Housing – every house tells a story! Each culture has its own type of housing. By studying the housing we can learn so much about a peoples’ lifestyle, their climate, beliefs, standard of living, even their politics. As you are working your way through history, take the time to discover more about the houses of the times. Use what you know about geography as you consider their lifestyle.

Hands-on: Build a model of the home of your studies. This can be quite simplistic (sugar cubes, pretzel rods, building blocks, or more in-depth. Either way, it’s great fun and a good way to generate enthusiasm for learning more about a culture or a nation. Here are a few suggestions to get you started, along with a list of other housing types to explore.

·      Igloo –  sleeping platforms and tables are made of snow. Heat & light are provided by burning embers and frozen blubber for the whale oil lamps. Skins of seals and caribou provide warmth. Igloos were temporary shelters during the winter seal hunts. Perfect for nomads traveling over arctic house.  Make one out of sugar cubes.

·      Roman Houses – often had small shrines dedicated to household gods. Stone, marble and concrete were used to build the homes. Rooms are built around the perimeter and they open to a central courtyard or patio. Surrounded by columned arcades, the open rooms and courtyards were filled with paintings and ornaments. Living quarters tended to be less ornamental and smaller. Villas were made more to impress than for comfort. Modest houses belonging to the lower classes (peasant farmers and craftsmen) would have been constructed of sun-dried or kiln-fired mud bricks. Stone and dirt floors and beams packed of earth and branches. We made our out of Legos.

·      Zulu Huts – furnishings limited to grass sleeping mats with carved wooden head rests – warm with a fire place but smoky. Woven saplings covered with grass thatch arranged in a circle around a pen for cattle. This would be fun to make outside with twigs and such.

·      Long House – late 16^th century appeared in NYC. Iroquis. Another outside activity.

·      Viking House – Sturdy farmhouses – stone, wood or turf. (To withstand heavy coastal weather.) Like longhouses, these were simply halls. Everything was accomplished in one big room, sleeping, eating and cooking. Lincoln Logs, anybody?

·      Norman Manor House

·      Cliff Dwellings

·      London Town house

·      Palaces

·      19^th Century Frontier Log Cabin

·      Traditional Japanese houses

·      Houseboats

·      Wigwams

·      Lake Dwellings

·      European Stone Houses

·      Celtic Halls

·      Greek City House

·      European peasant hut – Middle Ages

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

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Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

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