Story of the World, Vol. 2, Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 deals with Medieval India. The best part was the weaving craft, although the two stories were pretty interesting, too. The kids learned the word “dynasty.” New vocabulary is always fun and it is one of the reasons why I chose to do history with them in grades 1-4.

Weaving Craft

Sometimes it does seem like too much when so many people simply focus on the 3 Rs, but I really think there is something to exposure to vocabulary, true stories, geography and historical figures.

They liked coloring the map and the man riding on an elephant, which was the coloring sheet provided for this chapter in the Activity Book. I can already tell the Activity Book has more projects and on a higher level than last year. I can see a progression of difficulty level.

The kids were really excited about weaving. They used the nail to poke holes and my son even made a pun when he said, “I nailed it!” My daughter got discouraged with the weaving process and I had to encourage her to continue and to persevere. “This is only your first time trying weaving, so give yourself some room to make mistakes,” I said, or something to that effect.

Woven Cloth

Finished product

She really enjoyed coloring the elephant. I know she needed to do something more familiar after all that weaving, so she threw herself at coloring with all her might.


Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 30

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The Aryans of India or Chapter 30 helped us understand the roots of Buddhism and Hinduism. The kids colored The Buddha and the map while I read the stories.

For our craft, we made rakhi bracelets. First, we made one for sister to put on brother. She liked it so much, she wanted a bracelet for herself, too, so we made her one as well. I have not handled a hot glue gun in a while and I got burned, several times. Ouch! So be careful if you are doing this, too.

One new thing I am doing, by the way, is I walk on my stepper while I read to them. This has nothing to do with history. But I thought I should mention it because it doubles up my time and my blog means to provide tips for a thriving homeschool. I did not think I could do both at the same time, but I tried it and it was fine. I get 10-15 minutes of exercise while reading to them, depending on how long the lesson is. We live such sedentary lifestyles, as 21st century Americans. Every little bit of movement helps.  Continue reading »