Ancient History - Weeks 1-4

Guest post by Paul (Daddy).

 

I spend one morning a week, with the two older children teaching them History and German. This is something we really look forward to. Starting this September, we have embarked upon an Ancient History project. We began by looking at how artefacts and objects are useful in providing information about Ancient Civilizations. We recreated an Archaeological Dig, by burying historical objects in the ground, then carefully digging them up... 

 



 

Drawing them...

 

 

and measuring them.

 

 

 Ancient Egypt

 

 

Inspired by the Mummies we saw at the Ancient World Exhibition...

 

 

the children enthusiastically mummified action men figures with masking tape!

 

 

 

Next we looked at Ancient Writing, specifically Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

 

 

We watched some videos giving a basic overview of the Egyptian system of writing http://youtu.be/Xvw6Kn3kwlQ and one on "The Rosetta Stone." http://youtu.be/2iVkW_nToCc

 

 

Tabitha and Nathanael attempted to write their own names in this style. They also examined a sheet of papyrus and we talked about the process of making it into paper.  

 

Over the last few weeks, we have been collecting objects associated with Egypt. We have a toy camel, a scarab beetle, a toy locust, sand and other items that we are going to use in a working model of the Nile river!

 

Family Day - Manchester Museum, Ancient Worlds Exhibition

To tie in with our current history unit on Ancient Egypt, we took a trip into Manchester to see the new Ancient Worlds Exhibition at The Manchester Museum.

 

 

 

Assyrian writing and image.

 

 

A reed basket that the children imagined could have belonged to baby Moses.

 

 

 

An Egyptian Mummy!

 

Nathanael trying some archaeology at home. 

 

Nathanael's Ships and Sailors Lapbook (6 years old)

Nathanael has been keen for a while to do a project on Ships and Sailors, so over the summer he has spent time working on it.  He has read various non-fiction and fiction books on the subject.



Lapbook front cover

 

Inside lapbook with flaps down. On the left are some mini books Nathanael made on Noah's Ark and the Titanic. On the right is a poem he wrote, inspired by J. M. W Turner's painting the Fighting Temeraire.

 

 

The Ship's Death

by Nathanael

 

Bang! Blistering cannons

Bite holes in ships

In Trafalgar's battle.

Brave Temeraire.

 

Now the saddest day of all

It's being led away

To its death today.

Poor fighting Temeraire.

 



Inside the lapbook a labelled drawing of a Galleon, some sentences about Viking Ships and drawings of the front covers of Christopher Columbus and Treasure Island books he read.



 

 

Ship art work with question and answer flaps.

 

 Together we read a lot of books on this subject, so I have included the links to the books I got from Amazon, in case it is useful to anyone.

 

Usborne book of Ships

Christopher Columbus

Titanic Sticker Book

Nelson

Pirates

Katie and the British Artists (for information on Turner's paintings)

 

Christian Home Educators' Holiday - Cefn Lea, Mid Wales

We have just returned from a lovely week in the beautiful hills of mid Wales, on a Home Educators' family holiday. This has been our fifth year and it is such a blessing to meet many other Christian families with whom we have much in common.  

 

A walk through the woods

 

 

 

Hymns on the hill with friends

 

Cloud (or mist?) hanging below the hills

 

 

 

Waiting for the water slide

 

 

 

Biscuit icing

 

Air hockey

 

On the tree...

...and on the same tree last year!

 

A treat on the way home!

 

A wonderful week! Now home to a massive pile of washing and a brand new school year ahead!

 

 

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

Abigail's ABC Lapbook (3 years old)

Abigail is very keen to join in with her older brother and sister and do school work,
so I made an ABC lapbook for her to complete.
 



The lapbook open.

I hope that you can see from this picture how Abigail practised writing the letters on the big capital letter which I had cut out and stuck onto the front of each flap. Under each flap, Abigail used stickers or drew pictures that started with that sound.

 

Here is a little video Abigail made (with the help of big sister Tabitha!) to show you her lapbook.

 



Tabitha's All About Me Lapbook (5 years old)

Over the last few weeks, the children have been working on a project of their choice.

Tabitha chose "All About Me." We compiled her finished work into a lapbook.

 



Lapbook closed

 

Lapbook open

 

 

 It is very difficult to show a lapbook in photograph form,

so Tabitha happily obliged and made a little video of it.

 

 

Summer School - Part Three

Summer is nearly over, but we have had a fantastic one with many happy memories made. Not every day has been perfect; there have been tears and tantrums (from me as well!) but God is so good and we are very blessed.

 

Over the last few weeks we have been...

 

 

Den Building in the woods at Lyme Park.

 

 

 

Look at Elisabeth's gorgeous red hair!

 

 

 

Celebrating the hard work of completing the den with a picnic.

 

 

A close view of Fallow Deer.

 

My eldest girl, precious Tabitha, turned 5; we celebrated with a birthday party with friends

 

and pony riding at Stockport Market. Can you tell how excited she was?!

 

 

 

Brookside miniature railway.

 

 

Finding out about bee keeping and honey making at Disley Show

 

 

Over the last few weeks, the children have been completing their current modern history unit, ready for starting a new unit on Ancient History in September.