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 4: Bible, History, Geography, and Science memory work. I will also share my tutor plans and library books.
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BIBLE:
Resources: Foundations of the Bible vol. 1
This week, we learned about Noah. We discussed his faith in the Lord, his obedience, and his commitment to building the ark despite the world scoffing at him. Next week, we will learn all the details of the Flood and God’s covenant with Noah. The kids and I had great conversation this week. My favorite part about consistent study time with them is getting to hear all their questions and thoughts about God. It's a sweet and special time.
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: Draw Pyramids of Giza w/ Art for Kids Hub
We learned about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We drew the Pyramids of Giza with the Art for Kids Hub video on YouTube. We also read books and watched videos, too.
SCIENCE:
Resources: Learning with Friends Year 1 Bundle (code GRACEFRIENDS for 10% off) | CC Connected Sandbox File | Kim Vieley Science Cards
Activity: Watercolor Plant Cell, LWF Science Experiment
This week, we learned about plant cells. We ended up coloring a plant cell instead of water coloring it like last week. We also did a fun activity by Learning with Friends. We gathered different types of leaves and “painted” with them by extracting the chlorophyll. We also learned about cell walls with the balloon activity.
GEOGRAPHY:
Resources: Trace black line maps from CC sandbox | Drawing Africa | Keppel Trifold Maps on CC Connected
Activity: Trace maps daily, Make a recipe from the region (Crockpot Recipes), Chicken Kabsa recipe we used , Garam Masala Spice
This week, we learned about the Hittite Empire. We had the most delicious Arabian-inspired dinner, Chicken Kabsa. The exact recipe I used is linked above. I had to buy 1 new spice for the meal on Amazon (linked above). While we ate, we had Arabian music playing softly in the background. To bring the family to the table, I played Arabian Nights by Aladdin, lol. It was such a fun time. We did daily map tracing and sang the memory work to One Jump by Aladdin.
TEA TIME:
Resource: Tea Time Together Ancient History Guides
Something new I am implementing this year is monthly tea time with friends. We are using the Tea Time Together's Ancient History units. I invited some friends over to have a history tea party together. We each made a dish from the region and brought some tea or cider. It was such a fun time together! The units are great because they include history, poetry, art, and fun facts about each civilization. They also include book recommendations and recipes. The cards are meant to be done weekly as a family, but I decided to do it monthly with friends.
Here's how I'll be scheduling the units.
- Ancient Mesopotamia (September)
- Ancient Hebrews (October)
- Ancient Egypt (November)
- Ancient Greece (January)
- Ancient Rome (February)
- Ancient Asia (March)
- Ancient Americas (April)
As I write this (Sept. 2024), the units are on sale for 50% off, which is great! If the sale ends, I do have a 10% code BYGRACE10 you can use.
LIBRARY BOOKS:
Here are some books related to the weekly memory work.
- How Does a Lighthouse Work? by Roman Belyaev (History)
- The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Diana Bentley (History)
- Pyramids of Giza by Kristine Spanier (History)
- Bear Came Along by Richard Morris (W2 English - "Along")
- How the Seven Wonders of the ancient World Were Built by Ludmila Henkova (History)
- Plants & Fungi! by Smithsonian (Science)
- Watch Over our Water by Lisa Bullard (Hands-on Science)
- Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney (Bible)
- A Man Named Noah by Arch Books (Bible)
TUTOR PLANS:
How to Make a Tutor Board | Week 4 Tutor Plans | Blank Tutor Template | Candy Land Review Game
Here is my tutor board for week 4.
Fun things we did this week:
- For timeline: I taped rock, paper, and scissor pictures behind each card and the kids took turns trying to beat the cards in rock, paper, scissors.
- Review: The parents and kids played Candy Land review. The game is linked above. We had parents vs kids, and it was so fun! I had 2 game pieces and took turns letting the parents and kids draw a color card. Whatever color card they drew determined the subject they had to answer. I got to pick the week they answered. It was so fun and love that it involved the parents in learning too!
- Fine Arts: I had the kids draw an abstract camel. I basically took the idea from the abstract elephant that's included in the sandbox file but decided to do a camel because we drew an elephant last week. Plus, I loved that I could connect the camel to the Arabian Desert, which aligns with the geography this week. Before we colored, I read some fun facts about a camel and then walked them through dividing their paper into sections with a few random shapes to color.
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST:
I created my first YouTube channel to record all the songs and hand motions I want to use with the kids. I've compiled each subject's songs into a weekly playlist. I create this primarily to help the parents in my class review the motions with their kids at home. This is a great resource for other tutors to use to build their plans for the week.
PREVIEW: WEEK 5 PLANS
Here's a look at what we plan on doing for Week 5.
History activity ideas: Roman Coins option 1, Roman Coins option 2, Roman Ice Cube Arch
I'm going to try making gold Roman coins option 2 but modify by painting with metallic bronze paint instead of spray paint. I'm also going to see if hot glue can be used to lift the design and paint over it. We shall see :)
Hope you have a great week!
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