May 26 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 30

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

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.

: Son’s rakhi

: Daughter’s rakhi

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 »

May 19 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 29

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

Rome’s War with Carthage introduced the children to Hannibal and his elephants. Also, to drinking poison as a form of suicide. I briefly told them that suicide is the ultimate form of self-destruction and it hurts God very much, not to mention the family you leave behind. I said they should never, ever take life for granted because it is a gift from God. We moved on.

Hanibal’s elephant ears were delicious

They liked the maze with Hannibal crossing the Alps and the elephant story. So we made donuts shaped as big elephant ears. Continue reading »

May 18 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 28

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

The Roman Empire was fascinating for the children. I liked it, too, as I have always liked any stories about ancient Rome. Can we all agree that the Roman soldiers should be worthy of our admiration? They and their bracelets and their bracelet inscription, SPQR, which stands for Senatus Populus que Romanus, which translates to “The Senate and the Roman People.”

The famous Roman soldier cuff bracelet

The crafts (aqueducts, sand dough, Roman road model) were a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is the most difficult level. I decided to stay clear of glue and sand and little pebbles in a shoe box lid. We made the cuff bracelets from the next chapter instead. We cut up a cereal box, measured it around the kids’ wrists, stapled them, and then covered them in aluminium foil.

I stapled the cardboard bracelets first.

I did not show them the gladiator coloring page. Too raw for my taste, I suppose. It’s enough for them to hear that some gladiators preferred to commit suicide than to kill others for sport.

May 18 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 27

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

The Rise of Rome, or Chapter 27, finally brought us to my favorite ancient kingdom. I have always loved Rome, its culture, language, art, and influence on the modern world.

Fasces

I brought them into the school room with the words, “Let’s do history! We finally get to learn about the babies on the cover of this book!”

: Step 1: bundle up craft sticks and tie with a red ribbon

: Step 2: Wrap the ribbon and secure at the other end

My kids are interested in babies right now. They want stories of their baby years and they zoom in on anything about babies. So I took advantage and used it as an entering wedge into our history lesson today. Continue reading »

May 17 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 26

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

Chapter 26 finally introduced us to the ancient civilizations of the Americas. I showed them on a world map how we moved from the Fertile Crescent and the Mediterranean Sea across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. My daughter misunderstood. She thought we were done with Ancient History and we were going to now study more recent events. She was excited!

First off, I had no idea she had any feelings or opinions about what kind of historical period we were learning. I love these moments in our homeschool when I discover how my children feel about what we do.

Rabbit Shoots the Moon comic strip

I don’t necessarily change our routine or curriculum based on their likes or dislikes, but it’s good to keep my ear to the ground and be in touch with their true selves, their inner lives.

Coloring page by my son

That is a major reason to homeschool. So many parents who send their children to school have no idea who their children really are, by virtue of the schedule which keeps them apart for most of the day.

May 11 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 25

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

Alexander the Great or Chapter 25 was a really exciting chapter. The kids loved the stories. Our son’s middle name is Alexander, named after my maternal grandmother, Alexandra, so our son perked up when he heard the meaning of the name. I think he connected with Alexander because of that.

We did the mapwork. They colored Alexander and Bucephalus.

: Boys color differently than girls.

: Who says Alexander and his horse did not have pink clothes?

We tied a Gordian Knot two ways, according to instructions.

: Gordian Knot, one way

: Another Gordian knot

We built a Bucephalus stick horse. First, we printed out the page as it was. My son colored and cut it. Continue reading »

May 4 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 24

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

We spread the study of The Wars of the Greeks or Chapter 24 over two weeks. It just happened that way. I read this chapter to them but we did not do the map work right away. We were reading recommended books from previous chapters at the time. I like reading the lesson and the extra books in an offset fashion. It keeps reminding us of previous chapters, where we came from. We also got busy with other projects and a week went by.

Soap Bar Sculpture Supplies

When we got back to it, it was all about the craft project: carving our first Greek “stone” sculpture… out of a soap bar. Continue reading »

May 3 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 23

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

The Greek Gods or Chapter 23 allowed me to introduce the kids to the neurotic gods who make up much of Antiquity’s myths and legends. I choose the word “introduce” for a reason. We are not going in depth. Maybe next time around. That is why we are not building a family tree for the Greek gods (Olympus Family Tree) or drawing a home for the gods. I am also staying away from most of the titles suggested.

To the Most Beautiful, the golden apple that started the Trojan War.

“To the Most Beautiful,” the words on the golden apple which started the Trojan War.

I really enjoyed those stories as a child, but I am pretty sure I was at least in fourth grade by the time I read about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. Most of their stories contain adult themes and, besides, I don’t want to confuse my kids with all sorts of gods right now. We are still coming out of the concrete stage of thinking. When the lines between reality and fiction get blurry, it’s best to stay away from certain stories.

: Step 1: gather your supplies

: Step 2: wait for paste to dry

: Step 3: paint the “apple”

We chose the golden apple craft project to illustrate the reason why the Trojan war got started. The kids enjoyed the story. I read it to them twice, a few days apart, and they still did not get all the plot. A bit too many layers, I suppose. I don’t mind stretching their minds and challenging them.

It was only after we made the golden apple and I wrote “To the Most Beautiful” on it that it finally sank in with them why the gods were upset with each other. We had conversations about this for several days. I usually keep their crafts where we can see them, on the kitchen isle, so we can admire them for a few days before we go on to the next craft. They serve as conversation pieces and as an excuse to rehearse facts and new terminology

Apr 24 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 22

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

Sparta and Athens took our breath away. Greek paper dolls, our first conversation about democracy, the importance of educated voters, the Spartan boy who let himself be bitten by the fox while being interrogated… Wait, what? Yes, we had to deal with some tough subjects again. At the end of the reading, my son said, “I can’t believe that boy would let that fox eat his stomach…” We talked about it for a minute, to stress how different those cultures were from ours, and we moved on. If I don’t make a big deal out if it, they will not, either.

: Greek Paper Dolls colored by my son

: Don’t let the pink fool you. Notice the flaming sword!

They were happy to work on their map. They colored the Greek dolls. I copied them onto regular paper. They glued their clothes with stick glue.

: Greek Warrior

: Two warriors and a lady – Greek paper dolls

I did not think they were going to play with these dolls again, so I did not use card stock or balsam wood. When we were finished, I put their dolls inside plastic pouches in their history binders. I like to keep clutter under control. We already have too many toys and craft projects lying around, waiting to be played with.

They colored, cut and pasted for a long time, until it clearly became busy work. When they start asking mommy to cut up their people and accessories, you know it’s time to file them away.

Apr 23 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 21

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Adriana Zoder

The Medes and the Persians brought a sigh of relief over all of us. With Cyrus, we finally could say, “Here is a great king, who loved and respected his people!” We talked about how the Bible mentions Cyrus as the Anointed of the Lord. My son exclaimed how nice a king Cyrus was.

Six bags for six puppets

The first story, of course, was a bit tricky. A grandfather who plans to kill his grandchild? Rather cruel and unusual. But we soldiered through. I noticed that if I don’t make a big deal out of it, they just move on.

Showing off Cyrus, the paper bag puppet version

I prepared six brown bags for puppets to act out the story. They decorated one and decided they would decorate five more for the next five days. Well, I don’t like projects that stretch for days. Besides, I cannot imagine myself directing a puppet show with lines like, “Take my grandson and kill him!” or “Shepherd, the king sent me to kill this baby out here, but I will not. I will let you do it. And if you don’t, you will be punished…” Last but not least, I asked myself at what point a craft project becomes busy work. One brown paper bag puppet is a great craft. Two may be stretching it. But six? Even if each child made three each, it would be busy work in my book.