In this post: Ancient Greece crafts and food (Ambrosia, the Greek gods, Greek drama etc…)
Hello dear ones! We had a delicious week learning about ancient Greece. First we made this yummy Ambrosia. We mixed 2 cans of mixed fruit, a bowl of whip cream, several handfuls of marshmallows, and handfuls of pecans. Michael got coconut in his bowl.
By the way, you can find our Greek Pinspirations here: http://www.pinterest.com/doverette/sow-greece/
We read about the Greek gods in The Story of the World. Ambrosia is supposed to be the “food of the gods” so I figured it was appropriate.
It’s been interesting learning about other religions and mythology in homeschool. I don’t like to teach about mythology the way I learned in public school. Our homeschool is centered around the Bible. Greek mythology isn’t a just a bunch of made up stories. People really worshiped these gods. So therefore we are looking at false gods…demons. I wanted Michael to realize this when we started reading the stories.
We made this “Greek gods vs. Truth” mobile”.
I got this idea online but I added a twist. On one side, Michael wrote the name of one of the main 12 Greek gods and then he drew a picture of what that god represented.
On the other side, we wrote what the Bible says compared to the mythological beliefs. For instance, Jesus is the King of Kings….not Zeus. We also talked about what different Christians believe about the gods. Some believe the Greeks (and others) just made up stories to explain the unexplainable. Others believe that the gods were fallen angels that wanted worship. I guess I’m in the middle and unsure. I do believe that there are demons behind every false idol…whether they come after an idol is made or they inspire the idol…I don’t know.
Later, we watched the Disney cartoon “Hercules”. It brought up a great conversation about the after life. Part of me didn’t want to teach mythology but since our culture is so full of names and ideas from Greek mythology, I know Michael needed to learn it.
Interestingly, the Greeks also have a “flood” story. Like most pagan flood stories, the god who makes the flood is evil. The Bible has the only flood story I’ve read where the God is good, the flood is justified, and the same God who makes the flood also warns the guy who builds the boat. Michael and I talked about how certain stories were twisted over time and how only one of Noah’s sons carried on the Truth of the True God. The other sons’ descendants worshiped pagan gods. This also explains the similarities in the Flood stories all over the world.
We later discussed the similarity between Eve in the garden and Pandora’s box. It was also neat for Michael to realize how Greek names are in our modern culture (ex. Pandora the music site). We didn’t make a Greek lapbook. But we had a Top Secret Adventures packet from Highlights.
Michael watched the story of Medusa and he played a game with Icarus here:
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/wingedsandals/storytime/
Michael dressed up as a ancient Greek. He made the leaf crown for a Terabithia project. I wrapped a white sheet around him for a toga. Michael colored and cut out the Greek coins we got online.
This is a Greek soldier that Michael drew from his Draw and Write Through History book.
We read about Greek drama here: http://greece.mrdonn.org/theatre.html
I was lazy and just bought drama masks from the craft store. I drew the mouths and eyebrows. They are supposed to represent Satire, Comedy, and Tragedy. Really they represent sad, mad, and glad :).
I printed a play about Echo and Narcissus from here: http://www.kidsinco.com/2009/02/echo-and-narcissus/
Then Michael and I acted it out for Chris. We switched masks to represent our feelings in the play. You can find a cartoon of the story on my Pinterest page.
We hung the masks up in the homeschool room. They’re a bit creepy but they also remind me of drama class.
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
Week 1 of Ancient Greece here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/crafty-monday-greece-week-1-down-at-the-farm/
Week 3 of Greece: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/crafty-monday-ancient-greece-week-3-oktoberfest/
amberdover 
This is awesome Amber. That’s great you were able to talk to Michael about the true God in light of all those false gods.
And yum, I will have to try that Ambrosia!
Thanks Ali :). Yeah, it’s very important to me that he knows. I grew up sort of confused. I didn’t realize that evolution and mythology was directly opposed to what I was learning in church. I didn’t realize there was competition for my faith until I became a believer and looked back on it all. Love and prayers!