In this recap, I am going to share what we did at home for more hands-on learning related to Classical Conversations Cycle 1 Week 16: Bible, History, Geography, and Science memory work. I will also share my tutor plans, library books, and a preview for the following week.
BIBLE:
Resources: Foundations of the Bible vol. 1 | Free Sample
This week, we learned about Aaron, who was Moses’ older brother and right-hand man. He was appointed by God to speak on Moses’ behalf to Pharaoh. Aaron helped lead the Israelites through the wilderness and established the priestly line for Israel. However, he had two major downfalls: creating the golden calf for worship and challenging Moses’ authority with his sister, Miriam.
Note: This study pairs with each week of the CC optional Bible memory work, but you can go at your own pace because there is SO much to learn. You can also jump in at any time. Anyone can do this study, not just CC families. Learn more about the Foundations Collection here.
HISTORY:
Resources: Story of the World Book Cycle 1 (Match Up List) | Story of the World Series | Real Cool History for Kids Podcast — Chronological episode guide here,
Activity: Try to grind corn like the civilizations of Mesoamerica, make homemade tortillas with masa (I made mini cinnamon sugar tortilla chips). Write a narration journal about the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs. I use these narration journals and really like them!
This week, we learned about the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs of Mesoamerica. We read from Story of the World and wrote in our narration journals. For hands-on learning, we ground our own corn and made homemade tortillas from masa.
SCIENCE:
Resources: Learning with Friends Year 1 Bundle (code GRACEFRIENDS for 10% off) | CC Connected Sandbox File | Trifold Printouts
Activity: Make a volcano with baking soda and vinegar (We used Learning with Friends science unit), draw a volcano from Art for Kids Hub.
Who doesn’t love volcano week?! The kids always enjoy doing a volcano experiment with vinegar and baking soda. We learned about the pressure involved and had fun creating big explosions. We also watched videos on volcanoes and drew a picture with Art for Kids Hub.
GEOGRAPHY:
Resources: Trace black line maps from CC sandbox | Drawing Africa | Keppel Trifold Maps on CC Connected
Activity: Trace maps daily. Make Week 16 Crockpot Recipe | Make traditional South African Bobotie casserole
This week, we focused on the rivers of Africa and sang the memory work to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Since the Orange River flows through South Africa, we made a South African dish called Bobotie—a sweet beef casserole with an egg topping. It’s always interesting to explore the unique flavors of different regions.
ESSENTIALS:
Resource: Quarterly Notebooks by Kim Vieley
One of our favorite activities in Essentials is parsing and diagramming sentences. If you didn’t know, your Essentials book includes weekly sentences to practice, along with an answer guide. For extra review and practice, I like to use the same sentence structures but change the words to topics my son is interested in—usually something sports-related.
LIBRARY BOOKS:
Here are some books that relate to this week’s memory work.
- Wangari's trees of peace by Jeanette Winter (Geography)
- Hill of Fire by Thomas Lewis (Science W16 & W17)
- Living in South Africa by Chloe Perkins (Geography)
- Ancient Aztecs by Emily Rose Oache (History)
- Volcanos! by Gail Gibbons (Science W16 & W17)
- Volcanoes by Franklyn Branley (Science W16 & W17)
- The Genius of the Maya by Izzi Howell (History)
- Pathways through Africa by Heather Hudak (Geography)
TUTOR PLANS:
How to Make a Tutor Board | Week 16 Tutor Plans | Blank Tutor Template
Here is my tutor board for Week 16.
Hands-On Science Tip: I wrapped my toothpaste and told my kids it was a tube of magma—lol! This simple trick kept them engaged and really sparked their curiosity during the hands-on science activity.
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST:
Here is a weekly playlist of all the songs and hand motions I use with my kids. This is a great resource for other tutors to use to build their plans for the week.
PREVIEW:
Here is what we will be doing for Week 17.
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Hope you have a great week!
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