Sep. 11, 2007
What we've enjoyed in week 3 of school!
Posted in How we are using My Father's World Curriculum
|
Amazingly we are already jumping into week four of school. Week 3 was busy and fun. We began our mosaic project, althought we didn't complete it yet. I didn't think we would be able to complete it in two days, and we weren't. The kids have reached the stage where they are ready to adhere the tiles to the cardboard. I'm thinking we will grout the tiles as well before sealing the project. They are very excited about what they have accomplished so far. So far this year the kids favorite things we are doing are... 1. Read-a-louds from the library and from our curriculum package. * Miranda the Great by Eleanor Estes Set in Ancient Rome this story is about a couple of cats who rescue a rather large number of kittens during a city wide fire. We haven't finished reading it yet, but so far it has been very good. It introduces various aspects of daily Roman life and brings into the story many of the historical places of Ancient Rome. * Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne I'm not a big fan of the Magic Tree House series of books because of the element of magic in the stories. It is mild in form...usually related to the way the children in the book go back in time to visit these ancient places. I've been very careful to be sure that the kids under stand what God says in His Word about "magic". This particular book is set in Pompeii and covers the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. * Ancient Rome and Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce This is a Magic Tree House Research Guide, and is a non-fiction companion to Vacation Under the Volcano. The research guide covers a lot of historical information about Ancient Rome and Pompeii. We are enjoying this book, especially since it doesn't contain the "magic" that is found in the fictional companion. * Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster This book is a hit in my house! Each day we read from this book and the kids beg for us to read more. Telling the events of history in the form of a story certainly does make it more enjoyable. Thanks MFW for including this book in the curriculum package for this year's study. ** Please note that none of the afore mentioned books represent these historical events in light of God's Word. If you choose to use any of these books with your children please be aware that the information is covered from a secular perspective. This has given me some great opportunities to question my kids about how God's Word speaks to a certain situation we may encounter in the book, which has often led to some great teaching moments. 2. Craft project The mosaic project scheduled in week three was just what the kids needed to charge them up about Ancient Rome. All of my children love to work with clay, so actually having a clay project in school has been awesome. In addition to the mosaic project, I often find one or more of the kids making something out of clay on their own. My oldest dd looked at pictures and made things from clay that she saw in the books on Roman life such as bread, pedestals in a flower garden, etc. 3. Science The Human Body for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave The text in this book is often a little difficult to understand as it is written, so I've had to do quite a lot of explaining. The diagrams and experiments have really helped to make real the concepts taught in the chapter, and the kids have enjoyed the experiments too. A little something for you to explore: I came across some web sites that I thought I would share. Web sites can change quickly, and I don't have time to view every link or all information within a web site. As with all web sites please check this out before giving your kids freedom to explore. If you are looking for some online information about Rome the following site has many things to learn about Ancient Rome. Kikipede - History for Kids Here is a web site with a game set in Ancient Rome. I played around in it a little to see what it was like, but didn't have time to explore it much. What I did see didn't have anything objectionable. The Roman Mysteries Game Blessings!  |
Comments
Sep. 12, 2007 - Untitled Comment
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by