Posted in History
After each major topic that we learn about we create small narrated books. Together we make a list of all the things we want to find pictures of for our book. This helps the boys recall the topics we have covered.
We then use these picture to put our content into a logical order. We usually move our pictures around on our Powerpoint slides but you could print out the individual pictures to physically move around. I find moving the picture headings around helps us to create a more logical order. It much easier than sitting down with a pen and paper and trying to think linearly.
Once we've created our topic sequence, the boys sit with me and narrate what they know about each picture and ideas relating to the picture. If both boys are narrating at the same time I often add an "E" or "B" to the end of their work so I know who contributed what. More often I select one boy to work with me at a time, either allocating the whole book to that child to complete or perhaps separate picture pages for each child. This ensures that one child isn't doing all the work.
From here we pretty things up by enlarging the images, moving text around, proofreading and making any final publishing touches. I also have a comb binding machine which is really handy (but not essential) for making our books look "real".
Now we have a lovely record of what we have learned and a sample of our children's work to keep. We have a collection of these now and my boys enjoy having them reread to them. In fact, they often ask for them to be kept on the bookshelf as they see themselves as real authors and hence should have their books kept on shelves.
Below is a sample of our latest narrated book, "The Vikings"
Below is a sample page for our book:
My boys much prefer these narrated books to lapbooking. While we have completed a few lapbooks together in the past and have plans for a few more in the near future we find putting them together to be a chore and a lot of creative work. Creativity isn't our strength so more than the occasional lapbook is for us a challenge (but we do love looking through them afterwards which is why we haven't given them up). For us, narrated books are perfectly suited to our daily style of thinking and working.
Posted in History
During Medieval times people believed that the world was flat
Did YOU know that this "fact" was fabricated????
"No!" you say, "That can't be."
Weren't most, if not all of us taught this at some point during our school years? I was. I have recently published books on my shelves that proclaim such a thing.
"But didn't Christopher Columbus sail around the world to prove it wasn't flat?"
That's what my teacher's taught me too.
But just this week I found out that it isn't so. And now that I've given it some thought...okay more online research time than it probably deserves...it does make sense. I mean, Christopher Columbus didn't even sail the whole way around the world. And I remember reading that early Mathematicians were calculating the circumference of the world way before the Middle Ages.
It seems that late 19th century Darwinists created this myth supposedly to make Christians look foolish. The notion probably being that if people thought Christians were unscientific in their beliefs in the past, then it could be assumed that the belief in Biblical Creation could also be incorrect and hence Evolution would be held up as the winning idea. Interesting how the opposing team (I'm most definitely on the Creation side of the fence) aims to destroy the credibility of the other team rather than using their "facts" to prove their notion correct. Of course if you were lacking facts then you probably wouldn't have any other ammunition other than foul play. So their approach does make sense.
If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about or you're still in denial and need more evidence. Check it out online. Here's several Creation based websites that discuss the myth:
Creation Ministries
Answers in Genesis
Biblical Creation
Creation Research Society
I also prowled around on websites that weren't Christian to see if this was a widely held understanding and it seems to be.
So now I want to know....what else don't I know about, what else do I believe in that isn't true and please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know this. It's lonely out here under my mushroom
.
Posted in History
...by making early morning Anzac Biscuits
...by reading war related picture books and talking about the stories while the biscuits baked and cooled
...by discussing wars and soldiers, specifically the Anzacs, using images from books and the internet
....by allowing the boys to express what they have learned in their imaginative games
...by watching snippets of related tv programming and discussing
'Lest we forget'
Posted in History
Now I'm not sure if this is how Susan Wise Bauer envisaged the crowns looking when she put this craft idea in her Story of the World activity books but this is how it translated from book, to my mind, and onto paper.
First we started by threading beads onto strings to secure to the side of the crown for the dangly bits. We found some blue glass beads on sale at Spotlight and used these instead of the suggested pearls. Okay, so authentic we're not but frugal we are
. The glass beads were actually a good idea as they gave the crown quite a bit of weight which lead to a discussion about the weight of crowns.
Here's my Mr Craft looking for just the right bead to thread next.
(This is a great fine motor and pre-writing activity. Young children needs lots of these experiences.)
The boys got a bit discouraged when they realised they had to create two long lengths of beads before they got anywhere near the glue.
Of course this lead to the "Is this long enough?" queries. I set a certain number of beads and they happily complied knowing exactly where the end point would be.
Finally they got to the messy part - the gluing. I set out a selection of glitter and glamour for their crowns: cross sequins, heart, diamond and flower shaped rhinestones, mini multicoloured rhinestones and star and geometric shaped sequins.
In true boy fashion the activity was focused on action and featured crashing sound effects. Just because their bodies are still and at the table does not mean that their minds have moved to calmer thoughts.
The boys were watching the glue drip down their crowns and were talking about catching the drops and putting decorations in their paths to crash into. At one point the drips were flows of lava charging down a volcano. Hmmm...where do I fit the discussions about the aesthetic appeal of the place of their decorations?
No you just don't go there. You stand back and enjoy the glimpse into the mind of a boy. At least that's how it is in this household.
Here's their final masterpieces and my little Empress Theodoras modelling their new crowns.
Did it matter to my little men that they were making and wearing girl crowns? Nahh. They can wrestle in girl crowns just as easily as anything else.
Oh and to mothers of girls who are panicked at the sight of what looks like a physical fight...don't fret...this is what little boys do - wrestle with their brothers.
