In this post: We begin our study of Ancient Greece with Greek Pizza, the Parthenon, Greek architecture, and the Alphabet! Also a fun trip to the farm/ranch as we learn about pioneers and pilgrims. And a few Fall crafts!
Hello beloved and how are you? We are still kickin’ over here at the Dover’s. I’m excited to be teaching and learning about Ancient Greece. The Greeks were some of my favorite people in Social studies at school. I really enjoyed Greek mythology as a kid but that’s changed since I became a Christian. I don’t watch Xena or Hercules anymore. Still, I think the culture was interesting.
This week we focused on the Alphabet and architecture. You can find our pinspirations at this link:
http://www.pinterest.com/doverette/sow-greece/
Michael decoded a Greek letter and then he wrote his own Greek letter. It was a secret message to his Daddy, the other secret agent in the family. Shhhhh! Don’t tell! 😉
Chris decoding his letter.
We watched a couple of videos about the Greek Alphabet and some cute songs. They reminded me of my brief time in Bible college. Me and my guy buddy were surrounded by old men and they cracked us up. I’ve got a video of the guys singing the Greek Alphabet. Oh how I miss them all….good times. You can find the other vids on the link I gave you.
We talked about Athens vs Sparta. I would rather live in Athens for sure. The Spartans were warriors and very harsh. The Athenians were all about education and the arts. We learned a bit about the Olympics. Michael couldn’t believe that it was limited to men and they went around naked! No wonder married women were forbidden to attend!
We made a homemade Greek Pizza with olives and feta. My guys really enjoyed it. I couldn’t handle the heart burn.
We looked at Greek mosaics online and then made a bean mosaic.
Michael drew the Parthenon from his Draw and Write Through History book.
We watched a video about the Parthenon while we put together this Lego Parthenon. We found directions online but sort of did our own thing. We simplified and it turned out nice.
Michael made these Greek columns out of toilet paper tubes and paper. We have Doric (the plain columns), Ionic (looks like scrolls), and Corinthian (fancy) columns.
We ended the week by looking at Greek sculptures and then making our own out of cucumbers. Okay, it was hard! None of us had the talent for it.
I thought mine (right) looked like an old grandma. You can’t see her face in the pic. Michael’s looks scary like slimer or something. Yeah, it was hard.
We did a scarecrow tutorial. The crayon didn’t resist the paint well. You can’t see his straw. Cute, nevertheless.
Michael also learned how to draw an owl. He added other animals to his picture.
You can find these crafts here: http://www.pinterest.com/doverette/fall-crafts/
I gave Michael a fake pumpkin and let him decorate it however he wanted. He drew a cat face.
At the beginning of the week, our group took a trip to a ranch/farm to learn about pilgrims and pioneers. It was a good program though overshadowed literally by the grey misty and COLD weather. Oh, I froze my tail off! All of us had dressed for a hot day too. So we shivered through it and most of us went home, napped, and had cider or cocoa after. Goes to show….cold homeschool moms think alike ;).
Currclick.com has free “Down on the Farm” notebooking pages. Check it out:
http://www.currclick.com/product/30016/Down-on-the-Farm-Notebooking-Pages
This sweet lady talked to the kiddos about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.
The the kids learned how to grind corn. There is no way to get a decent amount of food this way. I’m thinking there was a bowl shaped vat and a long stone cylinder or something to grind it. I can’t imagine a rock and a log being very effective at all. The corn went everywhere.
Our “Native American” guide showed the kids this teepee and told a Native American legend.
Inside the teepee.
A dreary day on the farm…
Fun feeding goats!
The free range bunnies made burrows…I want a free range bunny now.
Baaaa ram ewe! He he…reminds me of Babe every time. Sheep make me giggle. It’s like chihuahuas. I always want to say “Yo quero Taco Bell”.
King of the world!
A hay ride without any hay…still fun.
This man knew his stuff. He talked to the kids about being a pioneer and living on the trail.
The Pioneer man took us to the cabin “we built”. We used our imagination to get there :).
Pioneer man showing us how to wash clothes the old fashioned way.
Inside the cabin…such simple beauty.
The loft. You didn’t have to worry about family togetherness back then.
Downstairs in the one room cabin. Oh this reminds me of some of my favorite Christian romance and inspirational movies….Love Comes Softly…Seasons of the Heart.
What a perfect Fall table…I wouldn’t mind having a cabin someday. See the stuffed turkey in the corner? There’s an abacus on the mantle.
An old reader on the table.
Pumpkins by the covered wagon.
Nifty spiderweb net.
It was a fun and busy week. We went to the fair and also a cooking school. I’ll show pictures of that later, Lord willing. If you’re wondering where the Bible was in this time of history (remember our timeline?): well, the book of Malachi was being written and the Jews were about to enter into the silent years where God refused to speak. When we study Rome we will finally be in the times of Jesus, the messiah. That’ll be great near Christmas, one of the times we celebrate Christ’ birth.
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
Last Week: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/crafty-monday-part-1-babylon-and-persia/
Week 2 of Greece: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/crafty-monday-part-1-ancient-greece-week-2/
amberdover 