Story of the World vol. 4 chapter 17 covers China’s troubles. From the Boxer Rebellion to the Czar and the Japanese Admiral who end up fighting over bits and pieces of China, we travel to the East again.
Balloon torpedo craft supplies
This is an intricate chapter. I am glad I decided not to complete the outline of the stories in volume 4. Even I would not be able to do it without going back and forth several times between the book and the worksheet.
The mapwork was difficult as well, but I am motivated to do it. I see the sense in learning geography. However, at their age, my children do not need to know all these historical details. Geography? Yes. History? Not so much. There’s plenty of time for that later.
For our craft, we built a balloon torpedo. I am not mechanically inclined, so I had to read the instructions three times before I knew what to do. My son though knew exactly where I was going with this project as soon as he saw balloons, straws, tape, and yarn on the table.
We took some videos and some bad pictures. It was fun though. I dropped the yarn the first time. When I let go of the balloon, I also let go of the yarn because I still had not comprehended fully what we were trying to achieve.
This should help you take heart, fellow homeschooling moms! Half the time with crafts, I don’t know what we are doing. I just bring the supplies, read the instructions, and let the kids go to town. Many times, they end up teaching me and I love it.
