a dish of their ancestors' country. Have some families bring salad and bread; ask others to bring main dishes and a third to supply desserts. Ask the cooks to supply the recipes, and after the party put together a souvenir booklet of the Olympic feast specialties to hand out.
6) Day is Done = End the day with a Sing Along. Try to see how many songs from or about other lands you can sing. "Frere Jacques", "Waltzing Matilda", "La Cucaracha", and "Edelweiss" are a few ideas; look in the library for the words.

OLYMPIC ART IDEAS
Sport Collage Mural
Materials: Large sheet of paper, magazines with pictures of sports, scissors, glue
Directions: Cut and paste sports pictures onto the large paper.

TORCH
Materials: Paper towel tube, silver foil, and orange/yellow paper
Directions: Cover the tube with foil. Add construction paper flames to the top.

OLYMPIC FLAG
Have the children design a flag to use during your opening ceremonies.

GOLD MEDALS
Materials: Gold paint, small paper plates, red/ white/ and blue streamers Directions: Have the children paint the paper plates gold (or you can ahead of time) Add a piece of streamer to go around the child�s neck. Glue to the back of the plate. On the front you can write".............went for the Gold".
or
Make "Olympic" medals out of large chocolate chip cookies (wrapped in plastic wrap) with a paperclip inserted in the edge as the holder. These hung from red, white, and blue striped neck ribbons. Very cute and deliciously edible!
Olympic Medals can easily be made by using canning lids. They are already gold! But can be spray-painted any color. A label on the back can be used to mark what event and the child's time, distance, etc. Punch a whole near the top to put the ribbon through for placing around child's neck.
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1. Make giant scorecards for the judges (8 x 10 with a # on it)
2. Have a stopwatch on hand
3. Think about music: for national anthems, medal ceremonies, rhythmic gymnastics
4. Designate a referee & judge
5. Make finish lines out of crepe paper or chalk on pavement
6. Have someone play "photographer" or "videographer and/or newscaster & interview athletes on triumphs & defeats
7. Make edible medals using: red/white/blue ribbon, 2" sugar cookie -- wrap cookie in plastic wrap, then cover with gold or silver wrapping paper. Wrap cookie and place a 1 3/4 " long paper clip over cookie, leaving 1/4 " of clip peeking out -- tape in place -- thread ribbon through paper clip loop and knot ribbon ends together
8. Some game events listed:
a) discus: draw a chalk circle in driveway or put a rope circle down. Athlete stays in circle when throwing a Frisbee. Longest throw wins
b) high jump: Slip a small bag of candy on a rope, hanging over a tree branch. If you touch the prize, you win. Adjust height for each child and let them have a few tries until each one "wins" the prize
c) triathlon: Combine 3 races like running, skipping & crab walking. Or set up a relay where players run all 3 legs of the race, but change an outer layer of
clothes between each
d) Greco-roman thumb wrestling: set up card table, two chairs and let the wrestling begin

Olympic cake. Just frost a simple 9 x 13 sheet cake and decorate with M&Ms in the shape and color of the Olympic rings. Some games others played were:
beanie baby toss, sandbox hunt, soccer goal shoot-out
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My kids and I did a unit study on the Olympics, ancient Greece, and Australia during the summer Olympics in Sydney. We had a blast with this, though I would hesitate to add as much as we did to what you are already doing with LA. But here goes the highlights:

First, we studied up on as much as we could about Sydney and Australia. We made a map of Australia and labeled certain places, and then we looked up the pop of Sydney and compared it to the pop of Oxford/Anniston where we live and then found a city in the United States that is comparable in size to Sydney to "get our bearings." We looked up the climate for Sydney at the time of the Olympics (temp. rainfall) and then looked up sites for Sydney to make a list of interesting places to see and visit.

Then, as a writing assignment that continued throughout the three weeks of our unit, I gave them this assignment:

"You have just been informed by your parents that you are going to go to Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Write how this came about, how you feel about this trip, who will accompany you (is your whole family going or just a few members of the family? friends? etc.) Write what you want to do while in
Australia, how long will you stay in Australia, where you will stay and how you will get about. Remember, this is entirely fictional, so money is no object. You may write it as a journal entry or as a letter to a friend or in any other forms you wish. There is no limit to words or pages. Just have fun with it!" Four of my children did this and I had four very different kinds of accounts! (And, yes, I did my own!)

We copied the flag of Australia, learned the national anthem, learned "Waltzing Matilda," (and were able to sing it with them during the opening ceremonies). We learned the money, language (Australian phrases like billabong--sorry, Jenny, if I spelled it wrong!), and holidays. I looked up the Sydney Opera House and found out what operas were going to be showing during the Olympics and we "went" to an opera. We "visited" the Taronga Zoo and looked up animals indigenous to Australia and "hopped over" to the Botanical Gardens and learned about plants indigenous to Australia.

I found a website with Australian recipes and we made an Australian meal--pretending, of course, that we were at an Australian restaurant.

We watched the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics--which prompted more writing assignments and watched a lot of the games, rooting for whomever
we wanted to if the United States wasn't a strong favorite! (Usually we rooted for the Australians if the U.S. wasn't doing well, but our guys and gals surprised us in several events by winning when they weren't expected to!) In between events, a lot of info about Australia was given which was very educational and all in all, I think I learned more about that beautiful land than I ever knew.

We also read about the ancient Olympics and compared them with the modern Olympics and checked the websites daily to "play around."

One "fun" lang. arts assignment that we did was to do a Mad Lib with my first writing assignment on our trip to Sydney. For those who do not know what a Mad Lib is, you can write something--a letter, a description of something, a very short story, and then leave out key words, putting in their place what
kind of word they were (noun, verb, adj. time period, geographical location, etc.) Then you go around the room of people (in our case, my kids) and ask them to provide you with a noun, verb, whatever you need next. You write that down and when you have your list, you read what you have written replacing your words with their words. When we finished, I had tears rolling down my face it was so hilarious. One of our replacement words had us staying in a mausoleum as our sleeping place. And, don't tell the children, but it is a great way to review parts of speech.

Favorite Movies

2007-06-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jason and the Argonauts_ which is the story of Padraic Colum's _The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who lived before Achilles_

The movie "Spartacus" Anything with Hercules (There's a great cartoon that's on TV every
day...gasp!)

The movie - "Oddysey"

Favorite Books

2007-06-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Greek News (They also have Egypt News and Roman News and who knows what else).
Jim Weiss' "Greek Myths" on audio tape.

Greek Gods

2007-06-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

List of Greek Gods

1.. Zeus was the most powerful of the gods. Should he have to bring order, he would hurl a thunderbolt. Zeus shared his powers and ruled with other great gods.

2.. Hera was the wife of Zeus, and thus, the Queen. Hera was the goddess of marriage, children, and the home

3.. Poseidon, the lord of the sea, was the brother of Zeus

4.. Hades, another brother of Zeus, was lord of the dead.

5.. Ares, Zeus' son, was the god of war. He tall and handsome but cruel and vain. Ares could not bear to suffer pain.

6.. Hephaestus, god of fire, often made metal tools and weapons to aid the gods and some fortunate mortals.

7.. Hermes was Zeus' son and the messenger of the gods. Hermes was noted for his pranks as well as for his speed.

8.. Apollo was Zeus' son and god of the sun, light and music.

9.. Artemis was goddess of the hunt

10.. Dionysus was the god of wine.

11.. Athena, for whom Athens was named, was the goddess of wisdom.

12.. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty

13.. Eros was the god of love. He had a bow and arrow to shoot people and make them fall in love.

14.. Dionysus was the god of life, hospitality, and wild things

15.. Pan was half man, half goat, and the god of all nature. He was also the protector of shepherds and their flocks

16.. Hercules was another of Zeus' sons. He was half man, half god, and very strong.

17.. Centaur was half man, half horse, and tried to steal Hercules' wife.

18.. Pegasus was a winged horse

19.. Cerberus was the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld.

20.. The Muses were daughters of Zeus. They made such beautiful music with their singing that it brought joy to everyone who heard them.

Olympics

2007-06-01T09:57:00.002-07:00

http://atozteacherstuff.com/themes/olympics.shtml

-Olympic Medal-

Need: frozen juice can lids or circles of cardboard,paper, glue, ribbon, staples, markers, glitter

Directions: Cut a circle of paper a bit smaller than the size of the juice can lid. Glue the paper securely to the center of the lid. Decorate this with markers, crayons and glitter. They can write things like their names, #1, Winner, etc. They can also draw a picture of the Olympic Rings
(blue,black,red,yellow,green).

Measure a length of ribbon that will fit around the child's neck. Attach the two ends of the ribbon to the back of the medal and secure with glue and/or tape. You can also use a circle of heavy cardboard in place of a juice can lid, but the lid gives it a little more weight.

Click here for a picture!
http://www.theideabox.com/ideabox.nsf/web/olympics
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-Olympic Rings-

Need: paper plates, markers, glue or stapler, scissors
Directions: Cut the centers out of 5 paper plates, leaving only a 1-2inch rim. Color each rim 1 color of the olympic rings: blue, black, red, yellow and green. Assemble as follows: There are five rings forming two rows of three rings above and two below. The rings of the upper row are, from left to right, blue, black and red. The rings of the lower row are yellow and green. Assemble by glue or staples. You can punch two holes at the top to hang or display!

Click here for a picture!
http://www.theideabox.com/ideabox.nsf/web/olympics
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-Olympic Torch-
Need: paper towel tube, glue, red tissue paper, yellow tissue paper
Directions: This is an easy and fun project! Cut the tissue paper into 8"x8" squares. Hold one piece of tissue paper in the center (point) of the square and gather up the edges. Stick the "points"e into one end of the paper towel tube and secure each with tape, staples or glue. Fill with enough pieces of tissue paper to give it a full flame look (alternating red and yellow). You
can even add a little glitter on the edges of the tissue to give it a little sparkle! Let dry and you have your own Olympic Torch!

Click here for a picture!
http://www.theideabox.com/ideabox.nsf/web/olympics
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Here are a few Links that have great information about the Olympics!

Sydney 2000 Official Kids Website
http://www.olympics.com/eng/kids/home.html

2000 Olympics Site for Teachers
http://www.olympics.com/eng/kids/teachers/home.html

2000 Olympic Games Official Mascots
http://www.olympics.com/eng/about/mascots/home.html

What Time Is it in Sydney?
http://www.olympics.com/eng/sydney/time/timemachine.html

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We have thousands of ideas, all for you!
http://www.theideabox.com

For advertising information, contact David Lester
(972) 429-9636 or david@theideabox.com

Note: All activities within this newsletter and the site,
www.theideabox.com, are to be conducted on appropriate age level and with appropriate adult supervision. Care must also be taken when using any items or ingredients that may cause allergies. Thank you!

This is a search Engine for KIDS. Here is the search for the Olympics. Debra
GREAT search engine for kids.

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/searchkids.pl?searchtype=subject&keywords=Olympics&title=Olympics

History

2007-06-01T09:57:00.001-07:00

Here is Ancient Greece sites. Debra

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/searchkids.pl?searchtype=subject&keywords=Greece+Ancient&title=Greece+(Ancient)

Greeks

2007-06-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/index.html

This one has a diagram of the bones including a place to label bones...
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/skeleton/Labelskeleton.sht
ml

Human Body Links

2007-06-01T09:55:00.001-07:00

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/brain_noSW.html This site has information on parts of the body and is geared towards kids.

http://bart.northnet.com.au/~amcgann/body/ Cool site with worksheets.

http://biology.about.com/library/bldyknowbody.htm Did you know about the human body great for human body book.

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/brain_noSW.html Good site for kids n body.

http://vilenski.com/science/index.html Vertial trip, cartoon of body.

http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp Interactive site of body cool site.

http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/cur/mybody/content.htm#instructional Great unit study on body for little ones.

http://www.geocities.com/itsshasta/anatomy/ Great site for print outs on body.

http://www.studyweb.com/links/880.html Lots of links for human body.

http://school.discovery.com/ Clip art for body book or lap book

http://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html

http://www.healthteacher.com/

Can I Substitute Classic Myths for....

2007-06-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

You really need to use Classic Myths to Read Aloud. It is a required book because all the questions and vocabulary words are taken from it. Sorry, this is one you really shouldn't substitute unless you are prepared to do lots of scrambling.

Each collective myth book not only has different selections, but different versions as well. You would also be missing one of the best things about the Classic Myths book - the author gives a review at the end of each myth on the words that have come to us (that we use every day) from that myth. This was one of the reasons this book was chosen - none of the other books offer this benefit. Russell also gives pronunciations for the difficult names and places covered in each myth.

Aesop's Fables Chart

2007-06-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/FableChart.xls Blank Chart for Aesop's Fable Study

Aesops Fables - online

2007-06-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some Aesop URLs you might find helpful:

http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Den/2768/cha017.html

http://www.pitara.com/folktales/aesops

http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/bl/bl_text_aes

op.htm

http://www.gohotline.com/kids/aesop5.asp

http://egnatia.ee.auth.gr/~bchr/books/Aesop/aesop.html

http://www.angelfire.com/me2/fablefun/

http://www.umass.edu/aesop/

http://www.home.aone.net.au/stories/doc/fables.htm

http://www.literature.org/authors/aesop/fables/

http://www.aalbc.com/Aesops_Fables.htm

http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/
http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/mice.html

Here's a black and white illustration of Aesop's Fable, "The Council of
Mice,"
1969, courtesy of the artist (Jacob Lawrence) and Francine Seders Gallery
http://www.tfaoi.com/am/1am/1am315.jpg

And a modern cartoon type illustration of "The Mice in Council"
http://www.community-mine.com/illustration/animals/mice_in_council.htm

This is an oil painting of Aesop:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4649/aesop.jpg
Diego VELAZQUEZ: Aesop (c. 1639-40)
Oil on canvas, 70 1/2 x 37 in. (179 x 94 cm.) Museo del Prado, Madrid, No.
1207

I had to share these great sites for Aesop's Fables:
http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/ Has 655 fables online, some with
illustrations and some with audio versions.
http://www.hipark.austin.isd.tenet.edu/mythology/aesop_wolf.html Has "The
Boy who cried Wolf" as a play.
http://www.umass.edu/aesop/index.html Has several fables illustrated by art
students at the University of Massachusetts (I'd stick to the traditional
versions rather than their modern versions!).

We do not specify which fables book to buy because so many people have books of fables and fairy tales in their homes already. If you look on page 118 in the book, there are two books that I list that include all the fables that are covered in the Ancient Greece unit. In parentheses there, I tell you that all the fables in this unit are included in these two books. For your convenience, I will list them here:

(1) Aesop. Aesop's Fables. New York: Exeter Books, 1987.
(2) Ash, Russell and Bernard Higton (compilers). Aesop's Fables. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.

I really recommend that you go to the library and check out a few books of fables and I am sure that between two or three of them, you will find everything you need.

I am soooo glad to hear that everything is going so well with your learning adventure!

Dorian

I just printed my Aesop's Fables off the interenet.Saves money!!

Here are a few web sites for Aesop's Fables...

http://www139.pair.com/read/Aesop/Aesops_Fables/

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Den/2768/cha.html

Paper Mache Recipe

2007-06-01T09:49:00.001-07:00

Paper Mache Recipe
Take 1 cup of water. Mix in 1/4 cup flour until it is thin and runny. Stir into 5 cups of lightly boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes gently. Let it cool down before you use it, don't want you to get burned.

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Newspaper
Bowl of water
Nylon Stocking
1/4 c. dry wallpaper paste
1 c. water
Mixing bowl

Tear newspaper into strips. Soak newspaper in water overnight. Pour soaked paper into stocking and wring out. Place paper into bowl. In seperate bowl, mix smooth paste of wallpaper paste and water. Pour some paste over the paper and work it in with your hands, little by little until the paper mache feels like clay. Work around art objects (like a chicken wird frame). This takes a few days to dry...

Clay Project

2007-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

The bottle you use for the clay project will not come out . . . sorry! You could just have your kids form their own vase, bottle, or pot if you can't find a bottle that is the right size or shape for all of your kids. If you do use the bottle, you have to use air-hardening clay, though. Don't bake the clay and the bottle.

I have not had great luck in baking any kind of clay without it cracking, in large projects, that is. The best baking clay I have seen is the Sculpey modeling compound - which doesn't crack when you bake it unless it is a really large object. My friend, Robin, teaches elementary school art and this is what she uses and loves. If you don't use the bottle, you can go ahead and bake your Sculpey vases/pots. In fact, you HAVE to bake it or it won't dry (we tried this and about 5 years later we have a model of a Mesopotamian Ziggurat that is STILL soft!)

Regarding the color, you have seen the reddish colored pots and vases in your books on ancient Greece. I don't know why you couldn't just use any light colored clay and paint it a terra cotta color after it has dried. Then paint a design with black after the terra cotta is completely dry.

I am sure others will help you out in reference to where they got their clay, but if you don't have an arts/crafts store near you, the S & S Worldwide catalog carries clay, as well as all sorts of other WONDERFUL things for homeschooling moms.

S & S Worldwide
PO Box 513
Colchester, CT 06415-0513

1-800-243-9232
http://www.snswwide.com

Dorian

Favorite Books

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Favorites others have used....

Hi all- I found a few books at the library that I'd like to recommend on craft and game ideas for Ancient Egypt. I don't know if these are on the list in the book or not. SPEND THE DAY IN ANCIENT EGYPT Projects and Activities that bring the past to Life. Written by Linda Honan
Egyptians Facts, things to make and activities written by Rachel Wright

How Would You Survive as an Ancient Egyptian? Jacqueline Morley John James (Illustrator) David Salariya (Illustrator)

I read I Am the Mummy...on the list you posted and thought it creepy. I didn't let my girls read it (see my post about "terrified...")

For 5th grade and up I would say as long as your kiddos can handle it. Not grotesque per se, but just creepy. Lots of info though. Scan it first.

My son (8th) has read Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt(landmark book), is currently reading Tales of Ancient Egypt, and will soon start GA Henty's Cat of Bubastas.

My 5th and 3rd grade girls are reading Tut's mummy Lost and Found, a book called Tutkathamen and learned quite a bit about archaeology and excavation.

There is a very interesting book, that I learned about in the Greenleaf catalog. The name of the book is "Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest" It goes into great detail about the archaeological evidence for a much shorter Egyptian History. It is fascinating reading, but it does take some time to get through.

We read this book today and it was great. Wonderful sketches in it that could be copied and colored.

One Day in the Desert by Jean Craighead George

It is 44 pgs long and held the attention of my 2nd grader through my 7th grader

Where to find barley flour?

2007-06-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

If you can find pearl barley or just barley kernels, you could put them in your blender and blend them until they are flour. could take a while, but does work.

By the way, I found barley flour from an Amish co-op near our family farm in the Allegheny mountains. If you cannot find it at a health food store, check with local farmers. I also wonder if you could not just grind barley in a blender. Might be worth a try.

Student Pages Day 29

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www.imelville.com/images/Day29Editing.rtf Uploaded with the Holts' permission

Lapbooks Hebranch2000

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Egyptian Festival Feast

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List of Books - Egypt

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Additional Literature
How many of the following books do you need to check out? We usually check out as many as will fit into a big backpack sometimes more! The following suggested library books will give a good general overview of Ancient Egypt its history and culture, deserts, additional science experiments and art activities. They are SECULAR in nature and must be previewed by a parent! I recommend that you read these books aloud with your children, so you will know exactly what they have read. The religion of Ancient Egypt is stressed more in some than in others, and they may include parts that some may find objectionable. However, it is a GREAT way to teach your child what a wonderful and personal God we serve use it to teach discernment! Check out many of these books if they are available especially if there is a wide age span between your children! You will also want as many as possible for your children to choose from for personal reading time. Just a note about �age-appropriate� materials - just because your children are older does not mean that they do not like to read books for �younger� children. Just because your children are younger does not mean that they won�t also enjoy and benefit from books for �older� children! How would you like it if someone told you that you could not look at attractive books filled with interesting facts and detailed pictures just because you were too old! PLEASE choose a wide variety of books and let your children ENJOY reading and learning! If you are unable to locate one of the listed books and you do not want to purchase books, please substitute another of your choice! The purpose of this list is to help you get started by offering suggestions.

I want to make sure that you understand how a unit study works. It is not like a textbook, wherein you finish a required number of pages and you take a test and then are �finished� with a particular topic. In this approach, when one book is finished, you start another one no two books are identical and you will not only be acquiring new information as you read each additional book, but you will also be reviewing what you already know about the topic! The goal is to read as much as possible about a designated topic until the very end of the unit or longer, which is something we want to teach our children that learning never stops!

Books about Ancient Egypt
Allan, Tony. Time Traveller Book of Pharaohs and Pyramids. London, England: Usborne Publishing Ltd., 1977.
Allard, Denise. The Egyptians. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1997.
Chapman, Gillian. The Egyptians. Des Plaines, IL: Heinemann Interactive Library, 1997.
Coote, Roger. The Egyptians. New York: Thomson Learning, 1993.
David, A. Rosalie. The Egyptian Kingdoms. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1988.
Harris, Geraldine. Cultural Atlas for Young People Ancient Egypt. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
Hart, George. Ancient Egypt (An Eyewitness Book). Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.
Hart, George. Exploring the Past Ancient Egypt. San Diego: Gulliver Books, 1988.
Haslam, Andrew and Alexandra Parsons. Ancient Egypt. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995.
Hodge, Susie. Ancient Egyptian Art. Des Plaines, IL: Heinemann Interactive Library, 1988.
Green, Robert. Tutankhamun. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996.
James, John and Louise. How We Know About the Egyptians. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1997.
Malam, John. Exploring Ancient Egypt. London, England: Evans Brothers Limited, 1997
McNeill, Sarah. Ancient Egyptian People. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, 1996.
McNeill, Sarah. Ancient Egyptian Places. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, 1996.
Millard, Anne. The Egyptians. London, England: MacDonald Educational, 1975.
Morley, Jacqueline. First Facts About the Ancient Egyptians. New York: Peter Bedrick Books.
Payne, Elizabeth. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, 1964.
Rees, Rosemary. The Ancient Egyptians. Crystal Lake, IL: Heinemann Library, 1997.
Robinson, Jr., Charles Alexander. The First Book of Ancient Egypt. New York: Franklin Watts, 1961.
Steed, Miriam. Egyptian Life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1986.
Steedman, Scott. Egyptian Town. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts, MCMXCVII
Terzi, Marinella. The Land of the Pharaohs. Chicago: Children�s Press, 1992.
Van Duyn, Janet. The Egyptians: Pharaohs and Craftsmen. McGraw Hill Book Company.

Books about Deserts
Baker, Lucy. Life in the Deserts. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1990.
Flanagan, Alice K. Desert Birds. (A New True Book). Chicago: Children�s Press, 1996.
Garcia, Eulalia. Camels. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1996.
Gardner, Robert. Science Project Ideas About the Sun. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1997.
George, Michael. Deserts. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1992.
Gibbons, Gail. Deserts. New York: Holiday House, 1996.
KIDS DISCOVER. Magazine. Deserts February 1993.
KIDS DISCOVER. Magazine. Rivers December 1993.
Landau, Elaine. Desert Mammals. Chicago: Children�s Press, 1996.
Larson, Peggy. Life in the Desert. Chicago: Children�s Press, 1967.
Posell, Elsa. Deserts. (A New True Book). Chicago: Children�s Press, 1982.
Rinard, Judith E. Wonders of the Desert World. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1976.
Sabin, Louise. Wonders of the Desert. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1982.
Sayre, April Pulley. Desert. New York: Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.
Starker, Leopold A. The Desert. New York: Time Inc.(Time Life Books Young Reader�s Ed.), 1970.
Steele, Philip. Deserts. Oxford, England: Heinemann Children�s Reference, 1990.
Vogelgesang, Jennifer. Discover Deserts. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International, LTD., 1992.
Wilkes, Angela. Deserts. Usborne Publishing Ltd. 1980.

Optional Books on Related Topics
Ames, Lee J. Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1988.
Bendick, Jean. Egyptian Tombs. New York: Franklin Watts, 1989.
Brandenberg, Aliki. Mummies Made in Egypt. San Francisco: Harper Trophy, 1979.
Clare, John D. Pryamids of Ancient Egypt. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1992.
Coatsworth, Elizabeth. Bess and the Sphinx. New York: Macmillan, 1967.
Cobb, Vicki. Why Doesn�t the Sun Burn Out? Lodestar Books, 1990.
Donnelly, Judy. Tut�s Mummy - Lost . . . and Found. New York: Random House, 1988.
Glubok, Shirley. The Art of Ancient Egypt. New York: Atheneum, 1962.
Hart, Avery and Paul Mantell. Pyramids! Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1997.
Hope, Laura Lee. Mystery of the Missing Mummy. New York: Pocket Books, 1989.
Jessop, Joanne. The X-Ray Picture Book of Big Buildings of the Ancient World. New York: Franklin Watts, 1993.
KIDS DISCOVER. Magazine. Buried Treasure June/July 1994.
KIDS DISCOVER. Magazine. Pyramids Premiere Issue.
Macaulay, David. Pyramid. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975.
Macaulay, David. The Way Things Work. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
Mann, Elizabeth. The Great Pyramid. New York: Mikaya Press, 1996.
Martell, Hazel. The Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World. New York: Kingfisher, 1995.
McGregor, Miss Pickerell Goes on a Dig. New York: McGraw Hill, 1966.
Millard, Anne. Pyramids. New York: Kingfisher, 1996.
Milton, Joyce. Secrets of the Mummies. Random House, 1984.
Morley, Jacqueline. An Egyptian Pyramid. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1991.
Perl, Lila. Mummies, Tombs, and Treasures. Clarion Books, 1987.
Putnam, James. Mummy. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1993.
Reeves, Nicholas. Into the Mummies Tomb. Toronto, Ontario: Madison Press Books, 1992.
Stanley, Diane. Cleopatra. New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1994.
Stuart, Gene S. Secrets from the Past. National Geographic Society.
Wood, Tim. Ancient Wonders. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.

The following books are from the adult section of the library. There are some EXCELLENT books for older children as well as some oversize ones with OUTSTANDING pictures of Ancient Egypt and Egypt today. Again, you will have to use parental discretion. Two in particular are:
Grosvenor, Gilbert M. Ancient Egypt. Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 1978. (Oversize)
Newby, P.H. (Text), and Fred J. Maroon (Photographs). The Egypt Story. New York: American Heritage Publishing. (Oversize)
Books about Passover
Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Passover. New York: Holiday House, 1982.
Drucker, Malka. Passover, a Season of Freedom. New York: Holiday House, 1981.
Fishman, Cathy Goldberg. On Passover. New York: Atheneum Books, 1997.
Galbreath, Naomi. The Story of Passover for Children. Chicago: Children�s Press, 1984.
Manushkin, Fran. Miriam�s Cup. New York: Scholastic Press, 1998.
Newman, Leslie. Matzo Ball Moon. New York: Clarion Books, 1998.
Sherman, Ori. The Four Questions. New York: Dial Books, 1989.
Simon, Norma. Passover. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1965.

Passover Videos
Hanukkah/Passover - Holidays for Children Video Series. Schlesinger Video Productions, 1994.
The Ten Commandments.

Books and Activities from Christian Homeschool Catalogs
There are numerous books and activities available through the Christian Homeschool Catalogs listed in the introduction of this book. Below are some of their resources that apply to the unit on Ancient Egypt. They are listed alphabetically by title, and the author and publisher are given where that information is available. Please see individual catalog(s) for descriptions, details and prices.

Audobon Society Pocket Guides: Familiar Cacti
Audobon Society Pocket Guides: Reptiles and Amphibians
Ancient Egypt (The Nature Company)
�The Ancient Egypt Explorer�s Kit�
�Ancient Egypt Treasure Chest� Activity Kit
�Color Your Own Papyrus� Activity Kit
�Ancient Egyptian Fashions Coloring Book�
�A Coloring Book of Ancient Egypt� (Bellerophon)
Croco�Nile by Roy Gerrard
Egypt: BBC Fact Finders by Steve and Patricia Harrison
The Egyptian Echo (Usborne)
Egyptian Funeral Boat (British Museum Model)
The Egyptian News by Scott Steedman
�Egyptian Punch-Out Mummy Case� (Dover Press)
�The Egyptian Pyramid� (The Nature Company)
Egyptian Temple Sticker Book by A.G. Smith
The Egyptians Pop-Up Activity Book by Anne Wild
The Egyptians (Oxford University Press)
�Fun with Hieroglyphics� Activity Kit (New York Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Growing Up in Ancient Egypt by Rosalie David
�Hieroglyphs Stencil Book�
�Into the Land of Egypt� Game
�Life in Ancient Egypt Coloring Book�
�Make History: Ancient Egypt�
Make it Work! Ancient Egypt (World Book Encyclopedia)
�Make This Model Egyptian Mummy� (Usborne)
�Make This Egyptian Temple� (Usborne)
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
�Mummies� kit (Running Press)
�Onto the Desert� (Game of Desert Life Survival)
Pharoahs and Kings: A Biblical Quest by David M. Rohl
�Pyramid Action Pack� Activity Kit
�Queen Nefertiti Coloring Book� (Bellerophon)
Ramses the Great (Bellerophon)
The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin
�Senet Game� (Northwest Corner)
The Ultimate Ancient Egypt Sticker Book
What Do We Know About the Egyptians? by Joanna Defrates
Who Built the Pyramids? by Chisholm and Struan Reid
Young Scientist Book of Archaeology (Usborne)

Ideas and More Learning Adventures for Further Enjoyment and Extended Study
� Videos - Many libraries have an excellent selection of videos in documentary form, as well as historical dramas, etc. on a variety of topics. Check with your library and take advantage of this wonderful resource! Please be advised, once again, that the vast majority will be secular and evolutionary in nature, so use parental discretion. PBS Home Video has a great selection. You can reach them in Alexandria, VA at 1-800-645-4727 or www.shop.pbs.com.
� Children�s Museums call the nearest one to you and see if they have anything pertaining to Ancient Egypt or The Desert. Exhibits change periodically, so continue to call and take a field trip day if something interests you!
� Magazines and Old Catalogs Get these at yard sales if you can, or sometimes at library sales, they go for a dime each. The BEST ones are National Geographic, National Wildlife, Our Big Backyard, and Ranger Rick. (These might be more difficult to find at library sales.) They have WONDERFUL pictures of wildlife. I keep a picture file and pull out the ones that apply to each unit as it approaches kids just love examining them. You can cut up magazines to make booklets about wildlife, nutrition, and other topics, and use them in a variety of other projects.
� Jigsaw Puzzles Keep an eye out for good jigsaw puzzles especially animal or nature themes. Try keeping one out on the table all the time (if you have a card table or an extra table) as a family project. They are wonderful to use during reading time to keep hands busy, but minds alert on the story. Try yard sales for these, too.
� Research the lives of two famous pharaohs write a report comparing and contrasting their personalities and styles of leadership.
� Research the Exodus which route did the Israelites take? Draw a map of possible routes and write a paper including supporting evidence.
� Study more about the Nile and other rivers of the world river life, features, longest, etc.
� Do more research about the Rosetta Stone how it was found how the code was broken, etc.

Supplies Needed for the Ancient Egypt Unit
Required, suggested, and optional books of your choice, personal reading books check books and other resources out of the library, or purchase your own as needed and desired.
Day 1 - plums, melons, pomegranates, dates, figs, apples, grape juice, books on ancient Egypt and deserts
Day 2 globe, world atlas
Day 3 - colored pencils, hand mirror
Day 4 - large pan 13�X 9� X 3� (1 per child or 1 per family) strong aluminum foil, map of Egypt, sand, grass seed, potting soil, rocks, pebbles
Day 7 - 1 cup barley flour (buy at health food store), 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon oil
Day 8 - 2 small shiny tin cans, flat black paint, paintbrush, thermometer (one that will measure a wide range of temperatures not an oral thermometer)
Day 9 - 8� of long fresh or dried grass (per child), string, scissors
Day 10 The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, 2 clear jars of the same size, aluminum foil, lego blocks blocks - or cans for building a pyramid
Day 12 house-plant with leaves, plastic sandwich bag, scotch tape
Day 13 honey, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger (and other baking staples)
Day 15 1 cup dry lentils, 2 cloves garlic, � t. crushed fennel seeds (if desired)
Day 16 world map or globe, shoe-box lid (or a similar size box for each child), non-stick cooking spray, plaster, white vinegar, sandpaper, nail, tempera or watercolor paint
Day 22 roll of newsprint for mural
Day 23 paintbrushes, tempera paint, fruit with colored juice and chalk for crushing and making paints
Day 25 1 cup honey (and other baking staples)
Day 27 poster-board, barley, onions, 1 lb. ground beef, mushrooms (if desired), (other cooking staples), glove, coarse leaves or grass, short lengths of thick rope, tempera paints
Day 28 props and costumes for plays (towels, sheets, basket and doll for Baby Moses scene), tape, scissors, cardboard
Day 30 see Day 30 for ingredients you will need for the foods you choose to serve at your Passover Celebration

Psalm 24

2007-06-01T09:39:00.001-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/Psalm24A.doc Psalm 24 - Page 1 - Fill in the blank - EASY
www.imelville.com/images/Psalm24B.doc Psalm 24 - Page 2 - Cut and paste in correct order
www.imelville.com/images/Psalm24C.doc Psalm 24 - Page 3 - Fill in the blanks - harder - for an older student
www.imelville.com/images/Psalm24D.doc Psalm 24 - Page 4 - Fill in the blanks - harder - for a younger student

Family Tree - 12 Tribes of Israel

2007-06-01T09:38:00.001-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/12tribes.doc
www.imelville.com/images/12tribes.pub

Proof Noah's Flood Really Occurred?

2007-06-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Proof Noah's Flood Really Occurred?
Hundreds of feet below the Black Sea, American explorers led by Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard have found ancient signs of human habitation--habitation that existed before all life was killed from a catastrophic flood that occurred some 7,500 years ago. Remember Noah and the
Ark in the Book of Genesis? The scientists think the building they have found in the depths of the sea is linked to this biblical story. About 310 feet below the sea's surface, the National Geographic expedition found a "rectangular structure," which they think may have been a building from the Neolithic bronze age. "We now know people were living on that surface when
that event (the big flood) took place because we are now finding evidence of human habitation," said Ballard. "This is an incredible find. It's clear a vast amount of real estate is under water and that a vast amount of people were living around the Black Sea." He says the finding is far more
significant than his Titanic discovery in 1985. "Our job is to find as many structures as we can, to explore them and to see what they tell us about the people that lived here and present that to the world and let the world draw it's own conclusions," he said. But IS it Noah's flood that destroyed this land? Ballard says it's too soon to make a definitive link, but he admits, "We are testing that theory and so far we have not found any holes in it."
--Cathryn Conroy

Moses - Plagues Chart

2007-06-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the Plagues Chart is for the children to get an overall view of exactly what happened and how God used each plague to demonstrate His Power to the Egyptians. I LOVE posters and charts as learning tools - they are different ways of looking at a topic and by making their own charts, I think the children also become more comfortable in reading and interpreting
charts they see in their reading or in everyday life. I tried to provide the answers that were not in the Bible, but I tried to leave room for investigation in the Bible on the part of the student for the rest - that is why I provided all the answers for the first plague (as an example) on page
101- and then started to let you go on your own for the rest. I'm sorry if I confused you or caused frustration - I didn't mean to! Really, the warnings column is very simple - just listing to whom and where the warnings were given - or noting if there was no warning given at all. I will add the answers behind the warning column instructions in parentheses in all future additions so that this won't confuse anyone else.

This is why we are so glad to be printing the book ourselves at this point - any questions or concerns raised by the group can be addressed (changed if necessary) immediately. You guys are like our "focus group" - there, does that make you feel important? (Well, at least it's better than being called guinea pigs!)

For your convenience, following are the detailed warning column answers for each plague. In parentheses behind each are the words you may want to add to the chart (the "answers"). Otherwise, you can summarize with your children and add your own words.

Plague One - Comes from Exodus 7:15-18, when God tells Moses to go and warn Pharaoh in the morning, when he is going out to the Nile. Pharaoh is warned that if he does not let the Israelites go, the Nile River will be turned to blood, the fish will die and the people will not be able to drink
the water. (Warning given to Pharaoh at the Nile in the morning - Exodus 7:15-1

Plague Two - Comes from Exodus 8:1-4, when God tells Moses to go to Pharaoh - the Bible doesn't say, but we can infer that Pharaoh would be in his palace at this time - and warn him that if he does not let the Israelites go, God will send a plague of frogs. (Warning given to Pharaoh, probably at the palace - Exodus 8:1-4)

Plague Three - No warning is given for this plague at all - Notice in Exodus 8:16, the Lord tells Moses to stretch out his staff, strike the dust, and it will become gnats. (No warning given)

Plague Four - Comes from Exodus 8:20-23, when the Lord tells Moses to go and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the Nile in the morning. If Pharaoh does not let the Israelites go, he is warned that a plague of flies will be sent. (Warning given to Pharaoh, in the morning at the Nile - Exodus 8:20-23)

Plague Five - Comes from Exodus 9:1-5, when the Lord tells Moses to go to Pharaoh - again, probably in his palace since it is not specified - and warn him that if he does not let the Isrealites go, a terrible plague will be sent upon the livestock - all livestock belonging to Egyptians will die.
(Warning given to Pharaoh, probably at the palace - Exodus 9:1-5)

Plague Six - No warning is given for this plague either - Notice in Exodus 9:8-10, the Lord tells Moses to take handfuls of soot and toss it into the air in Pharaoh's presence - and it will immediately become a plague of boils - Pharaoh is not given a warning - Moses just carries out the Lord's commands. (No warning given)

Plague Seven - Comes from Exodus 9:13-19, when the Lord tells Moses to go to Pharaoh early in the morning and warn Pharaoh - probably at the palace - that if he does not let the Israelites go, a plague of hail will be sent. (Warning given to Pharaoh, early in the morning, probably at the palace - Exodus 9:13-19)

Plague Eight - Comes from Exodus 10:1-6, when the Lord tells Moses to go to Pharaoh once again - probably at the palace - and warn Pharaoh that if he does not let the Israelites go, a plague of locusts will be sent. (Warning given to Pharaoh, probably at the palace - Exodus 10:1-6)

Plague Nine - No warning is given for this plague. Notice in Exodus 10:21-22, the Lord tells Moses to stretch out his hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt. Pharaoh is not given a warning - Moses just carries out the Lord's commands. (No warning given)

Plague Ten - Comes from Exodus 11:4-8, when Moses delivers the Lord's message to Pharaoh. It is a warning of the plague to come - the death of the firstborn in Egypt. (Warning given to Pharaoh, probably at the palace - Exodus 11:4-

Hope this helps!

By the way, I am just finishing a Scope and Sequence for A World of Adventure. There will be three versions available for those of you who need to comply with state or umbrella school standards and must turn in plans for the year. The longest version is for those who need to have a detailed (and I mean DETAILED) daily plan - it is 33 pages long - so please be sure that this is the version you need if you request it! It includes a daily breakdown with everything that is covered each day, including lists of spelling, vocabulary words and topical terms in all other subjects. The second Scope and Sequence is a unit breakdown and is categorized by subject
so the school will be able to see at a glance what is covered in each unit by subject - spelling, vocabulary words, and terms are included in this one as well. The third Scope and Sequence will be more brief and will give a unit breakdown that is categorized by subjects but does NOT include any specific spelling, vocabulary words or terms. If you live in one of the states that require plans to be turned in - let us know. The Daily Scope and Sequence is finished, the Unit Scope and Sequence and the shorter version of the Unit Scope and Sequence are not done yet, but will be very shortly. John and I have to discuss exactly how these will be made available. We MAY put the Unit versions out on the e-group so they will be archived and easily used by any of you, but the longer Daily Scope and Sequence is so detailed that it will only be available to those who have purchased our book - and upon request only. We will be in touch with you very soon on the availability of the Unit versions. I hope one of the three of these will help many of you as well.

Dorian

Coloring Pages

2007-06-01T09:35:00.002-07:00

This is a great site that has lessons and a coloring page for items that go along with what we study. The second page is the coloring page of each lesson, so to print only it maybe for your younger kids to do while you read, just select print current page, instead of all 8 or whatever. I just printed some coloring pages, but it looks great! We just got the new Veggie Tale Video so I printed of Queen Esther. There are many of Joseph and Jacob going to Egypt, etc

http://www.calvarychapel.org/children/site/curriculum.htm

September 28, 2000 - events of Joseph

2007-06-01T09:35:00.001-07:00

The events of the story of Joseph were NOT meant to be written by memory. It would be difficult to remember them all - and it is important for the children to learn to refer to the story and follow the correct sequence. The focus of this writing activity is to get your children to think
sequentially about the events in the story, to be able to prioritize and use discrimination in deciding whether an event is important enough to include in a summary, and then to list them in the correct order. All of these things are "pre-writing" skills that children have to learn and be
comfortable with before they begin actually writing a summary paragraph. The goal is to just GET THEM WRITING. Copying my paragraph and cutting apart the sentences and playing a sequence game with them is an excellent sequence activity, but in this case it's the WRITING part that we need to see them doing. We don't want to get off track, even if it is on another learning activity. IF your daughter has a VERY difficult time listing the events - try having her list them verbally and you write them down - work on this together and refer to the Bible as necessary. You may have her simply copy my paragraph if she is really struggling with writing on her own, but it would be better to have her at least try on her own first. Also - copying a passage from a book or from the Bible in another case might work very well, but in this particular instance, it is a SUMMARY that we are looking for and in writing the whole passage out - she will not have learned about summarizing her thoughts and writing them out as pertains to the story. Learning to make a distinction between what is important enough to include in a summary and what is not - is difficult for children to understand. They need to practice in doing it or they will not be good at it - and that is one of the goals of this exercise. The reason I really favor having the children write lists is that it not only helps them organize their thoughts and think about they want to say, but when it comes time to actually write it all out - no child will EVER have to say," I don't know what to write" because they will have a list of things to say RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM! (By the way, if I had a nickel for everytime I heard the phrase, "I don't know what to write!" from both children and adults - my own son being, at one time, the worst offender - I'd be a rich woman.) That's why I like lists!

Dorian

Passover / 10 Plagues Activities

2007-06-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

Ten days before the Passover begins, do something in your home to represent each on of the 10 plagues. Here are some examples:

1. Nile waters turning to blood - put red food coloring in the water glasses at the dinner table, in the bathroom sinks, in the dog's water bowl, and anywhere else you can think of.

2. Frogs - use green construction paper to cut out roundish frogs with thin green legs. Bend the legs to make the frogs look as if they are jumping. Put them everywhere, in cereal boxes, in the shower, refrigerator, drawers, etc.

3. Lice - Use a hole punch to make many small white "dots" out of plain white paper. Scotch tape them on your body and leave them on for a few hours. The appearance and irritation will make you think of itching lice.

4. Flies - Use clear scotch tape to tape small "dots" of black construction paper in different areas of the house, the windows, the bathroom mirrors, etc.

5. Disease afflicting the Egyptian livestock - put stuffed animals in different areas of the house, upside down.

6. Boils - Use a hole punch to make many small red dots out of red construction paper (or cut out circles). Cover each other with boils by scotch taping them to your body and leave them on for a few hours. The appearance and irritation will make you think of boils.

7. Hailstorm - Put ice cubes around the outside of your house, the porch areas and on the outside of window sills.

8. Locusts - Use brown construction paper to cut out oval-looking locusts. Put them everywhere as you did the frogs (you'll even think of some new places to surprise your family).

9. Darkness - Tape brown paper bags over all the windows, draw all draperies to keep it dark in the daytime, or don't run on any lights in the evening.

10. Death of firstborn - Put red ribbon on the sides and top of door post of your house to avoid the death plague. When the neighbors ask what the ribbon is for you can witness to them!

Heiroglyphs

2007-06-01T09:33:00.003-07:00

http://www2/torstar.com/rom/egypt/sentocar.html a fun site that translates your words into heiroglyphics.

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/cartouche/cartouche.html Make Your Own Cartouche Harcourt Brace Social Studies See how the Egyptians wrote the names of their famous pharoahs and then type your own name into the "cartouche maker" and see how it would look if it
were written in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Math

2007-06-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

I was browsing one of the general Egypt sites that has been posted
and came across this Egyptian Math site. We are going to do this for
our math tomorrow. It looks really fun for the kids.

http://www.eyelid.co.uk/numbers.htm

Arts & Crafts / Activities

2007-06-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

www.redshift.com/%7Ebonajo/art_history.htm

Chronological art lessons for art history

http://members.aol.com/WERedu/PlanEg1.html Papyrus (Egypt) - Illustrated student hand-outs, and project ideas for teaching about making papyrus, the paper of the ancient Egyptian

http://www.artswire.org/kenroar/lessons/elem/EgyptianProfiles.htm

Egyptian Profile Portraits (art unit, 3-4 days)

http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/newegypt/htm/a_index.htm
Looking at Ancient Egyptian Art (MetMuseum)

http://www.touregypt.net/kids/
Color Me Egypt - Click on an image to print an Egyptian picture to color. Students color pyramids, pharoahs, and more

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3055/w_ideas_egypt.html
Egypt Ideas - Five printable dittos and directions for a study of Ancient Egypt. You can print out a pyramid pattern, hieroglyphics translation wheel, Egyptian coffin, bingo study guide, or bingo game sheets

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/socst/Watson.

Egyptian Art Students attempt to simulate the art of the Egyptians in this lesson plan which involves extensive Internet research. This plan is best for middle school students.

I also found an egyptian screen saver site...it's pretty cool. My son helped me download it to our computer today...The site also has alot of other great stuff. The web site is
www.descoveringegypt.com

Here are coloring sheets for Egypt.Debra

http://touregypt.net/kids/

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/trinity/projects/egypt/clipart.html"

Lesson Plans / Misc

2007-06-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

http://members.aol.com/DonnandLee/index.html Full lesson plans, maps, games, quizzes - a loaded site

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3924/ Egyptian Explorers

http://users.massed.net/~mdurant/AncientEgyptWebquest.htm elementary and middle students can now enjoy locating information on Ancient Egypt! Learn about Ancient Egyptian daily life, Egyptian mummies, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, King Tut (Tutankhamen), Egyptian games, and Archeology.

http://www.edcoe.k12.ca.us/egypt.html This Internet-based activity was developed by Gail Desler, Placerville, California and her grade six students. There are many links to online
resources as well as interesting questions.

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/egypt/start.html
An Egyptian Scavenger Hunt and an Interactive Story Students from San Diego State University's Isis Productions in conjunction with a class of Grade 6 students have designed and
published an elaborate adventure game about Ancient Egypt entitled Hatshepsut's Revenge

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4368/
Ancient Egypt - games and timeline

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/egypt/hunt/EgyptHunt.html
Egyptian Scavenger Hunt

http://157.182.12.132/omdp/Jami/htm/lesplan.htm
ANCIENT EGYPT LESSON PLANS

http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Egypt.htm
Collaborative Thematic Unit

http://www.educast.com/arc/lp/soc/9711037o.html
Social Studies 7-12 About the Nile

http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/fairytales/Egypt.html
EGYPTIAN FAIRY TALE

http://webtest.ousd.k12.ca.us/cvf/curric_library/egypt/egypt_index.html
Ancient Egypt

http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/egypt/egcivile.html
Egyptian Civilization
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/egypt/egedu1e.html
Teachers Guide

http://www.primenet.com/~kjohnson/index.html
Great Pyramid Mystery Solved!

http://www.kent.wednet.edu/curriculum/soc_studies/Egypt/egypt.html
lesson plans

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/subjects/ancienthistory.html
Lesson Plans (7-12

http://pw2.netcom.com/~rajean/students.html

http://www.ttl98.dsu.edu/crawform/
Ancient Egypt Thematic Unit - An integrated unit with lessons, centers, weblinks, and printables

http://www.ttl98.dsu.edu/crawform/
Ancient Egypt Thematic Unit - An integrated unit with lessons, centers, weblinks, and printables

http://www.touregypt.net/kids/
Color Me Egypt - Click on an image to print an Egyptian picture to color. Students color pyramids, pharoahs, and more

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/3055/w_ideas_egypt.html
Egypt Ideas - Five printable dittos and directions for a study of Ancient Egypt. You can print out a pyramid pattern, hieroglyphics translation wheel, Egyptian coffin, bingo study guide, or bingo game sheets

http://web.stclair.k12.il.us/goals2000/f01.html
15 days of lesson plans for 6th grade

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Exhibitions/Egypt/discover/teacher.htm
Egypt, Gift of the Nile Lesson Plan You can download the entire Curriculum Resource Unit as a
Microsoft Word document. This document comes complete with introduction, methodology,
lesson plans, maps, and images. If you are on a PC and do not have Microsoft word, you can view and print the document using Word converter program from the Microsoft web site.

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/socst/Watson.
Egyptian Art Students attempt to simulate the art of the Egyptians in this lesson plan
which involves extensive Internet research. This plan is best for middle school students.

http://www.geocities.com/goofylawrence/links.html

Here are some links for Egypt.

http://killeenroos.com/link/anchist.htm

Be prepared to spend some time surfing!

http://www.fcps.edu/OakViewES/harris/96-97/agespages/egypt/links-egypt.html

Pyramids / Pharoahs

2007-06-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/ 7 Ancient World Wonders

Tour of the Great Pyramid

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/khufuenter.html

Pyramids & Pharoahs

Here's another site I just found (it was listed on the Well Trained Mind board).

http://www.eyelid.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.nikolai.com/rumpusrm/practivities/activity.asp?title=Mazes%3A+Pyramid&img=pyramid.gif
Pyramid Maze - A printable maze of a pyramid for your students to solve and color. Egyptian art, symbols, and heiroglyphs decorate the page

http://members.aol.com/crakkrjack/index.html
The Tomb of the The Chihuahua Pharaohs We found this site invaluable in preparing our web
projects. In addition to excellent clip art and fascinating information about mummification and
archeology, there is an list of links to relevant Egyptian sites for both students and teachers.

http://www.seaworld.org/Egypt/egypt.html
Egypt, Land of the Pharaohs. The name inspires awe and wonder. Archaeologists have studied the remains of Egyptian civilzation for more than a century. They have uncovered many wonderful treasures and artifacts that have given us a glmpse of the lives of the ancient Egyptians. Many questions are yet to be answered. These we leave up to you, the archaeologists of the future.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/egypt/
At the Tomb of Tutankhamen

http://mag-nify.educ.monash.edu.au/FrontPageSchools/tour14.html
In Search of Tut (Front Page Schools)

http://www.guardians.net/egypt/tut1.htm
King Tut

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/socst/Watson.html/Watson.html
Tutankhamen's Gift (lesson ideas and links)

http://wcvt.com/~tiggr/index.html
Mr. Pitonyak's Pyramid Puzzle Math

http://www.rialto.k12.ca.us/frisbie/mathfair/pyramid2.html
Building a pyramid (paper) math lesson

http://socialstudies.com/c/@IhFkbSfwKqRqg/Pages/article.html?article@temple+

af@donn

Temple & Funerary Architecture (lesson with worksheet)

http://www.primenet.com/~kjohnson/index.html
Great Pyramid Mystery Solved!

http://www.touregypt.net/kids/
Color Me Egypt - Click on an image to print an Egyptian picture to color. Students color pyramids, pharoahs, and more

Here is a great site that is interactive, there is also a pyramid link

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/

Wheel of Pharoah

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/wheelofpharaoh/index.html

* Valley of the Kings *
http://www.friesian.com/tombs.htm
When we think archaeology, often times the first thing to pop into our minds is ancient Egypt. Take a look at Egyptian Royal Tombs of the New Kingdom. This site, optimized for fast loading, has lots of diagrams of tombs that have been excavated and mapped. See what's inside those
pyramids, what Tutankhamen's burial place looked like, and more. Rated G

http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2499.html

http://www.museumofman.org/

Deserts

2007-06-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi, just wanted to share this with you all. This site has printouts for all kinds of animals. There is a labeled outline drawing and very nice descriptions. Just passing it along.

Click here: Desert Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com

http://www.allaboutnature.com/biomes/desert/desert.shtml

http://wdgdst68.dupage.k12.il.us/jefferson/projects/project2/project2.htm

http://www.edgamesandart.com/desertslinks.html

http://horizon.nmsu.edu/ddl/kids.html

http://www.penguinputnam.com/prince/excerpts/colorex.htm

http://mickster.got.net/anc/oegypt.htm

http://interoz.com/egypt/kids/

http://guardians.net/egypt/kids/index.htm

http://www.connectingstudents.com/themes/egypt.htm

http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/stennille/ST3/desertwq.htm
This project has several links to desert sites, and some teaching ideas. Check the homepage, too.

We checked out the book Deserts by Seymour Simon. It has a great world map as the inside cover and has major deserts highlighted! It even has Turkestan!
The card cat. # 551.415 Simon
isbn 0-688-074154

http://arthur.k12.il.us/arthurgs/deslile.htm

I THINK THE DESERT NEEDS THE ANIMALS TO FEED ON PLANTS TO KEEP OTHER ANIMALS ALIVE!DESERTS ALSO NEED THE SKY SO ANIMALS CAN SLEEP IN THE DAY AND HUNT IN THE NIGHT!
BUT ONLY THE MEAT EATERS HUNT AT NIGHT,BUT ANIMALS THAT EAT OFF PLANTS CAN CONTINUE!

I think that the desert needs the animals to feed on the plants to keep them alive. Deserts also need the sky to let the animals sleep in the day and hunt in the night. But only the meat eaters hunt at night ,but there is a couple of animals that arent. The animals that live in the desert need water they get the water from the catis. I would live in the desert but it would be very hot.

MAPS

2007-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

http://members.aol.com/DonnandLee/index.html Full lesson plans, maps, games, quizzes - a loaded site

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Exhibitions/Egypt/discover/teacher.htm
Egypt, Gift of the Nile Lesson Plan You can download the entire Curriculum Resource Unit as a
Microsoft Word document. This document comes complete with introduction, methodology,
lesson plans, maps, and images. If you are on a PC and do not have Microsoft word, you can view and print the document using Word converter program from the Microsoft web site.

http://multimedia2.freac.fsu.edu/fga/maps.html

http://geography.miningco.com/science/geography/msub37.htm

Many, many maps at the above sites. The first site has maps in PDF format.......scroll down to where it says "Ancient Civilizations".......you will find a map of Egypt there.

Hope you find what you are looking for. The second site has maps galore......look on the lefthand of the page......there are tons of choices for maps.

http://touregypt.net/maps.htm

http://geography.about.com/science/geography/msub37.htm

http://www.guardians.net/egypt/map_of_egypt.htm

This link shows everything Dorian said to mark.

About.com has lots of good maps, but they are modern maps:
http://www.geography.about.com/science/geography/library/maps/blindex.htm

There's a map of ancient Egypt here:
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/single_image/0,5716,3827+asmbly%255Fid,00.html

and here:
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/INFO/MAP/SITE/Egypt_Site_150dpi.html

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Pond/5526/Maps.html

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Sparta/4692/StateOutlineMaps.html

http://geography.about.com/science/geography/msub37.htm

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/main.html

http://geography.miningco.com/science/geography/msub37.htm

http://www.execulink.com/~wblank/keyway07.htm

Mummies

2007-06-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.tpt.org/newtons/13/mummy.html
Newton's Apple Mummies - Students mummify apples using epsom salts, table salt, and baking soda. Information and extension activities are provided

http://www.ktca.org/newtons/13/mummy.html
An excellent activity you can do on your own or as a class to mummify an apple using various salt compounds for drying. (The experiment is at the bottom so be certain to scroll down!

http://www.cargillsalt.com/sfbay/KP_mummy.html
Make a mummy with a Cornish Hen
http://www.jamesmdeem.com/chicken.htm
another method

http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/MummyCrazy/pathfinder1.html
Mummy Crazy (make lifesize mummies quickly)

http://www.utah.edu/umfa/container.html
The Mummy's Tomb: An Ideal Hope Chest!

Desert Bingo

2007-06-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

Fun way to review desert vocabulary

www.imelville.com/images/DesertBingo.doc
www.imelville.com/images/DesertBingo.pdf

Desert Booklet

2007-06-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/DesertAnimalsForm.rtf
www.imelville.com/images/DesertAnimalsForm.wpd
www.imelville.com/images/DesertFactsPage.rtf
www.imelville.com/images/DesertFactsPage.wpd
www.imelville.com/images/DesertPeopleForm.rtf
www.imelville.com/images/DesertPeopleForm.wpd
www.imelville.com/images/DesertPlantsForm.rtf
www.imelville.com/images/DesertPlantsForm.wpd

Desert Maps

2007-06-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

www.imelville.com/images/AnswerDesertMap.doc Answers to Desert Map
www.imelville.com/images/Deserts.jpg Blank desert map (shows deserts but not countries)
www.imelville.com/images/LabelDesertMap.doc Desert Map

Turkistan Desert

2007-06-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

I found the information about the Turkistan Desert in a children's book called Discover Deserts, by Jennifer Vogelgesang (HTS Books, 1992). It says that their are five major deserts in Asia - they are:

Arabian
Iranian
Thar (in India)
Gobi (in China and Mongolia)
Turkistan (in central Asia)

However, it seems that deserts (like so many other things in the realm of "world knowledge") are classified in many different ways. When I was researching for AWOA, I found that there were SO MANY inconsistencies in information! One book would say that there were X number of deserts and another would list a different number. I found the same thing with oceans and with so many other topics. It seems that there is nothing certain "under the sun!" Different scholars disagree on the classification systems, I guess. It is in an historical and geographical region known as Turkistan (named for the many Turkic nationalities that live in this area). This is the area including Middle Asia and Kazakhstan. To find it - find the area directly south of the Tien Shan Mountain Range (look about 600 miles north of the Himalayan Range). Deserts - like mountain ranges - often cross borders and are not "considerate" enough to help geography students by staying within one country!!!

I hope none of you were too frustrated in not being able to find it - but just think about how much you and your children learned about other geographical landmarks while searching (endlessly) for it! I was concerned about the name "Turkistan" because of the fact that some of the countries (especially in this area of the world) change names of their cities, geographical landmarks, and even country names on practically a daily basis - especially since the changeover from the former Soviet Union.

Dorian

Websites

2007-06-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

great Science website
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html

Golden Goblet

2007-06-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Excerpts, recommendations, reviews....

Here is the first paragraph from the Golden Goblet:

"The stream of molten gold flowed smoothly from the crucible, reflecting in its surface the cloudless blue of the Egyptian sky. The boy Ranofer slowly tightened his grip on the two stones between which he held the crucible as he tilted it farther and farther, devotion in every careful
movement of his hands and bare brown shoulders. Presently the last drop of flame-colored liquid had run without splash or bubble into the hollowed stone."

(kind of makes you want to read more, huh? Just to find out what's going on!)

import/export map day 16

2007-06-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

Early History

2007-06-01T09:11:00.001-07:00

Early history is fascinating!

Regarding the timing of the flood and ancient Egypt, my personal belief is that the old kingdom of Egypt is post flood. I don't believe the pyramids could have survived the flood. The Bible says the per flood world was erased.

Many secular archaeologists stretch their timeline. Remember, they have millions and billions of years that they are trying to account for. So, they miss it by a thousand years or so. What's that to them? I believe many of them stretch the old kingdom to earlier than it actually was. But that's just my opinion.

The timeline on page 50 was about the best I could do from *many* trusted sources. None of them agree entirely, so you are left trying to sort it out for yourself based on much reading of good sources.

I would love to see timelines from all of you, especially as to how you handle the 2500 BC to 1800 BC era, a fascinating period!

John

Land of Punt / copper / pomengranates

2007-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

(1.) The mysterious Land of Punt is apparently modern-day Somalia and Ethiopa - you should learn this in almost any library book you are reading on Ancient Egypt. You will not find it on a modern map though - it is an ancient term for a land that the Egyptians considered "far away and mysterious" - that's why it was such a big deal when Queen Hatshepsut's trading expedition brought back all those "exotic" goods. You should find it labeled on a map of ancient Egypt in your ancient Egypt library books, but not in any modern sources. This is a great learning adventure for your kids - to locate a mysterious land of long ago that is no longer there.

(2.) I looked in my sources about Egypt, but since I am literally peeking out of the middle of a GIANT stack of books on Jamestown, the Pilgrims, and American Colonial Days - I don't have the sources on ancient Egypt that I want at my fingertips right now. But, apparently, ancient Egyptians both exported and imported copper (just like the USA both imports and exports
cars). If you had to choose, it would seem to me that they probably exported more copper than they imported. It is hard to know, too - sometimes the name is misleading - for example, perhaps they were talking about raw copper vs. finished copper and copper products, etc. There must have been adequate information in my notes regarding it being both - otherwise I would not have included it as both an export and an import, but if someone can prove me wrong and REALLY back that up with TONS of evidence - I will change it. This is another GREAT learning adventure - discuss which products the USA imports AND exports - there are a lot of examples!

(3.) The pomegranate seeds are the things that people usually eat. I think the white part that surrounds them is used to make juice, but We have never actually eaten it. It is a fruit that you would normally pick out the seeds in order to eat them instead of peeling it and then eating like an orange with the white part and everything. Julie - can you confirm this or let us know what the real story is on this? (Julie lived in Greece for a while and is a "pomegranate expert" - she also has 6 kids - four of which are kindergarten-age QUADRUPLETS!)

Dorian

How to make an Egyptian Instrument - Sistrum

2007-06-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

Mummies

2007-06-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

I have this neat book by Klutz that is called Artrageous Projects. In it was the following project.

Mummify Queen Shopsalot

1. Find a doll (Barbie) who is willing to cooperate. (Tell her not to worry. The reward is eternal life.)

2. Wash very carefully. Rub lightly with perfumed oil. Sprinkle with salt. We won't bother removing the internal organs or the brain (the manufacturer has already done that).

3. Include some of her favorite jewelry and begin the wrapping process. Again we will skip the 70 days of drying. If you don't have any linen, don't worry. We just used high quality paper wrap. (toilet paper)

5. Finish wrapping. Paint a face. It doesn't have to look like her; the Egyptians didn't worry about that either.

6. Make and decorate a Mummy case using a shoebox and put in several things the queen may need in the "afterlife". Don't forget cosmetics, jewelry and snacks!

LOL! We will have fun with this one! Smile

www.imelville.com/images/b_perfuming.jpg
www.imelville.com/images/c_salt.jpg
www.imelville.com/images/VictoriasMummy.jpg
www.imelville.com/images/Haileysmummy.jpg
www.imelville.com/images/mummybox.jpg

How to make Desert sand Art

2007-06-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I found this in a desert book we were reading. Looks like fun.

You can make your own sand painting

You will need:
paper, a flat piece of sandpaper, a pencil, spray varnissh, colored sand.

How to do it:

1. Sketch a design on paper. Then draw the design with a pencil on sandpaper.

2. Use your fingers , or a spoon, or a small funnel to sprinkle the sand along the lines of your design.

3. Use spray varnish to save the drawing.

Sugar Cube Pyramid

2007-06-01T08:59:00.001-07:00

We made one and used almost two boxes of cubes...We used a syrofoam meat tray as a base and made the bottom layer 9 squares completely filled in (not just outlined) for a total of 81 cubes. Decrease each layer by one cube until you finish with just one cube on the top...So the second layer would be 8X8 and the next 7X7 etc. Sometimes we had to "chisel" to get the cubes to fit and used a good amount of white glue. The cubes will "melt" a little but it was not a problem. After it dried my daughter painted it with acrylic paint and it looked great! She used a light terra cotta color on hers but I would think that any sand color would look super!

Chicken Mummification

2007-06-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

First get a chicken and take out any innards. Fill the cavity with salt (regular table salt). Next put a bit of salt in a strong baggie (we double bagged it, as it gets very heavy.) and put the chicken in the bag. Fill up the baggie with salt until the entire chicken is covered. It MUST be completely covered. Seal the baggie and put it away for a time to dry. Depending on the size of the chicken, it may take from 4-6 weeks. After the 2nd week, take the chicken out and change the salt, which will be all moist now. Keep checking the salt after this and change it whenever it is very moist.

Once the chicken is dry, remove it and brush off the salt. Next you can smother it with oil (baby oil) and sprinkle it with spices (we used cinnamon and nutmeg). Next cut long strips of white fabric, dip them in glue, and wrap them around your mummified chicken. Completely cover it and let it dry. We then painted it Egyptian fashion. Have fun!

Egypt - Recipes

2007-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

1 cup barley flour
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon oil

Mix and pour into a small oiled pan. Bake for 20-30 mins at 375F. It will be flat and dark when it is finished because barley doesn't rise and it darkens when it bakes. For a variation, try adding some raisins, as the Egyptians might have done. (Hart and Mantell - Pyramids!, pg 85)

Barley Cakes
1� cups barley flour (buy this at a health food store, or grind barley in mill or blender)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
� teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons honey
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Stir together barley flour, baking powder, and salt. Add egg, milk, honey, and oil and beat until mixed. Pour onto hot, greased frying pan and fry like pancakes until bubbles appear. Then turn and brown on the other side. Serve hot with butter and honey. You may add a few chopped dates or raisins as a variation.

Egypt -More Activities

2007-06-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

If you would like to add even more activities to your Egypt unit, I found a great book published by Edupress, called 'Ancient Egypt Activity Book'. The ISBN # is 1-56472-025-X. It's available from several home school suppliers, and regular book stores.

August 6, 2000 - Daily Schedule / Next Books...

2007-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Dear, Sweet, Adventurers,

Thank you so much for sharing your gracious words with us! You have encouraged and uplifted more than you will ever know! This past year was filled with so many lessons for us. We are amazed when we look back on our lives to see where God has brought us! Every educational, professional, and spiritual experience of our lives has come to a beautiful sort of fruition this year. Have you ever wondered what you were doing in a certain place and in a certain time - why God put you there? Amid the pressure, headaches, tears, discouragement, and exhaustion of this year was a wonderful peace that we were doing the right thing. Our pastor shared the example of sometimes feeling like you are driving on a dark road - you cannot see beyond your headlights - and that is not very far!! We have moved along as God has provided the light, but this year it was just as if God turned on the High Beams! We knew so clearly what He had called us to do and how He had planned it all along. What a Mighty God we Serve!!

John has kept me up to date on some of your messages and with each note shared, I want to remind you that one person's experience may not be another's. Just as we have to be careful not to compare our children to others, we need to remember that each of our experiences with homeschooling will be very unique. Do not be discouraged if your children did not "latch on" to something that came easily to others. For example, the time involved in your school day will be different each day and for each person. One of THE MOST frequently asked questions is "How much time will this take each day?" That is SOOOOO hard to answer because I do not know all of your children personally. One thing that I ALWAYS tell parents is that if it is your goal to be finished with school by noon every day - forget homeschooling! That can NEVER be our goal! We want our children to have a WONDERFUL, FULL, and COMPLETELY RICH education and we cannot accomplish that by reading for 10 minutes in each subject every day. You and your child will get from this school year exactly what you put into it. A World of Adventure starts out very simply - just like any teacher begins class for the year. It will get more challenging as you move throughout your year. The reason it is so easy to use, is because the planning is done for the parent, but that does not mean the time spent with your children will be minimal. Remember, some parents really want to read and participate in every subject with their children, and for them, this is a realistic goal. For other moms, this is more like IMPOSSIBLE - and their children will be working more independently. So when you see a note from another mom that indicated how short a particular day was, keep in mind that you and your children are not those people! I hope you all see how important it is to keep a proper perspective and not compare the experiences of others with your school experience. I have been impressed with your comments to one another. I really like that you all seem to learn from, and encourage one another without self-condemnation. What a GREAT attitude! Keep it up ladies!

Now for the second most frequently asked question: What's in the next book??????
The following book (A New World of Adventure) will pick up where A World of Adventure ends. It will cover early American History: Jamestown, The Pilgrims of Plymouth, Early Colonization of New England, the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and the Constitution. The books are meant to be used sequentially. It has long been my opinion that we all learn better when we study history chronologically, instead of hopping all around. It gives us a feeling of completeness and satisfaction when we understand how the events of history truly were connected. As for science and the other subjects . . . I will have to surprise you all later with those (when I figure them out myself!!) The final three books in the Adventure Series will continue on through American History, but as we go, we will examine events around the world as well, to see how everything "fits together."

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you each embark on your wonderful journey this year! May each moment spent learning and sharing with your precious children be valuable and memorable.

Dorian

August 13, 2000 - Next Book / High Schoolers

2007-06-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hi girls,

This message is especially for Lori and Debra regarding questions on what the next book will cover and how you might incorporate a high schooler into the study. I sent a message to the whole group that covers part of this, but I know there are many new people in this e-group that may not have seen it. I would encourage you all to go into the archives and look for it.

Briefly, the next book will begin at Jamestown with the early colonization of the United States. We will move through the Pilgrims' story, and early colonial life in New England - then we will look at the events leading up to the American Revolution - meet many of the wonderful characters and the founding fathers - those to whom we owe so much. We will cover the Revolutionary War and the United States Constitution - and probably close out the year with that. I cannot tell all of the topics we will cover in science and other subjects, but I do know that we will begin the year with a science unit on insects, due to the overwhelming problem the Jamestown settlers had with them. I want to cover electricity at the same time we meet Benjamin Franklin, and also plan on doing a language arts unit on newspapers - newswriting, etc. to coincide with the publication of the first newspapers in America. Other than that . . . I'll have to keep you (and myself) in suspense!

Our goal for the Adventure series is to have a total of five books for grades 4-8. A World of Adventure is the first, A New World of Adventure is the second, which will primarily cover the events in the New World - early American History. The following three will continue on through history chronologically. Each book will stand alone as a "separate and independent study." The first will not be a prerequisite for the second - HOWEVER, you will get a great deal more out of the second if you have covered the first one prior to the second. The language arts skills and concepts will all be presented from the "beginning," so that not only will it serve as a good review for veteran Adventure users, but it will be easily understandable for new users as well. The Latin and Greek roots will once again be presented as part of the theme, so there may be some overlapping. If you and your children have covered that root in the first book, just review it. Brand new users will be creating that card for the first time instead.

Regarding high school - I do not have a plan for a separate high school unit study. There are several good unit studies already available for high school, and in preparing for college, many high school students choose a more traditional approach to subjects that are required for college admission. So . . . what's a mom to do? Well, I can tell you what we do right now with Ryan - he is a sophomore this year. We still do unit study for language arts and history, using the library and reading literature as it applies to the historical period we are studying. Ryan is planning on attending college, so we use a math text and a science text. We also are in our second year of a foreign language. We follow the plan detailed in Homeschool, High School, and Beyond, by Beverly Adams-Gordon. It has been an outstanding informational resource regarding planning, transcripts, and overall guidance in terms of what is expected of the high school student (college-bound or not). If you know absolutely that your child will not be attending college and be needing Biology, Chemistry, etc. on his or her transcript, you could use the science in the Adventure series and just dig very deeply into the subject matter.

In my opinion, if you have a large family, and your older ones are entering high school, there is no reason you could not use one of the books in the Adventure series with them as well, as long as you are supplementing with formal programs that you feel will be necessary for your child's future. This will keep your family bonded in one course of study at least part of the time. If you ONLY have high schoolers, you should really consider looking into some of the other unit studies that are meant for high schoolers, so that you won't have to supplement so much - or you could do what we are doing and do half text books, half unit study. One of my goals in writing A World of Adventure was to give parents the confidence needed to do a unit study of their own, if they so choose. After using it for one or more years, you will know better how to answer those questions that so many parents ask - "What kinds of things do I do?" "How much do I do in one day?" "How would I integrage the subjects so that everything goes together?" Perhaps someday, one of you will want to do a unit study of your own! If not, there are a variety of many good high school materials available in the homeschool market.

I will keep you posted on any new developments on the book. These past weeks have been filled with cleaning windows, freezing corn, wrapping up Ryan's freshman year records, organizing and preparing for a school-year ministry at our church that I direct, finalizing plans for Ryan's sophomore year, peeling, chopping, and freezing apples . . . and these last two days we have spent feeding (no small task) and entertaining five teen-age boys for Ryan's birthday party . . . I am tired!

Dorian

August 17, 2000 - Writing Assignments

2007-02-28T13:31:00.002-08:00

You WON'T be able to finish everything I include if you also use supplements. For example, if you are going to use Spelling Power, DON'T use my spelling! That's too much! The same goes for Wordly Wise - choose one and stick with it, or hop around, but don't do both or you will have rebellion on your hands. You will have to use your best judgment on what to include and what to exclude, cut down on the discussion questions or memory work a little, etc. (Remember - NEVER be a slave to any curriculum. Make sure that YOU rule it and that IT doesn't rule you!) By the way, the melody idea for the Bible passage is excellent - it also works well if you give a verse or passage a certain drum beat - the rhythm helps them remember it better. Regarding the writing, again you will have to include what you feel is best for your situation (which has got to be one of the most extremely unique that I have heard to date, if that makes you feel better). The goal is to have the children writing SOMETHING almost every day. I RARELY require more than a paragraph in any assignment, and I often spend several days having the children go back and see how they can make that paragraph better.

Let me explain my philosophy on that, so both of you will understand it a little better. I hear of writing assignments in certain textbook curricula that require children as young as FIFTH grade to do a long research paper. I think that is RIDICULOUS! Pushing children through pages and pages of writing is not going to help them be good at writing - it only teaches them to write as much as they can - to take up space until the required pages are completed. (Remember counting words in high school and college?) Children get to be good writers by writing something every day. We compile lots of lists in A World of Adventure because they are really good pre-writing activities. When someone asks me to give a workshop or a speech on a given topic, the first thing I do is stare at the computer screen and wonder what I will say (just like most children tell their parents - "what should I write?") Then, I start to make a list of what I want to include. After that, I
organize my thoughts in a logical way. (This is why I stress so strongly that ALL children learn how to type onto a computer screen. It can be learned independently, and once the skill is there, writing will be so much easier, as the child is not so resistant to changing and editing if it is easy and she does not have to rewrite the WHOLE thing again.) I try to take the children through the same kinds of logical thinking and procedural skills in my writing assignments. Very few people start out as good writers. Our writing improves as we are able to look at it with a critical eye and change it for the better. Otherwise, we just keep turning out the same old mediocre work. Children don't know HOW to make their writing better until they are encouraged to go back to it and see how they can add to it, change it or subract from it so that it will be more interesting. That is why I often give an assignment one day and have them begin to look at it the next day, and even give more days to work on just the improving of it. Sometimes they will be given an entire week for just one paragraph. While they are actually writing every day, they are not putting out the same type of creative energy required for a new paragraph, instead, they are learning how to improve the work they have already written. If your child is young, and/or you feel the first assignment is enough, leave it at that and work into teaching the improvement part gradually. When Ryan came home from school in fifth grade, he HATED to write, and was NOT good at it. We began with simple journaling, but every topic I gave him to write about, he would only write about two sentences and then he would use every trick in the book to take up the rest of the page with illustrations, charts, graphs, diagrams, writing double-spaced, writing THE END really big at the end of his two sentences. While I was thrilled he was creative enough to think of these devious methods, the goal was for him to be a better writer. I let him do this for quite a while (about a month) and finally I started requiring that he write a VERY short paragraph. He hated it . . . but he did it . . although he never wrote more than that. After several months I began to require that he write two paragraphs, which he did (under great duress). My goal for him was to be able to sit down at the computer and just be able to WRITE without asking what he would say, etc. If you had been at one of the conventions, I would have shown you his journal and let you compare it to his more recent work, and you would be amazed . . . most people are. It took YEARS for him to get to where he is now, and we are still working on improvements. But the key is, he did improve, largely because he wrote SOMETHING almost every day. We don't want to have our children hate writing, nor do we want to fight with them to get them to do it, but we DO have to have them write or they will NEVER be good at it. They have to start somewhere, and that is what I have tried to do in this book. The reason I never require much more than one paragraph per assignment is because I so strongly feel that if we can get our children to write a really strong paragraph, we have won the battle. Once they can do that extremely well, they can ALWAYS add more paragraphs!!!!! Getting them past that first strong paragraph is the hardest part and it takes lots of time.

All that to say . . . be patient with them and try to follow the assignments where they work for you. Even if you have to start with one or two sentences like I had to with Ryan, then start there. No one wants to fight with their children over any school subject, but the question is, where do we draw the line between being patient and actually making them write? Francie's decision to not have her daughter do more writing on her very good first day paragraph on the second day was the right one. You will both need to be sensitive to the right times to continue a writing assignment, and when to let them be finished. I can give you the daily lesson plans, but I can't do what both of you do best, know your own child's potential, and their breaking point. A World of Adventure is really PACKED with learning, and there are many days you won't be able to do EVERYTHING. With most other unit studies you HAVE to supplement material, and my goal was to not have the parent saddled with searching for which other program they would use to do that in various subjects, but to include everything myself, so that if necessary, you could pick and choose what worked for you each day. Just to give you an idea of the broad range of parents out there, I can tell you that some say "that's all we have to do each day?" and others say "I can't get all that done in a day." Some say "only one paragraph for writing - is that ENOUGH?" and others say "Are you kidding, my child took such a long time writing that paragraph I don't know how this is ever going to work." Your perspective depends on you and your own background, each of your children's learning styles and capabilities, the curriculum you used before, how many children you have, etc, etc, etc.

Julie, you may want to start school earlier, and also assign independent reading for Elli in the Egypt and Desert books later in the day, and have her report back to you on what she read while you are doing something else, like nursing, etc. It sounds like she'd be REALLY good at that, given her verbal skills! She could also read to the other children a little so they could be learning about those subjects, too. Once again, don't be too hard on yourself, as I think you have about the most difficult (and I mean that in a nice way) situation I have heard to date. I met one person in Ohio with triplets, but you get the prize for major undertakings in homeschooling with your kids.

Francie, FYI, bios and logos are included in the unit on Greece when we study the human body. I try to spread the roots out over the year as much as I can, so you will probably come across others I could have included at a particular time, but have chosen to present them at what seemed like a more appropriate time later on in the study. You can do them as you like, though, and then review them when they are presented later. I would also like for you to copy me when you send Julie the WTM sample day - I am curious and like what I have heard about it. This also helps me when people ask if they can incorporate a certain program with mine.

You are both delightful, and I have enjoyed hearing your stories.

Dorian

August 24, 2000 - Egypt, Sensitive Issues

2007-02-28T13:31:00.001-08:00

I read your message to the group and have been watching to see the responses of others on this sensitive issue.

Can I just say to everyone right here and now that in writing this book I tried to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL in what to include and what NOT to include. You will note that there are no experiments or activities in the body of my book regarding any mummies or anything that gave me a "creepy" feeling (such as "make your own coffin" kinds of things). These "riskier" topics are offered in the optional projects sections, along with books on mummies - which are listed separately from the "Egypt" books, so that parents can decide on their own what they are comfortable for their children to see. The majority of children love this disgusting stuff and are completely fascinated by it - others are much more sensitive.

I think we all agree that we need to be very careful in what we place before our children's eyes, but I realize we can take this too far as well. My personal feeling is that if we must err, let it be on the side of overprotection. If she were my daughter, I would NOT include her in on anything that has to do with mummies any more. If she is already terrorized by the pictures, I don't think she should see any more or even hear about them. She is only in first grade and she does not have to be involved in this part of the unit study other than to see how children lived long ago in ancient Egypt. I would really immerse her in the desert project and I would have your other kids do as much silent independent reading as possible about Egypt. Bring her in on anything that is non-threatening to her. Maybe you can do some things at night with the other kids while your husband is home to entertain your first grader with desert books, etc.

I agree that it is important to face our fears, but it is also our job to guard the hearts of our children and I think you have done your best to help her overcome her fear. Mummies ARE gruesome and I don't think trying to make them "user-friendly" to her is going to work.

Remember, children think irrationally about these things because their fears are so real to them. If it comes up again accidentally, I would remind her that it WAS gruesome - and it was also very sad to see what people did when they didn't have the love of Jesus in their hearts. I would stress how glad we are that we know we will live in heaven someday with Him and that everything there will be beautiful and happy, and that here on Earth, Jesus wants us to be happy too - that means turning our fears over to Him. Pray together and leave it alone until it comes up again, at which time you should repeat the very same thing. By reassuring her time after time, she will eventually take comfort in the words that whe knows you will repeat again to her. She needs to be verbally reassured by you right now more than ever. Even if it means that she doesn't listen in on The Golden Goblet - that's ok - although I don't think there's any scary mummy parts in it.

Maybe you could get her redirected in some kind of project on the story of Joseph instead, like making clay models of him and his brothers, or making his coat out of a large white paper shopping bag and having her color it with the many colors. How about letting her do a little study of her own on a related topic, like on rivers (to go with the Nile theme). This would be special just for her. If you start thinking about it I think you will be able to come up with something that is related that will interest her without scaring her to death. Certainly, no good can come of that. I would also talk earnestly and pray with your other kids about her sensitivity and ask for their help. Sometimes older siblings take great delight in teasing younger siblings about their insecurities. Ask them to help you protect her in this endeavor. Get them in on a little secret and add a little pun: "MUM'S the word!" Work quietly together to help her through this.

The unfortunate thing about studying ancient civilizations is seeing some of the strange, and often wicked, things they did. We have two choices:

(1.) We can never study them and have our kids walking around with "blinders" on, or
(2.) We can study them with sensitivity right alongside of the word of God and learn about other cultures with one main focus - that we ALL need Jesus and - without Him our world is in total chaos!

Just my opinion, but since I sort of "got you into this" I thought I'd offer a way out as well. If she is sensitive to this, she may also get the creeps about other things in future units of other ancient civilizations. You will really need to pray for godly discretion and wisdom, and be extra sensitive to things that might disturb her. On the other hand, she just might surprise you and have no troubles down the road. It might just be the "mummy thing" and . . . I must admit, I can hardly look at some of these books on a dark and stormy night myself! Try not to be too hard on yourself about it and keep everything in perspective. The rest of the kids really love the study, so let them continue having fun. I know you will be able to come up with something she will really like that will fit into this unit.

Please let me know how this situation progresses.

Dorian