International Festival 2011

Our support group hosts an international festival each year.  Participating families select a country to study and create a project board about that country.  We also prepare traditional food to share with each other.

Costumes are optional, but our family loves to get dressed up.

This year Orville (not pictured) dressed as a tomb raider.  He wore all black and a Zorro mask.  Wilbur (left) bought the King Tut headdress with money he earned from helping me make soap (his choice) from Party City.  I cut a yellow twin flat sheet to make his robe.  I also cut the blue sash from a flat sheet and added beads with fabric glue.

I made my Cleopatra headdress from felt and attached strands of beads with packing tape (on the inside so it's not visible).  My dress and robe are my living room curtains. 

Yes, you read that right.

I went all Sound-of-Music and draped my drapes around me and then pinned them in place with safety pins.  And yes, I had seriously heavy amounts of make-up on.

This is our display board.

For our display, Wilbur drew the pictures of the ten plagues on the left side of the board as well as the pictures of Joseph, Moses, the pyramid, the sphinx and the sarcophagus in the middle.  He also sketched the map of Egypt on the right side of the board.  Orville wrote the text and colored the pictures of the Egyptian gods.

We included Psalm 135 in the top middle, an appropriate Psalm about God's sovereignty, power and covenant keeping and explaining how the false gods of the world are nothing.

Wilbur and I constructed this pyramid from foam board.

He measured three triangles of equal dimensions.  I cut them out (I'm to blame for the zig-zaggy sections!) and then we taped them together with packaging tape.  I mixed sand with brown tempera paint, and he applied two coats.  Once dry, he painted the gold cap with yellow tempera mixed with gold glitter.

Meanwhile, Orville researched the pharaohs of the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms of Egypt and typed a short report for 5-6 Pharaohs from each period.  He printed his reports along with pictures from wikipedia and glued them to the pyramid once it was dry.  Each side was designated for one of the three periods.

In the above picture,
you can see the food we brought
(or at least the bowls).
That is Sweet Egyptian Couscous on the platter.
One bowl contained Chick Pea Salad and the other melon.

The boys decided to make paper clothes for two of their plush toys.
This Audubon owl is "Hoot"ankhamun.

Get it?

Tutankhamen, Hoot-ankhamun.

What a hoot!

This Webkinz cat was named in honor of
the only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.

It was a great festival, and we had a lot of fun!  We learned a lot in the process, too.

However, I am still recovering from the flurry of activity, mounds of paper scraps in the classroom and office, watermelon splatter on the kitchen floor from where I dropped a quarter of one melon and it slammed fruit side onto the floor, little trails of sand all around the dining room floor, powdered sugar fingerprints all over the kitchen cabinets and beads rolling around me everywhere I step.

Oh, and I still need to go wash and hang my curtains!

Happy Homeschooling! 

Dawn

Navigating History

I just received an email that I wanted to pass on to you about an exciting history, geography and worldview teaching project, Navigating History.  Rather than try to explain the program myself, I will let you read what team leader, Isaac Botkin, has to say about it.  It sounds exciting!

Here is the email from Isaac Botkin....

Dear Friends:


In less than two weeks, Lord willing, I will be in the oldest nation in the world. For the past seven months, I have been preparing to take a small team of film professionals on an international adventure that will be the history and worldview lesson of a lifetime. Starting December 1, my three team-mates and I will be filming our journey and discoveries, and broadcasting them to you live.


It will be quite an expedition, but the project is more than a simple travel show. We're hoping to examine the history and culture of Egypt in a presuppositional way, and look at the consequences of the ideas that have shaped them. The four dominant ideologies of the globe – ancient paganism, Greek humanism, Christianity, and Islam – have all owned Egypt at different times. A hike down the Nile will reveal pyramids, Roman ruins, early Christian churches, and modern mosques, and the effects that their opposing theologies have had on the surrounding culture.


We're calling this the Navigating History project, and we're hoping that Egypt is just the first of many seasons to come. You can read more on www.navigatinghistory.com. We'll be posting images and video there at least once a day once we hit the ground in Egypt.


In order to maximize the teaching power of the series, we will be giving viewers the ability to interact with the team and ask questions, following the video episodes. This "hands on" approach to the subject matter will provide viewers with as much of the unfiltered perspective of global travel as possible from the comfort of their own homes.


We hope to demonstrate how young Christians can hone their worldviews, and emphasize a true understanding of history by focusing on the events and influences that have shaped nations, illustrating that ideas have consequences and that culture is not neutral. Along the way, we will be providing book recommendations and pointers for further study. (With a little creativity, this could make a great unit study.)


I'm looking forward to learning all that Egypt has to teach about statist bureaucracy, Islam, the history of the Church, and the power of the Gospel. I hope you will consider joining me there.


Sincerely yours,

Isaac Botkin

Summer School: Ancient History

Vacation Bible School

We are blessed to live near a musuem
of Bible and ancient history.

Through interactive exhibits, like the one above,

students learn first-hand what life was like for the Israelites

and members of other ancient societies.

The boys attended a Vacation Bible School

at this center earlier in the summer.

They learned about ancient Egypt, Turkey, and Israel.

It was a perfect summer study

since we will study ancient history
in the up-coming school year.

They participated in an archaeological dig,

made crafts, listened to expert (and engaging) talks,

and made homemade bread.

Orville (above) watches as Mr. Oliver cooks his bread.

They ate it piping hot

covered in butter and honey.

The boys had a great time

and learned so much, but

according to them,

the highlight of the week was seeing...

Pedro the Rooster!

(and museum mascot)

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Summer School: Aviation

USS Yorktown

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

The Yorktown recovered the Apollo 8 capsule.

The Write Brothers under a Model of The Wright Brothers' Glider

(click the link if you want to see the new design with this pic in the header)

The boys enjoyed learning about the history of flight

from the time of gliders and biplanes to space travel.

The Trail

Farewell Friday

The boys finished their unit on the Oregon Trail just before Christmas break. Their final project was to write a fiction story in the style of Bound for Oregon by Van Leeuwen. Plush toys seem to find their way into most of their projects, so the main characters are Pioneer Piggy, of course, and a band of dogs, pigs and birds.

The boys worked together on the pre-writing aspects. Orville did the majority of the writing. All three of us contributed to the editing. In the publishing phase, Orville typed and formatted, and Wilber added the illustrations.

The Trail

by Orville and Wilber

Once upon a time, a group of animals went on an adventure on the Oregon Trail.

They started in Independence, Missouri. They needed a lot of supplies because the trail was 2000 miles long. Their names were Piggy, Scruffy, Puppy, Quill, Love, Kiss, Lovie and Friendly. So they got their supplies and took off across the country.

Little were they aware that there were a lot of dangers on the trail.

They made 15 miles the first day. They reached Fort McKinley on the 4th of July, which was a very special day. They left after the historical celebration.

But right after that, Kiss got the cholera, a very bad disease. “No! No!” was all Friendly could say about Kiss. Although he did stop so she could get well. Finally she got well and they moved out.

Sometimes Friendly and Lovie went to play hopscotch.
Love and Kiss gathered, Puppy fished, and Scruffy hunted. It was a lot of work but it was worth it. If they wanted to survive, they had to do the work. They had traveled 1123 miles. Now they were at Chimney Rock. They stayed there for 2 days. They enjoyed the sites for while and moved on. 1500 miles... 1600 miles... 1700 miles... OH NO!


It’s winter and there‘s one more mountain to cross, Mt. Hood. The hardest mountain to cross. “We must persevere and conquer that there hill” said Scruffy. “Yes, Grandpa,” said Friendly. PULL, PULL, PULL! “HOORAY!” they all shouted. Then they used the rope to pull the wagon along way down hill. Yippee!! It's down!!! 1800... 1900... 1950... 2000 miles! THEY MADE IT!! “OREGON!!” They all shouted. Now, they live peacefully in Oregon City, Oregon.

THE END

Pioneer Piggy Builds a Home

Teaching Tip Tuesday

Last week the boys had fun traveling the Oregon Trail. We finished reading Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen. They also played the game Oregon Trail on the computer and kept a journal of their journey.

Today they built these homes for Pioneer Piggy by gluing pretzel sticks to empty milk cartons. Too bad he is too tall to go inside! LOL!! Of course, thar's nary a door ner winder in the place, so I guess he couldn't enter even if he were a wee, little pig. I suppose he doesn't mind. After all, he has been confined to a much-too-small Conestoga for five weeks now!

Conestoga Wagons

Farewell Friday

This week our Social Studies focused on 19th Century travel. We read about Conestoga wagons and the preparation that the pioneers made before beginning their five-month trek across the plains, mountains and deserts. I thought about those brave dads and moms who labored to make months worth of food and supplies, having to think and prepare and pack for everything. I thought about our upcoming holiday trips. What if it took five months to get there? And there were no McDonald's along the way??!!!

The boys completed an activity in which they compared and contrasted travel then to travel now. In our discussion, we noted that the pioneers had no roads,but since the advent of the airplane, we do not need roads. They had sketchy maps and markings carved into bones left along the trail by those who came before them, and we have interstates, amber alerts, GPS and OnStar.

Then, the boys made this very simple model of a Conestoga. I cut two small milk cartons in half and taped the top flap so that it stuck out to make the jokey box. Then, we taped a piece of card stock paper cut to the width of the milk carton to each side to form the canvas covering. The final step was to tape bottle caps to the sides as wheels. Very simple and the boys loved it.

It was interesting to reflect on what life was like just a little over one hundred years ago while my blog's hit counter was ticking like mad due to the Homeschool Blog Awards. Just this week, this blog had visitors from all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Some of you live along the trail those pioneers struggled to forge. Some of you live in places a girl from my part of the world would never have dreamed of seeing in the 19th Century. Yet we made it to each other's homes with the click of a button this week.

It truly is the world wide web. How great a blessing we have to be able to connect and to encourage one another. Welcome, friends.

Book Giveaway!

Christy @ Mercy Every Morning is giving away a Salem Ridge Press book!

Christy writes, "Salem Ridge Press, founded by a homeschooled graduate in 2005, has dedicated itself to republishing books from the 1800's and early 1900's that are wholesome, exciting and well-written."

She is offering an opportunity for four entries per blogger and has included a link to the Christmas Wishlist Giveaway currently held by Salem Ridge Press.

Read her post "Salem Ridge Press Book Giveaway!" for all the details.

Thar's Gold in Them-Thar Hills!

Teaching Tip Tuesday

Last week I completed two activities with the boys to help them understand concepts related to the California Gold Rush.

First, I scattered bite-sized pieces of candy around the office and living room. In certain places, I hid a single piece but hid a stack of 5-6 pieces in other places. I saved the largest portion of candy (about 20 pieces) for a hard-to-find spot. Before I allowed the boys to enter the living room, I explained to them that they were going to be prospectors just like the "49ers" only they had to find candy instead of gold.

As I had hoped, they were civil at first. Each boy happily took a piece from here or there, not paying much attention to what his brother was doing. Then, Bruster found a larger stash. Immediately, BT made a run for the spot where his brother was collecting. They jumped from spot-to-spot trying to get in on the best finds until finally, BT found the largest stash. Then the race for who could get the most in his bag was on. This led to a great discussion about what motivated prospectors, claim jumping, and the need for laws and government in the west. This discussion was rooted in Pro 16:8. "Better is a little with righteousness than great increase without right."

The next morning, I had them read Chapter 12 of The History of US: Liberty for All? by Joy Hakim. This chapter described in detail the California Gold Rush. After each boy completed the reading, I asked him questions from the text and paid him in play money for correct or well-thought out responses. Some of the questions were factual and some were essay-style. All were asked and answered orally, and the amount I paid them varied according to the difficulty of the question and the thoroughness of the response.

Later that day, I held an auction to demonstrate the effects of the law of supply and demand on the economy of the west. They used the play money earned from the Q & A session to pay for the items they won. First, I offered a piece of styrofoam. The opening bid was $1, and there were no takers. Other failed items were a used fabric softener sheet, a bottle of saline nose spray, and a dried-up glue stick. The high demand items were a Rice Krispies treat, some MnM's, and a new box of crayons. The demand was high, and the supply was low, and so the bidding was furious. The surprising items were a pencil and one green paper clip. The starting bid for both items was really high, $5, and no one was willing to bid. So, I continued to lower the opening bid until I reached $1. Both times, one boy decided that the pencil or the paper clip was useful enough to spend one dollar on it and bid. Then, the other brother decided that he wanted in on the action, creating a bidding war. The pencil eventually sold for $7, and the green paper clip sold for $6.

After the auction, we discussed how supplies were low in the west. As the number of prospectors grew, so did the demand for food, clothes, and mining supplies. The boys understood how merchants profited and made more money than most prospectors.

A Day in the 19th Century

Farewell Friday

Pictures of Our Field Trip to Westville

October 28, 2008

BT, Bruster, CP, OP, and IP enjoy life in the 19th Century.

Celebrating the Reformation

Milestone Monday

Welcome to another week. I hope you all had a great weekend, especially a great Lord's Day. I enjoyed the rest, fellowship, and spiritual nourishment of our Christian Sabbath yesterday. Today, however, our two-week break from school is over, and it is time to get back to the normal routine again.

As I promised last week, today I am launching a new daily theme, Milestone Monday. This is a time for sharing "firsts." Each week I will let you know about something new that is going on in our school, home, or family. But remember, this blog is a community. I want to hear from you guys, too. Post comments about the new things in your lives as well. Don't be shy! I want to learn from you guys and celebrate your or your kids' accomplishments with you.

My milestone this week is that I am planning the children's activities for my church's Reformation Night celebration to be held this Friday. Those of you who know me personally are wondering how this is a milestone. You know I have always worked with kids and have done my fair share of children's activities. However, this is the first time I have done this for my current church and it is the first time I have planned activities specifically for Reformation Night.

I am planning to set up five learning centers, one for each of the five Solas. The five Solas are five Latin phrases which summarize the Reformers' theological beliefs in contradicting the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of their day. As children enter the church Friday, I will give them an empty sack with one of the five Solas written on it. This will assign them a starting station. They will complete a task (I will list these below) and explain to the teacher the meaning of the Sola for their current station. Then the teacher will place candy in their bags. After 7 minutes, they will move to the next station. This rotation will continue until everyone has traveled to each station.

Each night this week at home, Michael is going to introduce one Sola in preparation for Friday. Tonight we will learn about "Sola Fide" by faith alone. He will teach the boys the phrase, the English translation, and then share a verse pertaining to faith. We will have a short discussion. I will list the scripture we will read below with the station descriptions.

I pray your week will be a great celebration of God's faithfulness to His people. I praise the Lord for the mighty work he did through the men of the Reformation.

Here are the station ideas:

1. Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone): 2 Tim 3:16
At this station I will hang a pocket chart and have a set of letter cards prepared. The teacher will, one word at a time, arrange the letters in the chart to spell a book of the Bible. The cards will be placed in the chart with the backs showing and the letters hidden. The children will take turns guessing a letter. When correct, the teacher will reveal the letter. If incorrect, the teacher will reveal one of three strikes. After three strikes, the group must guess what book title is being spelled. They may guess before getting three strikes if they want.

2. Sola Fide (by faith alone): 2 Cor 5:7
I will have five boxes prepared ahead of time. Inside each shoebox with a hole cut in the lid (just large enough for a child to reach in and feel the contents without seeing them), I will place one item that can be easily identified by touch. Children will take turns feeling and guessing. After all guesses are in, the teacher will reveal the items and explain that just as they were able to know what items they felt without seeing them, we are able, by the work of the Spirit, to love Christ even though we have not seen him.

3. Sola Gratia (by grace alone): Eph 2:8
At this station, the kids will play a BINGO game. The row heading will be G-R-A-C-E instead of bingo. I will make the cards myself by drawing the bingo grid on pieces of card stock. Where the free space should be, I will write in Eph 2:8. Instead of numbers in the other squares, I will write in names and terms related to the Reformation (Luther, Calvin, Knox, 95 Theses, Wittenberg, etc.).

4. Solus Christus (Christ alone): Rom 6:23
For this sola, the kids will decorate a cross-shaped cut-out with tissue paper squares in a variety of colors. They will glue the squares to the cut-out like a mosaic.

5. Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone): 1 Cor 10:31
At this station, the kids will play a game of musical chairs. We will play Holly Dutton's The Westminster Shorter Catechism Songs, specifically the questions that relate to God's glory. I will also play a recording of A Mighty Fortress. If you do not have these cd's, any God-honoring music would do.

The Trail of Tears

BT chose to paint a landscape depicting the Trail of Tears for his art project. First, we discussed the mood of the picture. He decided to use greys, blues, and browns to project the sadness of the event. He used roller brushes to blend the colors of his background.

He allowed his background to dry thoroughly, and we discussed the foreground. He decided that people are too difficult to paint and he might ruin his work if he attempted that. So, he decide to paint a wagon train instead. We discussed perspective, and he attempted to paint the wagons in different sizes to give the painting depth. He decided as a final touch to dot the ground with blue paint... a symbol of the tears shed along the way.

Remember the Alamo

The boys studied the 1830's and 1840's this six weeks. Bruster chose to create a model of the Alamo for his art project. We started with a tri-fold project board with ghost lines. I bought ours at WalMart. We looked at pictures of the Alamo online to decide how to trace the outline of the model onto the board.

Then, I used a razor knife to cut out the model.

Bruster applied a base coat of paint. He used a roller brush to apply a thin coat of light beige. Then, he used larger brushes to wisp in brown, light grey, and white. He then used the roller to smooth in the layers of color. As he painted, we discussed the people and events of the Alamo, a review of his studies.


After the paint dried, he used an ultra-thin brush to paint in details with black paint. Here he is peaking through the door. He was excited to be the Boy in the Alamo, his favorite read this six weeks.