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 17: 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 studied the first five plagues in Egypt: water turning to blood, frogs, gnats or lice, swarms of flies, and the death of livestock. We explored why God sent these plagues and how each one was a direct judgment against the false gods of Egypt, revealing God's power and authority.
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: Write in these narration journals, Aztec art Project from DisneyJr
For history, we dove deeper into the Aztecs. We read Story of the World, Vol. 1 and created a fun Aztec-inspired art project using a YouTube tutorial. We also enjoyed a wonderful picture book about Montezuma and Hernán Cortés, which I’ve shared in the library book section. To wrap up, we filled in our narration notebooks to summarize everything we learned this week.
SCIENCE:
Resources: Learning with Friends Year 1 Bundle (code GRACEFRIENDS for 10% off) | CC Connected Sandbox File | Trifold Printouts
Activity: Lava lamp experiment by Learning with Friends, draw a volcano from Art for Kids Hub.
This week, we kept learning about volcanoes and had so much fun with it! We memorized the different parts of a volcano to the tune of 'I'm a Little Teapot.' We also did the lava lamp experiment from Learning with Friends. We were curious how the bubbles would react under heat, so we warmed it up to test it out. I didn’t have any red food coloring on hand—otherwise, it would’ve looked more like real lava!
GEOGRAPHY:
Resources: Trace black line maps from CC sandbox | Drawing Africa | Keppel Trifold Maps on CC Connected
Activity: Trace maps daily. Make Week 17 Crockpot Recipe — Really good. I added more broth as it was cooking to make sure it was moist.
This week’s geography focused on some African countries, and the song I made up was a huge hit with my kids! I set it to the tune of 'Try Everything' from Zootopia, and they haven’t stopped singing it since. We also tried an Ethiopian lentil stew for dinner, which was a fun (and tasty) way to bring it all together.
LIBRARY BOOKS:
Here are some books that relate to this week’s memory work.
- Ancient Aztecs by Emily Rose Oache (History)
- How to be an Aztec warrior by Fiona Macdonald (History) — Explains what life would be like if you grew up as an Aztec. Great for Week 16, Week 17, and Week 18 memory work.
- Montezuma and the fall of the Aztecs by Eric Kimmel (History) — Really enjoyed this book. It clearly explained the history of the Aztecs and Montezuma's defeat by Hernan Cortes.
- Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Week 16 History and Week 18 Geography) — adding this in because we enjoyed reading it and can related to the Mayans for history the prior week and geography the following.
TUTOR PLANS:
How to Make a Tutor Board | Week 17 Tutor Plans | Blank Tutor Template
Here is my tutor board for Week 17.
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 18.
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Hope you have a great week!
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